HA GIANG

town, northern Vietnam. The town lies along the Lo River about 215 miles (350 km) northwest of Hanoi. It is a market centre in a forested mountainous region about 13 miles (20 km) southeast of the ChinaVietnam border. The area in which Ha Giang is situated produces much of the tea grown in northern Vietnam and also produces some paddy rice, together with corn (maize). The dense forests in the area provide medicinal plants as well as significant quantities of lumber. The Tay, Meo, and Yao ethnic minority groups comprise part of the population of both the town and the surrounding area.