Son La is 380km north-west of Hanoi. Son La Province is bordered to the east by Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho Provinces, to the south-east by Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa Provinces, to the south by Laos, to the west by Dien Bien and Lai Chau Provinces.

Son La has a mountainous terrain with limestone forested mountains, small valleys and flat plains. The two biggest rivers of Son La are the Da and the Ma Rivers. Moc Chau District of Son La with the width of 25km and the length of 80km is a plateau of 1050m above sea level. Moc Chau has a temperate climate and has great potential for developing agriculture and tourism.

 

 

Son La has a tropical monsoon climate characterized by torrential rains in the summer (from May to September) and cold and dry winter (from November to January). Besides, Son La is influenced by the dry and hot wind from Laos in the summer which makes the weather intolerable sometimes.

Son La is home to 12 ethnic groups, of which the biggest are the Thai (mostly Black Thai) and the Hmong. Most of the ethnic groups in Son La maintain the traditional lifestyle for centuries.


Son La has a great potential for developing tourism, agriculture and the mining industries. Currently, Son La has huge land areas for tea plantations, sugarcane plantations, grasslands, mango plantations which have earned the reputation nation-wide for the quality. Besides, Son La is famous for the herd of cows for milk and for meat; the bee honey... Moc Chau Plateau is perfect for developing eco tourism, for relaxing family holidays and for adventure travel like trekking, hiking, biking and motorbiking. The Da and the Ma River offer opportunities for boat cruises and for white-water rafting, tubing...Also for the travelers who would like to learn about the wars, then there are many former battlefields at Son La to visit such as Na San, the Prison of Son La, Road No. 6...

Currently, travelers only come to Son La as a stop on their way to Dien Bien Phu or from Dien Bien Phu back to Ha Noi. The Vietnamese tourists would come to the Moc Chau Plateau to get away from the heat of the Red River Delta in the summer.