| Sơn La | |||||
| Type: | Province | ||||
| Image Map1: |
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| Coordinates: | 21.1667°N 104°W | ||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Northwest | ||||
| Seat Type: | Capital | ||||
| Seat: | Sơn La | ||||
| Government Type: | Province | ||||
| Governing Body: | Sơn La Provincial People's Council | ||||
| Parts Type: | Subdivision | ||||
| Parts: | 1 city, 11 rural districts | ||||
| Leader Title1: | Chairman of People's Council | ||||
| Leader Name1: | Nguyễn Thái Hưng | ||||
| Leader Title2: | Chairman of People's Committee | ||||
| Leader Name2: | Nguyễn Đình Việt | ||||
| Area Footnotes: | [1] | ||||
| Area Total Km2: | 14109.82 | ||||
| Population Footnotes: | [2] | ||||
| Population Total: | 1,313,300 | ||||
| Population As Of: | 2023 | ||||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||||
| Population Urban: | 202,589 | ||||
| Demographics Type1: | Ethnic groups | ||||
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | [3] | ||||
| Demographics1 Title1: | Thái | ||||
| Demographics1 Info1: | 53.61% | ||||
| Demographics1 Title2: | Vietnamese | ||||
| Demographics1 Info2: | 16.26% | ||||
| Demographics1 Title3: | Mông | ||||
| Demographics1 Info3: | 16.06% | ||||
| Demographics1 Title4: | Mường | ||||
| Demographics1 Info4: | 6.78% | ||||
| Demographics1 Title5: | Xinh Mun | ||||
| Demographics1 Info5: | 2.17% | ||||
| Demographics1 Title6: | Others | ||||
| Demographics1 Info6: | 5.12% | ||||
| Demographics Type2: | GDP[4] | ||||
| Demographics2 Title1: | Province | ||||
| Demographics2 Info1: | VND 47.223 trillion US$ 2.051 billion | ||||
| Blank1 Name: | HDI (2020) | ||||
| Blank1 Info: | 0.646[5] (60th) | ||||
| Timezone: | ICT | ||||
| Utc Offset: | +7 | ||||
| Area Code Type: | Area codes | ||||
| Area Code: | 212 | ||||
| Iso Code: | VN-05 | ||||
Sơn La is a province nestled in the northwestern part of Vietnam.
By Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, before the 15th century, the area where Sơn-la Province is now belongs to a kingdom called as Muaeng Ngõu-hỡu (mường Ngưu-hống, "Cobra kingdom"). However, in Tai epics, this land was called Muaeng-mol (Mường Mỗi, "barbarian land"). Because before the Tai tribes migrated, it was home to a group called Xá people ("commune men").
On May 24, 1886, the French provisional protection government in Tonkin decided to divide Hưng Hóa province into many parts. Accordingly, Sơn-la Province has been established based on the area of a part of Hưng-hóa Province with some rugged lands without people living in the eastern area of Lao kingdom. The reason it was called Sơn-la is because the capital of the province was located in Muaeng-la (Mường La). However, although called the province, but in reality, this area was operated like a military zone. The head of the province was also called the commander, with the rank of captain. In particular, all administrative activities used French language.
On February 27, 1892, Sơn-la Province was separated into two small military zones, Phong-thổ (Muaeng-lae) and Vạn-bú (Muaeng-va). On October 10, 1895, Vạn-bú Province (Vạn Bú tỉnh) was officially established, with the headquarters located at an address called Tạ-bú (Muaeng-tae). The position of the head of the province at this time was the minister plenipotentiary (công-sứ toàn-quyền đại-thần).
On August 23, 1904, it was renamed to Sơn-la Province (Sơn La tỉnh), the provincial capital transferred to the place called as Sơn-la Town (Sơn La thị xã). From then until 1946, the province did not have any special developments, except for some prisoners' protests at Sơn-la Prison (xà-lim Sơn-la).
After chasing Việt-minh forces from government agencies, the French provisional government in Indochina for the first time allowed a native person as the Governor of Sơn-la Province (Sơn La tỉnh trưởng). Mr Bạc Cầm Quý (Monsieur Gouverneur Bac-câm-Qui in French administrative documents) was a Taykhao man. In 1948, three provinces Lai-châu, Phong-thổ and Sơn-la were merged into the Tai Union ("Sipsong-chau Tay", then "Siphoc-chau Tay").
In 1953, after France went bankrupt in Nà-sản, the Vietminh forces basically controlled Sơn-la. This province was temporarily merged into Việt-bắc Inter-zone (liên khu Việt Bắc). From 1955 to 1975, Sơn-la belonged to the South of the Northwest Autonomous Region (khu tự trị Tây Bắc).
In 1975, when the Autonomous Region was dissolved, Sơn-la Province re-established what based on the former Sơn-la Province and two communes of Nghĩa-lộ Province (which also dissolved).
On September 3, 2008, Sơn-la Town was upgraded and expanded to Sơn-la City (thành phố Sơn La).
On February 1, 2025, Mộc-châu District was changed to Mộc-châu Town (thị xã Mộc Châu).
Sơn-la is recorded as the place with the highest number of ethnic groups in Vietnam's provinces, so it possesses a surprising diversity of cultural identity, especially ancient writing.
According to epics such as Táy pú xớc, Quắm tố mướng and Phiết mướng, Sơn-la used to be a border dispute between the Tai tribes and Xá people. The Xá men was expelled by the Tai forces to Mai-châu. The Tai people celebrates the event with an annual horse racing festival. This is considered the most bustling cultural activity in Sơn-la in every spring.
Sơn La Province renowned for its stunning landscapes and rich cultural heritage. This area is characterized by rolling hills, lush valleys, and terraced rice fields. The province is home to diverse ethnic communities, including the Tai, Hmong, and Muong people.
Besides, Sơn La Dam was the largest hydroelectric power station in Southeast Asia.[6] It is located in this province.
Sơn La is subdivided into 12 district-level sub-divisions and 204 commune-level sub-divisions: