History of the formation of Lao Cai province

In the early years of the 20th century, the resistance movement of the people of Lao Cai temporarily subsided. In the document "Lao Cai Monograph," from 1886 to 1889, the sections " military events" and "bandits" were meticulously recorded, but from 1900 to 1911, sections on "road construction," "trade," "schools," and "projects" were mentioned more frequently. The situation in Lao Cai, as well as the Lao Cai-Yunnan border, gradually stabilized. This created the conditions for the French colonialists to transition from military to civilian rule, establishing the civilian province of Lao Cai.

Therefore, transforming Lao Cai into a civilian province required a relatively stable situation, but this was only a secondary condition. A more important condition was the strategic importance of Lao Cai's location, serving as a gateway for the French colonialists into China. Following the launch of the first colonial exploitation plan, Lao Cai's strategic importance was further emphasized.

In December 1897, the Supreme Council of Indochina agreed to build a railway line from Hai Phong to Hanoi , then up to Lao Cai and into Yunnan, China. On September 14, 1898, the Supreme Council of Indochina decided that the Hai Phong - Hanoi - Lao Cai - Yunnan railway line would be one of the priority routes for investment and construction. With the commencement of the Hai Phong - Hanoi - Lao Cai - Yunnan railway line, the Lao Cai area became even more important.

In early 1899, the Governor-General of Indochina, Paul Doumer, personally visited Lao Cai and traveled to Yunnan to explain the importance of the railway line to Chinese authorities. From 1901 to February 1, 1906, the Hai Phong - Hanoi - Lao Cai railway line was constructed and put into operation. Thanks to the railway, Lao Cai was connected to the Northern Delta region and the Hai Phong seaport. Its strategic location, facilitated by the railway, allowed Lao Cai to facilitate the entry of goods into the vast Yunnan region. Thus, Lao Cai met the three elements necessary for establishing a civilian province: a railway connecting Lao Cai (via the Lao Cai bridgehead) to the vast Yunnan region and the Northern Delta and the Hai Phong seaport; a stable situation in Lao Cai; and harmonious relations between Lao Cai and Yunnan, with the suppression of bandits and robbers encroaching on the border.

Besides these factors, by 1907, Lao Cai had also achieved many results in building the civilian infrastructure of the province and constructing essential facilities in the provincial capital.

In the spring of 1899, the Ho Kieu bridge connecting Lao Cai with Ha Khau across the Nam Thi River was built. In June 1900, the headquarters of the Military Command, later the Resident's Residence, was inaugurated. Notably, on February 22, 1902, the decree of the Governor-General's Office to build the urban center of Lao Cai was issued, further accelerating the construction pace. A series of other civil works were built, such as the Lao Cai Market (inaugurated on March 5, 1903), Lao Cai Square (October 1905), Coc Leu Market (inaugurated on November 26, 1905)... In 1904, the French colonialists began to pay attention to the overall planning of the Lao Cai urban center. This center was expanded to the right bank of the Red River with the Coc Leu area and further south with the Pho Moi area. The planning and construction of the Lao Cai urban area laid the foundation for the development of the provincial capital of Lao Cai later on.

On July 12, 1907, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree abolishing the 4th Military District of Lao Cai, transforming it into the civilian province of Lao Cai. July 12, 1907, became the founding date of Lao Cai province.

The decree does not specify the area, population, or administrative divisions of Lao Cai province. At this time, obtaining this basic information requires consulting multiple sources.

Regarding the administrative units under the civilian province of Lao Cai, Decree No. 288 on the establishment of Lao Cai province only states: “Article 1: The 4th Military District, from August 1, 1907, shall be transformed into the civilian province of Lao Cai.” According to the decree of the Governor-General of Indochina dated November 28, 1905, the 4th Military District would comprise three centers from January 1, 1906: Bac Ha Center (Ngoc Uyen commune); Coc Leu Center (Trinh Tuong, Dong Quan, Ngoc Phuoc, Nhac Son, Cam Duong, Gia Phu, and Huong Vinh communes); and Phong Tho Center (Phong Thu and Binh Lu communes).

However, as early as 1908, some French documents already listed Thuy Vi and Bao Thang as districts directly under Lao Cai province. On February 1, 1908, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree merging Xuan Quang, Xuan Giao, and Lao Cai communes.

In 1924, Ngo Vi Lien and authors Do Dinh Nghiem and Pham Van Thu compiled the work "Geography of the Northern Provinces," which still listed Thuy Vi and Bao Thang districts as administrative units of Lao Cai province.

In 1926, in his work "Administrative Units in Tonkin," Ngo Vi Lien wrote that Lao Cai had 7 administrative units: Bao Thang district; Muong Khuong agency; Pa Kha agency (Bac Ha); Thuy Vi district; Bat Xat agency; Phong Tho agency; Sa Pa area...

On December 15, 1930, the Commissioner of Lao Cai issued a document compiling a complete list of administrative units in Lao Cai province. The statistical table clearly stated that Lao Cai had 2 districts, 4 agencies, 1 residential area with 27 communes, 2 streets, and 679 villages, neighborhoods, and hamlets.

Thus, although Lao Cai province was established on July 12, 1907, its administrative units were not stabilized until 1930.

Regarding area, population, and ethnic groups, Lao Cai province is reflected in statistical data from different periods. The earliest published area of ​​Lao Cai province was in 1924 (in the work "Geography of the Northern Provinces," according to author Ngo Vi Lien, Lao Cai had an area of ​​4,625 ^km² and a population of 38,000 people).

According to statistics from January 1, 1930, Lao Cai had 45,513 people, comprising 24 ethnic groups.

Thus, Lao Cai province was established on July 12, 1907, and has been in existence for 117 years. However, to achieve this administrative status at the provincial level, Lao Cai went through a long period of transition from district to sub-district, and from military rule to civilian rule.

If we take the appearance of Dan Duong Chau during the 8th year of the Trinh Nguyen era of the Tang dynasty's rule as the starting point, Lao Cai has 1,232 years of history. If we take the establishment of Thuy Vi and Van Ban districts in the 10th year of the Quang Thai era of the Tran dynasty as the starting point, then Lao Cai is 627 years old.

Lao Cai today: "the source of the river - the majestic mountain peak" (photo: Ngoc Bang)

But whether established in ancient, medieval, or modern times, Lao Cai has remained a solid land, a bridgehead connecting the Red River Valley with Yunnan, China. From its position as a bridgehead and frontier, Lao Cai is now striving for development.

*This article uses images from the archives of the Lao Cai Provincial Museum.

Presented by: Hoang Thu

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/lich-su-hinh-thanh-tinh-lao-cai-post386820.html