As a northern midland province, Phu Tho borders Tuyen Quang and Yen Bai provinces to the north, Hanoi to the south, Son La and Hoa Binh provinces to the west and Vinh Phuc province to east. The province has a natural area of around 3,530 square kilometers and a population of 1.37 million. Phu Tho is home to Kinh (Viet) people as the most populous and 33 other ethnic groups, including Muong, Dao, Cao Lan and H’Mong. It has Viet Tri city, Phu Tho town and 11 districts, namely Thanh Son, Tan Son, Yen Lap, Cam Khe, Tam Nong, Thanh Thuy, Ha Hoa, Thanh Ba, Doan Hung, Lam Thao and Phu Ninh. Located in the intersection of the Red, Da and Lo rivers, Phu Tho province is the western gateway of Hanoi and on the Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressway and the Trans-Asia railway, which is considered as its great advantage to promote economic exchange between the northern mountainous provinces and China’s Guangxi and Yunnan provinces.
