Sa Pa 15th century and represent local cadastres. Then came the highland minorities of the Hmong and Yao. The township is one of the main market ones in the area, where several ethnic minority groups such as Hmong, Dao (Yao), Giáy, Pho Lu, and Tày live. These are the four main minority groups still present in Sa Pa district today. The Kinh (lowland Vietnamese) never originally colonised this highest of Việt Nam’s valleys, which lies in the shadow of Phan-Xi-Pǎng (Fansipan, 3143 m), the highest peak in the country. It was only when the French debarked in highland Tonkin in the late
Phan Thong District Today, more than 3,000 Catholics reside on the land. The community, the largest landholder in the area, is under pressure from developers to sell the property to feed the industrialization fostered by the Eastern Economic Corridor. Phan Thong is divided into 11 sub-districts ("tambons"), which are further subdivided into 76 administrative villages ("mubans"). There are two sub-district municipalities ("thesaban tambons") in the district: There are eight subdistrict administrative organisations (SAO) in the district: Phan Thong District Phan Thong (, ) is a district ("amphoe") of the province of Chonburi in Thailand. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Bang Pakong, Ban