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
Phu Phan Mountains Kaen, Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Kalasin, Roi Et, Maha Sarakham, and Mukdahan Province. The highest elevation of the Phu Phan Range is the 641 m high summit known as Phu Lang Ka. It is in Nakhon Phanom Province. Other important peaks are 624 m high Phu Mai Hia in Mukdahan Province and the 563 m high summit known as Phu Langka Nuea in Nakhon Phanom Province. The hills are mostly deforested, although patches covered with mixed deciduous forest remain in zones spread across the range. Phu Phan Royal Palace is in the area, as is