The northern Vietnamese box turtle "C. g. galbinifrons" was described by Bourret in 1939, but it took nearly 40 years until the first specimens were imported to Europe and the United States. This subspecies occurs in extreme southern Guangxi Province, China, northern Vietnam, and probably northern Laos and on Hainan Island (China). The population from Hainan was once considered to represent a distinct species or at least subspecies, "C. (galbinifrons) hainanensis". Li, 1958, was not aware of the description from Bourret (1939) of "C. galbinifrons" and thus believed to have a new subspecies of "Cuora flavomarginata" the only "Cuora" species known at this time with at least some similarities. According to some, specimens from Hainan do not always have fully black plastrons (always the case in mainland "C. g. galbinifrons"), but sometimes lighter parts. Furthermore, their carapaces show more red pigmentation and brown spots. Genetic and morphologic studies believe it to be a synonym of "C.g. galbinifrons", however.