Hanoi (VNA) – The height of theFansipan peak in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, the highestmountain in Indochina, was actually 3,147.3 metres, according to the Departmentof Survey Mapping and Geographic Information under the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment.
This height is more than 4 metres higher thanthe measurement that has been officially used in many documents over the past110 years – 3,143 metres as measured by the French in 1909, the department saidat a press conference in Hanoi on June 26.
Director of the department Phan Duc Hieu saidthe latest measurement of the Fansipan peak was carried out using the GlobalNavigation Satellite System (GNSS) in combination with the altitude dataprovided by some national satellite positioning stations and other moderntechnologies.
Hence, the department’s centre for surveying andprocessing measurement data proposed the Appraisal Council recognise the heightof the Fansipan peak as 3,147.3 metres.
Fansipan is the highest mountain in the HoangLien Son range in Sa Pa town, Lao Cai province. It is recognised as thehighest peak in Vietnam and Indochina.
Located in the northwest of Vietnam, Sa Pa townis 1,600 metres above sea level, 33 km from Lao Cai city. It was discovered in1903 by the French and boasts many natural scenic sites such as Ham RongMountain, Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall), Cau May (Rattan Bridge), Bamboo Forestand Ta Phin Cave.-VNA