Located 320km northwest of Hanoi, Son La makes a good stop for travelers doing the run between Hanoi and Dien Bien Phu. Eighty percent of the province's natural area is covered with mountains. In this mountainous and forested region, the main population is minority groups such as the Black Thai, White Thai, Muong, Ma, H'mong, Dao, etc..
There is not much to remark the town except the Old French Prison and Museum. In the prison grounds is a peach tree that was planted by To Hieu, a former inmate, some time in the 1940's. However, there are many minority villages on the way to explore.
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