Highest mountain in Indochina just got higher

Mount Fansipan in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai, the highest mountain in Indochina, is actually four metres higher than previously thought, standing at 3,147.3 metres above sea level.

Mount Fansipan in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai, the highest mountain in Indochina, is actually four metres higher than previously thought, standing at 3,147.3 metres above sea level.

  

Mount Fansipan

The information was announced by Phan Đức Hiếu from the Department of Survey, Mapping and Geographic Information under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment at a press conference held in Hanoi on Wednesday.

The previous measurement was taken by the French in 1909, but the department has used the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), in combination with altitude data provided by national satellite positioning stations, which is the most reliable and modern technology available at present.

“We are submitting documents to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for consideration and proposing corrections in textbooks and materials in accordance with the new data," Hiếu told Vov.vn.

According to Hiếu, the French measured Fansipan height using the Barometric method (measurement of the atmospheric pressure) to calculate the height 110 years ago.

There were two reasons that could explain the change, he said.

The technology used back then was not as accurate as modern-day techniques, or the Hoàng Liên Sơn Mountain Range, an extension of the Himalayas, was growing by 23cm every year.

The department would continue to monitor Fansipan to determine the specific cause, Hiếu said.

Fansipan is the highest peak in Việt Nam and Indochina, located in the northwest of Vietnam, between Lào Cai and Lai Châu provinces. It is about 9km from Lào Cai’s Sa Pa Town.