Bắc Kạn () is the capital of Bắc Kạn Province, Vietnam. The province's only city, it is bordered by Bạch Thông District to the north, north-east and west and Chợ Má»Âi District to the south-east and south-west. Bắc Kạn is 160 kilometers away from Ha Noi.
As of 2019 it had a population of 45,036 people. The town traces its origins to a fort established in 1880 and upgraded to city on 11 March 2015. It is divided into six wards: , ÃÂức Xuân, Sông Cầu, , Huyá»Ân Tụng and and 2 communes: , .
Bắc Kạn (chữ nôm: Ã¥ÂÂð£´Â) was established as a fort in 1880 for troops of the Nguyá» n government during the 1878 revolt of Li Yung Choï (Vietnamese: Lý Dðáng Tài) coincident with the Black Flag Army. Following Li's capture and decapitation, the remains of his group reformed under Liu Zhiping (Vietnamese: Lục Chi Bình) and with 5,000 men attacked the fort defended by 300 Annamite soldiers in 1881.
The town of Bắc Kạn was one of the early headquarters of the Viá»Ât Minh in the war against the French. Jean-ÃÂtienne Valluy aimed to surround the area and capture the town in Operation Léa between 7 October and 22 December 1947. A parachute drop caught the Viá»Ât Minh by surprise and seized letters left on the desk of Ho Chi Minh. Both Ho and Võ Nguyên Giáp escaped only by hiding in camouflaged holes nearby. It was also an area of fighting between the communists and Viá»Ât Nam Quá»Âc Dân ÃÂảng armed forces.