Lai Châu () is a city in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It is the capital city of Lai Châu Province. The city borders Phong Thá» District, Sìn Há» District and Tam ÃÂðá»Âng District.
Lai Châu, or Muang Lay (Vietnamese: Mðá»Âng Lay) was the seat of lords of the White Tai who were dominant over other Thai peoples of the area, though there was rivalry between the White Tai rulers of Muang Lay and Muang So. During the 1870s Muang Lay was the base of lord ÃÂèo VÃÂn Trá» of the White Tai who sought to unite and become chief of the 12 mðá»Âng (Sino-Vietnamese: / ) making up the Sip Song Chau Tai. This he partially achieved, with the help first of the Chinese Black Flags, then later the French. His authority, and the autonomy of the area, was recognised by the French in 1890.
As of 2020 the city had a population of 42,973, covering an area of 92.37 km<sup>2</sup>.
Lai Châu City is officially divided into 7 commune-level sub-divisions, including 5 wards (ÃÂoàn Kết, ÃÂông Phong, Quyết Thắng, Quyết Tiến, Tân Phong) and 2 rural communes (San Thàng, Sùng Phài).
Lai Châu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), typical for northwestern Vietnam, with hot, oppressively humid, and wet summers and warm to very warm, dry winters.