It shares a 270 km long border with Yunnan province of southern China, and thus is known as Vietnam's final frontier.

[7] The topography of the province of Hà Giang is fairly complex: "temperate, but highly localized montane weather patterns create variable conditions among different regions".

The lower areas in the province comprise low hills, the Lô River Valley and Hà Giang city.

Species of Lauraceae, with Ericaceae and Oleaceae (at higher elevations with taxa in the Fagaceae, Primulaceae (formerly Myrsinaceae) and Araliaceae) are also recorded.

[13] Small mammals found on Tây Côn Lĩnh II include Cynopterus sphinx, Rousettus leschenaulti, Sphaerias blanfordi, Scaptonyx fusicaudus, Chodsigoa parca, Chodsigoa caovansunga, Blarinella griselda, Crocidura attenuata, Crocidura fuliginosa, Crocidura wuchihensis, Belomys pearsonii, Callosciurus inornatus, Leopoldamys edwardsi, Niviventer fulvescens, Niviventer langbianis, Niviventer tenaster, Chiropodomys gliroides, Ratufa bicolor, and Tamiops sp.

[15] Archaeological excavations carried out near Hà Giang city at Đồi Thông (Pine Hill) have established the region's antiquity to about 30,000 years ago.

During the Bronze Age Tày Yu tribes with culturally rich traditions ruled over the region; archaeological findings in the form of bronze drums of that age used for ceremonial purposes are used even to the present day by the Lô Lô and Pu Péo tribes of the region (Mèo Vạc, Hà Giang province).

During the Ming dynasty occupation of Vietnam, at the start of the 15th century, it was known as the district of Bình Nguyên, before being later renamed to châu Vị Xuyên.

[7][16] Before 1975, Hà Giang comprised the districts of Đồng Văn, Vị Xuyên, Xín Mần, Yên Minh, Hoàng Su Phì, Bắc Quang, Thanh Thủy, and Quản Bạ.

The Vương family of the Huang clan established their rule at Đồng Văn and Mèo Vạc, which was endorsed by the Nguyễn kings.

The lord's loyalty to the French was evident in the support that they got from him during their campaign to put down a rebellion launched by the local tribes.

[18] According to the General Statistics Office of the Government of Vietnam, the population of Hà Giang province as of 2019 was 854,679 with a density of 110 people per km2 over a total land area of 7,929.48 km2 (3,061.59 sq mi).

The largest ethnic groups are: Mông (34.25%), Tày (22.55%), Dao (14.88%), Vietnamese[21] (12.32%), Nùng (9.53%), Giáy (2.03%), La Chí (1.62%).

Hà Giang's central plateau is good for growing plums, peaches, and persimmons, which the province exports.

[7][11] The farming economy is also getting a boost with growing orange and mandarin trees as it sustains many households with an income in the range of VND 150 to 200 million a year.

Infrastructure in Hà Giang has seen improvement, but remains poor and roads, schools, and health services are underdeveloped compared to many other parts of Vietnam.

[7][11] Hà Giang province has particularly assisted locals in developing their tea industry with financial (soft loans) and technical support in operations (sowing, tending, gathering and processing).

Quản Bạ Valley, located 45 kilometres (28 mi) from Hà Giang city, at 1,945.8 metres (6,384 ft), is called the "Heaven's Gate" and has a TV transmitter on a peak.

[28] Quản Bạ Pass provides views of Thach Nui Doi (literal meaning: double stalagmite, but also known as "Two Stone Breasts" in the valley below[9]).

It is known for its secret grottoes and caves, colourful orchids, plum and peach trees, persimmon orchards, medicinal plants and many more.

The town of Đồng Văn is famous for its Phó Bảng Street which features multistoried buildings built with clay bricks and tiled roofs.

The weekly market is where the Tày and H'Mông ethnic groups of the province visit in large numbers to trade in various types of goods and colourful hand woven cloth.

[11][30] Mã Pí Lèng is a mountain pass at about 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) which forms the basin boundary of the Nho Quế River on the border with China and is restricted zone.

A long time ago, there was a young beautiful couple who were in love but they were in different districts, which would have meant that she would have moved to her husband's area.

To avoid bloodshed for their societies, the couple decided to break up and only secretly meet once a year on the anniversary, at Khâu Vai.

Tày, Nùng, Red Dao and White H'Mông ethnic groups congregate every Sunday at the market.

[30] The Vương family mansion is an architectural heritage landmark in Sà Phìn commune, Đồng Văn district that was listed by the government in 1993.

At the start of the 20th century, Vương Chính Đức, a member of the H'Mông people, was appointed the Bang Tá and he had the family residence expanded into a mansion from where he worked.

The building was designed in the style of the later period of the Qing dynasty of China, and is grouped into three sections, the front, middle and rear.

The Spring Festival is celebrated by the H'Mông and Dao people, usually shortly after the Lunar New Year and lasts between three and seven days.