Bắc Kạn, also spelt Bắc Cạn, is a province of Vietnam. It is located in the Northeast region, due north of the capital Hanoi. Bắc Kạn is the only town of the province which is the capital of the province and is a municipality. The province covers an area of 4859.4 square kilometres and as of 2008 it had a population of 308,900 people. It is a mountainous terrain with rich natural resources of minerals and forests. It has numerous mountains, rivers and lakes which are very scenic. Ba Bể National Park and Ba Bể Lake lie within its borders.
The name Bac Kạn is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese Bac, meaning north, and the native Vietnamese Kạn; Bac Kạn is rendered in Hán-Nôm as 北𣴓.
The province is located in the northeast midland mountainous area of Vietnam. Its terrain has the highest altitude among the 11 provinces of the region. Forest area dominates more than 95% of the province. The remainder is available for agricultural and other uses. Due to this rugged and forested topography, development of water resources has been limited resulting in exploitation of its forest resources; this has caused degradation of the forests. The topography is highly variable, varying from 1,640 metres (5,380 ft) (highest point in the Khie Thiouing mountains in the province) to the lowest point of 40 metres (130 ft) in the Chợ Mới District. There are numerous rivers and streams flowing through the province, each with small catchment areas. However, most of them have steep slopes and short lengths. Out of the total population, 83% are dependent on agriculture.
Bắc Kạn ( listen) is the capital of Bắc Kạn Province, Vietnam. The province's only town, it is bordered by Bạch Thông District to the north, north-east and west and Chợ Mới District to the south-east and south-west.
The town traces its origins to a fort established in 1880. It is divided into four wards: Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Đức Xuân, Sông Cầu and Phùng Chí Kiên, and 4 communes: Huyền Tụng, Dương Quang, Nông Thượng, Xuất Hóa.
Bắc Kạn (chữ nôm: 北𣴓) was established as a fort in 1880 for troops of the Nguyễn government during the 1878 revolt of Li Yung Choï (Vietnamese: Lý Dương 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 Viet Minh in the war against the French. Jean-Étienne 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 Viet Minh by surprise and seized letters left on the desk of Ho Chi Minh. Both Ho and Vo Nguyen Giap escaped only by hiding in camouflaged holes nearby. It was also an area of fighting between the communists and Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng armed forces.