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:''There are also other rivers named Red River''.
The 'Red River', also known as 'Yuan River', is a river that flows from China through Vietnam to the South China Sea.
The river begins in China's Yunnan province. It flows generally southeastwardly, passing through Dai minority areas before leaving China through Yunnan's Honghe Autonomous Prefecture. It enters Vietnam at Lào Cai Province. Once reaching the lowlands near Viet Tri, the river and its distributaries spread out to form the Red River Delta. The Red River flows pass the Vietnamese capital Hanoi before emptying into the Gulf of Tonkin.
Tonkin is former name of the northern provinces of Vietnam and thus the eponymous body of water receiving the main river of "Tonkin".
The reddish-brown heavily silt-laden water gives the river its name. The Red River is notorious for its violent floods with its seasonally wide volume fluctuations. The delta is a major agricultural area of Vietnam with vast area devoted to rice. The land is protected by an elaborate network of dykes and levees.
In the 19th century, the river was thought to be a lucrative trade route to China. It was the forced opening of the Red River to European commerce that prompted the wars between France and the Vietnamese court (1883-1886), culminating in the conquest of Vietnam.
The Black River is the Red River's chief tributary.

Contents

Settlements

China

Vietnam

See also

Settlements

China

★ Honghe, Yunnan

★ Nansha, Yunnan

Vietnam

★ Hanoi

★ Haiphong

See also

★ Red River Delta

★ Geography of China

★ Geography of Vietnam