Lào Cai ( listen) is a city in northeastern Vietnam. It is the capital of Lào Cai province. The city borders the city of Hekou, in the Yunnan province of Southwest China. It lies at the junction of the Red River (Sông Hồng) and the Nam Ti River approximately 160 miles (260 km) northwest of Hanoi. It is a market town for timber located on the Hải Phòng railway to Yunnan Province in China.