Roof of Indochina, Mt Fansipan, is taller than previously thought

By Gia Chinh, Tat Dinh June 27, 2019 | 12:13 am PT

The monument at the summit of Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam. Photo by Shutterstock/Ekkalak Ngamjarasvanji.

Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina, is 4.3 meters taller than previously believed, Vietnamese scientists say.

The mount rises 3,147.3 meters, Phan Duc Hieu, director of the Department of Survey, Mapping and Geographic Information Net, said on Wednesday. "It's not 3,143 m as measured by the French in 1909 and believed to be accurate until now."

The online encyclopedia Wikipedia says Fansipan is 3,143 m (10,312 ft) high.

The department used a global navigation satellite system and made comparative measurements of domestic locations in Dien Bien, Lao Cai and Hanoi as well as localities in India, Australia and South Korea.

Hieu said the department has already informed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for updating textbooks and relevant documents.

The French had measured Fansipan peak 110 years ago using the barometer method with micro pressure gauges placed at the top and foot of the mountain to measure the pressure difference and calculate the height based on that.

Hieu said while the measurement technology was not sophisticated in 1909, Fansipan itself might be growing along with the Hoang Lien Son mountain range which gets 2-3 cm higher per year.

Dubbed the Roof of Indochina, Fansipan is located in Lao Cai Province in northern Vietnam, nine kilometers southwest of Sapa Town, one of Vietnam's most famous tourism destinations.