Lo River originates from Yunnan (China) flowing through the Vietnam’s far north mountains down to the midlands and joins into the Red River in Viet Tri. During the French War (1945 – 1954), the mountains and jungles across the basin of Lo River provided a shelter for Viet Minh’s war-zone. In 1947 Viet Minh’s artillery sank two French ships on Lo River. The triumphal battle and river itself were both exalted and immortalized in poetry and songs and. Most famous song is “Epic of Lo River” by Van Cao, which was highly regarded as the first symphony work in Vietnam’s modern music history. Another song written by Van Cao is now Vietnam’s national anthem.
Red River is the largest and most important river in Northern Vietnam. Being the confluence of other major tributaries including Da River and Lo River, Red River carries sediment and silted up the delta plain which was home to Vietnam’s early civilizations. Red River originates from Yunnan (China) and flows through the length of 1,149 km including 510 km path on Vietnam’s territory before emptying itself into the Gulf of Tonkin. The river was name after the red color of its trouble water during flood season. Duong River and Luoc River are the two important outflows which connect the waters of the Red River and Thai Binh Rivers.