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.