Capital city: Dong Hoi
Area (sq km): 7,984
Population: 812,600
Average temp: 25 - 26°C
Ethnic data: Viet/Kinh, Bru - Van Kieu, Chut, Lao.
Districts/wards: Bo Trach, Le Thuy, Minh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Quang Trach, Tuyen Hoa.

Quang Binh Map

Description:
Quang Binh Province stretches along the northern part of Central ViêtNam and is the narrowest part of ViêtNam. It is bordered on the north by Ha Tinh; on the south by Quang Tri; on the east by 126 kilometres of South China Sea coastline and on the west by Laos.

The highest mountain is Phicopi 2,017 metres high. The coast is over 100 kilometres long with 5 small and large estuaries.

Economy:
Agriculture, forestry, hydro-electricity.

Natural beauty sights:
Ban Tro Lake, Ngang Pass, Nhat Le Beach, Phong Nha Caves (1), Tien Son Caves. The best time to visit Quang Binh is between February and April.

Historic sights:
Dong Hoi Citadel, Quang Binh Border Gate (2) - this architectural construction comprising a porch and walls was built in 1630 to protect the remote capital of Phu Xuan of the Nguyen dynasty. Due to several battles and the passage of time, the border gate has suffered heavy damage. Fortunately, it has been restored to its original design.

Festivals:
Bao Ninh Festival, Canh Duong Festival.

Transport:
Dong Hoi is 489 kilometres south of Ha Noi; 197 kilometres south of Vinh; 166 kilometres south of Hue; 94 kilometres north of Dong Ha; 166 kilometres north of Hue; 184 kilometres north of Da Nang. There are rail and road links.

Rail
Dong Hai is well served by many of the Express Trains that stop throughout the day.

Road
Located on National Highway 1 with local and express buses to all points between Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City/SaiGon.

General information about Quang Binh province

Quang Binh province is situated in the north of Central Vietnam with an area of 8,037.6km2 and a population of 829,800 people in the year 2004.

Geographic position:
The province has a coastline of 116.04km in the East and shares a border of 201.87km with Laos in the West. It is the place where Hon La seaport is situated. The national road No.1A, Ho Chi Minh road and the north - south railway run through the province. The national road No. 12 and the provincial roads No. 20, No. 16 running from the east to the west connect the province with Laos through Cha Lo border gate and other sub-border gates.

Topography:

The provincial topography is narrow and sloping from the West to the East. Hilly and mountainous land occupies 85% of the natural area. The total area is divided into specific geological zones: mountainous, hilly and midland, lowland and coastal sandy area.

Climate:

Quang Binh is situated in the monsoon-tropical zone and influenced by the climate of North and the South. The climate is divided distinctly into two seasons. Rainy season lasts from September to March of next year. The annual average rainfall is 2,000 - 2,300mm. Months with heavy rain are from September to November. Dry season lasts from April to August with the average temperature of 240C - 250C. Months with highest temperature are June, July and August.

Land resources:

Quang Binh land is divided into two main types: alluvial soil in lowland and ferralite soil in mountainous areas. There are 15 land types with main groups as sandy, alluvial and barren soil. The barren soil laying mainly in the mountainous districts in the West accounts for over 80% of natural area of the province. Sandy dunes account for over 5,9% and alluvial soil accounts for 2,8%.

Flora and fauna:

Quang Binh is located in the biological zone of northern Truong Son range with a unique and diversified fauna and flora of many rare and precious species. The Kast Phong Nha - Ke Bang reservation zone contains a typical biological diversity.

Fauna diversity:

There are 493 species, 67 kinds of animal, 48 kinds of reptile, 297 kinds of bird and 61 kinds of fish....Many rare and precious animals can be found in this area such as Ha Tinh langur, bear, tiger, Saola, Giant muntjact, lophura with white tail, lophura with black crest, pheasant and others.

Flora diversity:

Quang Binh has 486,688 ha of forest including 447,837ha of natural forest and 38,851ha of planted forest. Pine forests cover 17,397 ha. The barren land occupies 146,386ha. Flora is diversified and divided into 138 families, 401 branches and 640 species. There are various kinds of precious wood such as ironwood, sindora vietnamiensis, ebony, fragrant wood, pine, rattan, etc. Quang Binh is one of the provinces which contains a big reserve of wood. At present the total wood reserve is 31 million m3.

Marine and coastal resources:

Quang Binh has 116.04km of coastline and 5 estuaries including 2 big ones. There are seaports namely Nhat Le, Gianh, Hon La. Hon La gulf, which is of 4km2 water surface, over 15m depth and surrounded by the islands of Hon La, Hon Co, Hon Chua, allows 30,000 – 50,000 tons ships to shelter without excavation. A large area of over 400ha of the mainland is a convenient condition for building an industrial zone and a deep water seaport.

The province enjoys beautiful landscapes along the sea. The sea platform with an area of 2.6 times bigger than the mainland creates a large fishing zone which provides a potential volume of about 100,000 tons of sea products. There are1650 kinds of sea products, including precious kinds such as lobster, tiger shrimp, cuttlefish, holothurians, coral. In the north of Quang Binh is located a white coral island with the area of tens hectare. This is not only a valuable resource of material for making artistic products but also forms an ecological area for the coral system. All these conditions enable the province to develop a comprehensive coastal economy.

Water surface for aquaculture: With 5 estuaries, Quang Binh has a large water surface for aquaculture. The total area of the water surface is 15,000 ha. As the salted proportion is varying within 8 – 30%o and pH proportion within 6.5 - 8 in the area from the estuary to 10 - 15km far way, it is very convenient to raise shrimp and crab for export. Semi-tide regime in costal area is good for water provision and drainage in shrimp and crab ponds.

Water resources: Quang Binh has a large system of rivers and streams with the density of 0,8 - 1,1km/km2. 5 main rivers are named Ron, Gianh, Ly Hoa, Dinh and Nhat Le. There are3 160 natural and artificial lakes with expected capacity of 243.3 million m3.

Mineral resources: Quang Binh has various kinds of metal minerals such as gold, iron, titanium, pyrites, lead, zinc and none-metal materials as kaolin, quartz, limestone, marble, granite. In particular, limestone and kaolin of big volume provide favorable conditions for development of big scale of cement and construction materials. A hot water stream at 1050c is located in the province. Gold potential enables to develop gold mining and processing industry.

Population and labour force: The population of Quang Binh is 829,800 people in the year 2004. The majority of residents belong to Kinh group. Most of the main ethnic minorities of Chut and Van Kieu including such groups as Khua, Ma Lieng, Ruc, Sach, Van Kieu, May, Arem live in mountainous districts of Tuyen Hoa and Minh Hoa and some western communes of Bo Trach, Quang Ninh and Le Thuy districts. Residential proportion is different from area to area. 86.83% of people live in rural areas and 13.17% in urban areas.

The province has an abundant labour force with 433,618 people, accounting for 52.26% of population. According to the statistic data of 1 April1999, 4,676 people are college graduates, 6,042 people are university graduates and post-university graduates. 33,000 labours, accounting for 8% of labour force, have been trained.

Culture and tourism potentials: Quang Binh land spreads out as a nice picture with mountains, sea, landscapes and famous spots as Ngang pass, Ly Hoa pass, Nhat Le estuary, Hac Hai lagoon, Cong Troi (Heaven gate), etc., especially, the natural heritage of Phong Nha – Ke Bang.

Quang Binh is the land of rich culture and famous people. There is an archaeological site of Bau Tro, Hoa Binh and Dong Son cultures. There are also many historical relics such as Quang Binh Quan, Luy Thay, outer walls of Trinh – Nguyen, well-known places in the wars as Cu Nam, Canh Duong, Xuan Bo, Cha Lo, Cong Troi, Gianh river, Long Dai, especially Ho Chi Minh legendary trail. This land has generated preeminent figures such as Duong Van An, Le Thanh Hau Nguyen Huu Canh, Nguyen Ham Ninh, Vo Nguyen Giap and many other outstanding people.

For more details about Quangbinh, click to the under links

• http://www.quangbinh.gov.vn/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quang_Binh_Province

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