Bac Lieu province

Bac Lieu province
Tỉnh Bạc Liêu
—  Province  —
Location of Bạc Liêu within Vietnam
Coordinates:
Country  Vietnam
Region Mekong Delta
Capital Bạc Liêu
Government
 • People's Council Chair
 • People's Committee Chair
Area
 • Total 2,525.7 km2 (975.2 sq mi)
Population (2004)
 • Total 786,200
 • Density 311.3/km2 (806.2/sq mi)
Demographics
 • Ethnicities Vietnamese, Khmer, Hoa, Chăm
Time zone ICT (UTC+7)
Calling code 781
ISO 3166 code VN-55
Website www.baclieu.gov.vn

Bạc Liêu () is a province of Vietnam. It is a coastal province, and is situated in the Mekong Delta region of the southern part of the country.

Contents

Name

Formally a territoy of Cambodia, the name Bac Lieu is believed to derive from the Khmer language. The Khmer name for this province is Pol Leav.

Administration

The province is divided into six districts:

The provincial capital, which is also known as Bac Lieu, is a separate municipality.

Geography

Bạc Liêu is generally thought of as being in the Mekong Delta, although it is actually located slightly to the south of the Mekong's main outflows. Bạc Liêu is around 100 km south of Cần Thơ, the largest city in the Mekong Delta.

Economy

The most important parts of Bạc Liêu's economy are rice farming, fishing, food processing, and clothing manufacturing.

History

After the Fall of Saigon, 30 April 1975, Bạc Liêu and Cà Mau provinces were merged into one big province which was called Minh Hai. Although it is located in Vietnam, many years ago this land was a part of the Khmer Empire which ruled most of Indochina many centuries ago. It is still home to many ethnic Khmer people. In 1996, Minh Hai was split into two, with the northeast becoming Bac Lieu Province and the southwest becoming Ca Mau province.

Culture

Vọng cổ, an important song in the traditional music of southern Vietnam, was composed in Bac Lieu around 1918 or 1919.

Kien Giang province Hau Giang province Soc Trang province
Ca Mau province
   Bac Lieu province    
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