| Binh Thuan province Tỉnh Bình Thuận |
|
|---|---|
| — Province — | |
| Location of Bình Thuận within Vietnam | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Region | South Central Coast |
| Capital | Phan Thiet |
| Government | |
| • People's Council Chair | Huỳnh Văn Tý |
| • People's Committee Chair | Huỳnh Tấn Thành |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7,992 km2 (3,085.7 sq mi) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 1,140,429 |
| • Density | 142.7/km2 (369.6/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnicities | Vietnamese, Chăm, Hoa, Cơ Ho, Ra Glai |
| Time zone | ICT (UTC+7) |
| Calling code | 62 |
| ISO 3166 code | VN-40 |
| Website | Tỉnh Bình Thuận |
Bình Thuận () is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the country's South Central Coast, not far from Ho Chi Minh City. It is sometimes seen as part of the Southeast Region. Binh Thuan is known for its scenery and for its good beaches. There are also a number of sites of archaeological significance.
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Much of what is now Binh Thuan province was part of the Cham principality of Panduranga, which had its political centre in neighbouring Ninh Thuan province. It was the last independent principality after the fall of Vijaya in 1471. Binh Thuan was later incorporated into Vietnam, while Ninh Thuan remained independent longer, until 1832.
Before 1976 Binh Thuan Province was much smaller because much of the west was a separate province (Binh Tuy province). Binh Tuy, Binh Thuan, and Ninh Thuan were merged in 1976 to form Thuan Hai province. It was divided again into Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan in 1991, while Binh Tuy remained part of Binh Thuan province.
Binh Thuan borders Lam Dong province in the north, Ninh Thuan province in the north-east, and Dong Nai province and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province in the west.
Much of the borders with Lam Dong and Ninh Thuan are mountainous, while much of the rest of the province is relatively flat. However, there are several hills with a height of at least 200m along the coast of the province.[1] The province's highest peak (1548m) is in the north-western Tanh Linh District near Lam Dong province.[2]
Phu Quy Island is located around 120km south-east of Phan Thiet. It is a separate district. There are several much smaller island off the coast of Binh Thuan. They include Cau Island (cù lao Cau) in the east, Lao Island (hòn Lao) at Mui Ne, and Ba Island (hòn Bà) in the west.[2]
Binh Thuan has several rivers mostly originating in the province itself or in the highlands of neighbouring Lam Dong Province. Most of them flow into the South China Sea (East Sea). Some of the major rivers are Luy River (Sông Luỹ) in the east of the province, Cai River (Sông Cái) in the centre near Phan Thiet, and Dinh River (Sông Dinh) in the west.[2] La Nga River (Sông La Ngà) flows through four districts in the north-west of the province and is a major tributary of the Dong Nai River.[1] The largest lake is Song Quan Lake (hồ Sông Quán) in the centre of the province around 30km north of Phan Thiet.[2] Another major lake is Bien Lac (Biển Lạc) in the north-west of the province.[2]
As of 2007, 50% of the province (394,100ha) are covered with forests, which is high compared to most other provinces of the South Central Coast.[3] Forests are mostly located in the province's mountainous regions in the north-west and north-east.[1] Despite its large forested area, the province also has a lot of agricultural land. 284,200ha were used for agriculture in 2007, which is the largest figure among all provinces of the central coast regions (both north central and south central).[3]
Binh Thuan is one of the most arid provinces in Vietnam. Much of the province receives less than 800mm of rain per year. The months from November to April are particularly dry, with less 200mm of rain.[1]
Binh Thuan has reserves of arsenic in the north-western mountains and titanium along its western coast.[1]
Binh Thuan had a GDP per capita of 11 million VND in 2007, which is the third highest in the South Central Coast after Da Nang and Khanh Hoa Province and slightly higher than the regional average of 10.8 million.[4] The economy has been the fastest growing in the South Central Coast with an average yearly growth of almost 14% from 2000 to 2007, with growth of all three sectors of the economy significantly exceeding the regional average. Agriculture, forestry and fishing had an average growth of 7.4%, industry 21.6%, and services 15.4%.[4]
Binh Thuan is a relatively large producer of rice. 434,600 t were harvested in 2007. This is a significant increase from 2000 (321,500 t), while the area used for growing rice did not increase significantly (93,100 ha to 96,400 ha). Around one third of the province's agricultural land is used for rice cultivation, which is less than in many other provinces.
| Crop | Area | Output (2007)[3] | % of national[4] | Main Location(s)[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton | 1900 ha | 2000 t | 12.4% | Bac Binh (E) |
| Cashew nuts | 30,971 ha | 17,565 t | 5.82% | Duc Linh, Tanh Linh (NW), Ham Tan, La Gi (SW) |
| Pepper | 2091 ha | 2326 t | 2.58% | Duc Linh (NW) |
| Maize | 19,800 ha | 100,700 t | 2.45% | Ham Tan (SW) |
| Rubber | 20,538 ha | 12,332 t | 2.05% | Duc Linh (NW) |
| Rice | 96,400 ha | 434,600 t | 1.21% | Ham Thuan Nam (central) |
Binh Thuan has increased the area used for some crops significantly over the last few years, including rubber, pepper, and cashew nuts, while cultivation of sugar-cane and sweet potatoes has been shrinking.[3]
There are large fishing grounds off the coast of Binh Thuan and around Phu Quy Island, including shrimp, squid, and tuna.[1] However, their contribution to the local economy is relatively small compared to agriculture.[3]
Forestry has made a very small contribution to the economy of the province and its growth has been slow from 2000 to 2007. The largest increase has actually been in forest cultivation rather than exploitation of forest products.[3]
Binh Thuan's industry has been booming in the first years of the 21st century, with average an average growth rate of 21.6% until 2007.[4]
Binh Thuan's industrial development is currently facing problems of land management. Licensed industrial parks have been found to overlap with titanium reserves and their development may be delayed as a result.[5]
Binh Thuan has seen a decline in state industry from 2000 to 2007. The private sector now makes up most of industrial output and even the foreign-invested sector has overtaken state-owned industry.[3]
Despite its spectacular growth, industry was not able to absorb much of the growth of the labour force. It created 17,200 new jobs between 2000 and 2007, while the slower growing service sector created 44,100 and even agriculture, forestry and fishing created 57,600 jobs.[3]
Binh Thuan is located along Vietnam's main north-south transport corridors. National Road 1A runs through the province, connecting 6 out of the province's 10 districts to the rest of the country.[2] Binh Thuan's main railway station along the North-South Railway is Muong Man Railway Station, located around 10km north-west of Phan Thiet. Four maller railway station are in Phan Thiet itself and in the east of the province.[2] The province is connected to the Central Highlands by two national roads: 28 from Phan Thiet to Di Linh, Lam Dong Province and Dak Nong Province and 55 from Vung Tau to La Gi and Bao Loc, Lam Dong Province.
A port is located near Phan Thiet's city centre. Binh Thuan does not have an airport. The nearest commercial airport is located near Da Lat.
Ham Thuan hydro-power plant is located in the north-west of the province.[1] Binh Thuan is the site of several new energy projects and will be important for Vietnam's diversification away from hydro-power.
Binh Thuan has significant potential for wind power generation, estimated at 3000MW.[6] The wind power project in Tuy Phong District,[7] Binh Thuan Province, will be hooked up to the national electricity grid in autumn 2009. The large wind energy project is expected to help boost regional socio-economic development and pave the way for further exploitation of renewable energy sources in the country. Located on Highway 1A, the section running through Binh Thanh Commune, the Wind Power Plant 1 is about 300 meters from the coast. This is an arid area usually short in rainfall but abundant in wind. Other wind power projects are in preparation, with 12 licenses issued as of August 2010. However, the land for many of these projected overlaps with land with rich titanium reserves.[6] These overlaps have remained unresolved for several years.[6]
A thermoelectric plant is under construction in Tuy Phong District in the east of the province. It is a cooperation of EVN and Chinese investors and projected to generate 1200MW of electricity.[8]
Binh Thuan had a population of 1,170,700 people in 2007.[3] The population grew by 1.35% per year on average between 2000 and 2007. Growth was particularly strong in the cities and towns at 4.42% per year on average. As a result, urbanisation increased from 30.4% in 2000 to 37.5% in 2007, making it one of the most urbanized provinces of the South Central Coast (after Khanh Hoa Province).[4] Population density ranges from around 1000/km2 in Phan Thiet to less than 100/km2 in the districts of Bac Binh, Ham Tan, Ham Thuan Nam, and Tanh Linh.[2]
Apart from the majority Kinh, there are several ethnic minorities in the province. Some Cham communities are in the coastal regions of of eastern Binh Thuan.[1] Other minorities mainly inhabit the mountainous regions along the border to Lam Dong Province.[1] They include Cơ Ho, Ra Glai.
Politically, Bình Thuận is divided into eight districts:
The provincial capital, Phan Thiết, is a separate municipality - as well as the town of La Gi.
| Lam Dong province | Ninh Thuan province | |||
| Dong Nai province | ||||
| Binh Thuan province | ||||
| Ba Ria–Vung Tau province | South China Sea |
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