The Red River Delta (Vietnamese: Đồng Bằng Sông Hồng) is the flat plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries joining in the Thai Binh River in northern Vietnam. The delta measuring some 15,000 square km is well protected by a network of dikes. It is an agriculturally rich area and densely populated. Most of the land is devoted to rice cultivation.[1]
Eight provinces together with two municipalities, the capital Hà Nội and the main port Hải Phòng form the delta. It has a population of about ten million.
Water puppetry originated in the rice paddies here.
The region was bombed during the Vietnam War.
| Provinces/Municipality | Capital | Population (Census April 1, 2009) | Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bắc Ninh | Bắc Ninh | 1,009,800 | 823.1 km² |
| Ha Nam | Phu Ly | 826,600 | 859.7 km² |
| Ha Tay | Ha Dong | 2,543,500 | 2,198.0 km² |
| Hai Duong | Hai Duong | 1,722,500 | 1,652.8 km² |
| Hung Yen | Hung Yen | 1,142,700 | 923.5 km² |
| Nam Dinh | Nam Dinh | 1,974,300 | 1,650.8 km² |
| Ninh Binh | Ninh Binh | 922,600 | 1,392.4 km² |
| Thai Binh | Thai Binh | 1,865,400 | 1,546.5 km² |
| Vinh Phuc | Vinh Yen | 1,180,400 | 1,373.2 km² |
| Ha Noi (municipality) | 3,216,700 | 921.8 km² | |
| Hai Phong (municipality) | 1,803,400 | 1,520.7 km² | |
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