Long An province

Long An
Downtown of Tân An city with Bảo Định river
Downtown of Tân An city with Bảo Định river
Location of Long An within Vietnam
Location of Long An within Vietnam
Map
Coordinates: 10°40′N 106°10′E / 10.667°N 106.167°E / 10.667; 106.167
Country Vietnam
RegionMekong Delta
Metropolitan areaHo Chi Minh City metropolitan area
CapitalTân An
Government
 • People's Council ChairNguyễn Văn Được
 • People's Committee ChairNguyễn Văn Út
Area
 • Total
4,494.79 km2 (1,735.45 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
 • Total
1,743,400
 • Density390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Demographics
 • EthnicitiesVietnamese, Hoa, Khmer
GDP[3]
 • TotalVND 168.108 trillion
US$ 7.053 billion (2023)
Time zoneUTC+7 (ICT)
Calling code72
ISO 3166 codeVN-41
HDI (2020)Increase 0.720[4]
(27th)
Websiteeng.longan.gov.vn
Tôn Thạnh Temple, an ancient temple in Long An

Long An is a province in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. The provincial capital is Tân An city, and other major districts and town include Kiến Tường, Bến Lức, Cần Giuộc and Đức Hòa. There are 15 districts within the province (included 1 provincial capital city and 1 district-level town).[5]

The region is between Ho Chi Minh City and Southeast region in the north and the Mekong Delta. Because of its low lying geography, it is susceptible to sea level rise caused by climate change.

Geography

Long An is situated in an advantageous position in the Southern Key Economic Region of Vietnam. It serves as a bridge between Ho Chi Minh City in the north and 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta in the south. The province also has Cambodia to its west and the East Sea (South China Sea) to its east.

Long An is a low-lying coastal region, and therefore some areas of it are subject to flooding during the rainy season, which lasts from the beginning of August until November.

The province has numerous rivers. Two of the main ones are the Vàm Cỏ Đông and Vàm Cỏ Tay, which connect with the Tiền to form a larger river system. Another important river in the region is the Soài Rạp.

History

Archaeological sites show that, since ancient times, Long An has been an important territory of the Funan-Zhenla kingdom.[6] When Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh came to explore the South, Long An belonged to Gia Định prefecture. During the reign of Minh Mạng, Long An belonged to Gia Định province and partly to Định Tường province. In the early days of French colonization, Nam Kỳ was divided into 21 provinces, and Long An was located within the two provinces of Tân An and Chợ Lớn.[6]

Administrative divisions

Long An is subdivided into 15 district-level sub-divisions:

They are further subdivided into 14 commune-level towns (or townlets), 166 communes, and 12 wards.

Business environment

On Vietnam's Provincial Competitiveness Index 2023, a key tool for evaluating the business environment in Vietnam’s provinces, Long An received a score of 70.94. This was an improvement from 2022 in which the province received a score of 68.45. In 2023, the province received its highest scores on the 'Law & Order' and 'Informal Charges' criterion and lowest on 'Business Support Policy' and 'Access To Land'.[7]

Climate change concerns

Being a low-lying coastal region, Long An is particularly susceptible to floods resulting from rises in sea level due to climate change. The Climate Change Research Institute at Can Tho University (Trường Đại học Cần Thơ), in studying the possible consequences of climate change, has predicted that 49% of Long An province is expected to be flooded if sea levels rise by one meter.[8]

Universities

Long An is home to two large universities:

  • Long An University of Economics and Industry (Trường Đại Học Kinh Tế Công Nghiệp Long An)
  • Tan Tao University (Trường Đại Học Tân Tạo)

Hospitals

  • TWG Hospital Long An (Bệnh viện TWG Long An)

136C ĐT827, P7, Tân An, Long An 82100, Vietnam

References

  1. ^ Biểu số 4.6: Hiện trạng sử dụng đất vùng Đồng Bằng Sông Cửu Long năm 2022 [Table 4.6: Current land use status in the Mekong Delta in 2022] (PDF) (Decision 3048/QĐ-BTNMT) (in Vietnamese). Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Vietnam). 18 October 2023. – the data in the report are in hectares, rounded to integers
  2. ^ Statistical Handbook of Vietnam 2014 Archived 2015-07-06 at the Wayback Machine, General Statistics Office Of Vietnam
  3. ^ "Long An: Economic increase ranks 13th in the country".
  4. ^ "Human Development Index by province(*) by Cities, provincies and Year". General Statistics Office of Vietnam. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Long An Government
  6. ^ a b "Điều kiện tự nhiên, lịch sử". www.longan.gov.vn. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  7. ^ the-shiv (2024-08-15). "Doing Business in Long An, Vietnam 2024". the-shiv. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  8. ^ Mekong Delta: more flood and drought Archived 2010-05-05 at the Wayback Machine. VietnamNet Bridge. March 19, 2009.