'Thua Thien-Hue' (in
Vietnamese ''Thừa Thiên–Huế'') is a
province in the
North Central Coast of
Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. The capital city of the province,
Huế, was once the royal
capital of Vietnam. There is an extensive complex of imperial tombs and temples.
History
Prior to 1975, the province was known simply as 'Thừa Thiên'.
The province is known as an area of heavy fighting during the
Vietnam War. More
U.S. soldiers died in this province than in any other province in Vietnam (2,893).
[1]
This province and neighbouring
Quang Nam Province suffered greatly from flooding in November 1999.
The historic village of
Phuoc Tich is located in Thua Thien-Hue Province.
Geography
Thua Thien-Hue Province borders the
Quang Tri Province to the north, the city of
Da Nang to the east, the
Quang Nam Province to the south, and the
Xekong Province of
Laos to the west.
The
Perfume River (called Sông Hương or Hương Giang in Vietnamese) passes through the province.
The province has a complex topography. It is made up four different zones: a mountainous area, hills, plains and lagoons separated from the sea by sandbanks. It has 126 km of beaches.
The mountains, covering more than half the total surface of the province, are along the west and southwest border of the province, their height varying from 500 to 1480 metres. The hills are lower, between 20 to 200 metres, with some points at 400 metres, and occupy a third of the area of the province, between the mountains and the plains. The plains account for about a tenth of the surface area, with a height of only up to 20 metres above sea level. Between the hills are the lagoons which occupy the remaining 5 per cent of the surface area of the province. (Atlas des lagunes de Thừa Thiên-Huế, 2003)
The climate is similar to central Vietnam in general: a tropical monsoon climate. In the plains and in the hills, the average annual temperature is 25°C, but in the mountains only 21°C (statistical yearbook 2004). The cool season is from November to March with cold northeasterly winds. The lowest average monthly temperature is in January: 20°C. In the cool season temperatures can fall to 12°C in the plains and the relative humidity is high, between 85 et 95%. Then follows a warmer period from April to September with average monthly temperatures up to 29°C in July, reaching up to 41°C at times. The relative humidity is lower, sometimes down to 50%.
[Villegas 2004]
The annual precipitation in the province is 3200 mm but there are important variations. Depending on the year the annual average may be 2500 to 3500 mm in the plains and 3000 to 4500 mm in the mountains. In some years the rainfall may be much higher and reach more than 5000 mm in the mountains (Atlas des lagunes de Thừa Thiên-Huế, 2003). The rainy season is from September to December - about 70 percent of the precipitation occuring in those months. Rainfall often occurs in short heavy bursts which can cause flooding and erosion, with serious social, economic and environmental consequences. The floods of November 1999 led to 600 deaths and affected 600,000 homes. (Comité des inondations, 1999).
Economy
Tourism is an important factor in the economy of this province.
Government and politics
Administrative divisions
The province comprises one city (
Huế) (tỉnh lỵ) and eight districts:
#A Lưới
#Hương Thủy
#Hương Trà
#Nam Đông
#Phong Điền
#Phú Lộc
#Phú Vang
#Quảng Điền
Demographics
Culture
Transportation
Vietnam's
National Road 1A, which runs the entire length of the nation from north to south, passes through Huế.
Huế and
Da Nang are the main intermediate stops on the railway line from
Hanoi to
Ho Chi Minh City.
Flora and fauna
Education
Media
Sports
Notable residents
★
Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk
Notes
1. "http://www.rjsmith.com/kia_tbl.html"
External links
★
Official site (English)
★
Official site (Vietnamese)
References
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