Bắc Giang province

It was part of Kinh Bắc (京北, "north [of] capital"), a region that included two modern provinces of Bắc Giang and Bắc Ninh. It has been posed since the Lý Dynasty to emphasize the defense factor for Thăng Long capital-citadel. Its current name Bắc Giang (北江, "northern river") has been informed in an unofficial way since the Trần Dynasty to describe the feud of An Sinh Prince Trần Liễu, where was on the right shore of the Cầu River. Besides, it also has another name being Lục Nam (陆南), which has been given by the French and was grafted from Lục Ngạn rural district and Lục Nam river. In particular, both names described the terrain of the province, where there were many hills (lục ngạn) with a river flowing through its south (lục nam). Middle Ages During the Later Lê dynasty, the province was Bắc Hà prefecture (Bắc Hà phủ). Following the ascent of the Nguyễn Dynasty, it became the prefecture of Thiên Phúc in 1822, before becoming the prefecture of Đa Phúc during the time of Emperor Tự Đức. From 5 November 1889 to 9 September 1891, there existed the province of Lục Nam. It comprised the districts of Bảo Lộc, Phượng Nhỡn, Lục Nam, Hữu Lũng (split from Lạng Giang and Bắc Ninh Province) and the rural district of Yên Bái (split from Lạng Sơn Province). In 1891 after the return of the districts of Bảo Lộc and Phượng Nhỡn back to Bắc Ninh province, Lục Nam was abolished and integrated into Đạo Quan Binh I (the 1st Infantry Regiment). The modern province of Bắc Giang was founded on 10 October 1895, when it was created out of Bắc Ninh Province. In 1950, during the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Bắc Giang was put into the Confederation of Northern Vietnam () by the communist Việt Minh and comprised seven districts: Hiệp Hòa, Lục Ngạn, Yên Thế, Lạng Giang, Việt Yên, Yên Dũng, Hữu Lũng. On 22 February 1955, the Sơn Động district (Quảng Yên province) was incorporated into Bắc Giang province. On 1 July 1956, upon the formation of the Autonomous Region of Việt Bắc (), the Hữu Lũng district was transferred to Lạng Sơn province. On 21 January 1957, the districts of Sơn Động and Lục Ngạn were divided into the three districts of Sơn Động, Lục Ngạn and Lục Nam. On 27 October 1962, Bắc Giang merged with Bắc Ninh into the new Hà Bắc province, until it was re-partitioned on 1 January 1997 into its previous components. XXI century Currently, Bắc Giang province situated to the east of Hanoi, it covers , and, as of 2024, its population was 1,962,600 people. The province lies in the Red River Delta and is bordered by Quảng Ninh to the east, Lạng Sơn to the north, Thái Nguyên and the urban district of Sóc Sơn in the capital Hanoi to the west, and Bắc Ninh and Hải Dương to the south. On 12 June 2025, as part of major nationwide reforms, Bắc Giang province was dissolved and merged with Bắc Ninh province. ==Geography==

Bắc Giang lies in the Red River Delta. It borders Quảng Ninh to the east, Lạng Sơn to the north, Thái Nguyên and the urban district of Sóc Sơn in the capital Hanoi to the west, and Bắc Ninh and Hải Dương to the south. It comprises three land forms namely, the lowland or delta land, the midland and the mountainous region. While the midland areas are in the districts of Hiệp Hoà and Việt Yên, and the city of Bắc Giang, the mountainous districts are the Sơn Động, Lục Ngạn, Yên Thế, Tân Yên, Yên Dũng and Lạng Giang; the seven mountainous districts account for 72% of the area of Bắc Giang province. Of the total land area of the province, is agricultural land, is forest land, is residential and urban land and for other uses. The farmland in the province is good for intensive farming of rice, vegetable, and fruit crops, and bulb trees. There is scope for expanding land under forests. The produce from the forests has been estimated as 3.5 million m3 of wood and 500 million trees of bamboo and neohouzeaua. Bắc Giang occupies an area of , which is 1.2% of the area of the whole country. According to statistics from 2000, 32.4% of the land is used for agriculture, while 28.9% is used for forestry, industry or is otherwise uncleared. The remainder comprises mountains, unexploited waterways and land used for miscellaneous purposes. The province is from Hanoi and has a good network of roads such as the National Highways No. 1A, 31 and 279. It has railway lines from Bắc Giang to Hanoi, Lạng Sơn, Thái Nguyên, and mineral areas in Quảng Ninh by train. To the northeastern end of the province, along the border with Quảng Ninh there is the Khe Rỗ forest, spanning 71.53 km2, with a rich biodiversity. Bắc Giang has a total of 347 km of rivers and springs, the three most prominent rivers are the Lục Nam, the Thương and the Cầu.Cấm Sơn Lake lies in the district of Lục Ngạn, which borders Lạng Sơn Province. It is long and has a width varying from up to . It has an area of , but this can increase to during monsoonal flooding. Khuôn Thần Lake has an area of and the centre of the lake has five small hilly islands surrounded by 20-year-old pine forests. Pedal and motor boating are both permitted on the lake. Ethnic minority hamlets are located on the shores of the lake. Approach route to the lake is from Bắc Ninh - , then to Bắc Giang - ), further to the Hoà River - and finally arrive at Cấm Sơn Lake. Climate The province has the dominant characteristics of the tropical, temperate climate zone of the Northern Plain. The temperature, humidity and rainfall vary over months and seasons. The climate in the province has been discerned in two distinct seasons - the hot, rainy season from May to September and the cold, dry season from November to March. The average temperature varies between ; the maximum temperature recorded was while the lowest temperature was . Humidity values are in the range of 73% to 87%. The average rainfall is reported to be . The annual sunshine hours of 1,500 to 1,700 hours is good to grow tropical and subtropical trees. The average wind velocity is and the average atmosphere pressure is 757.71 mmHg. Since the province is located away from Vietnam's eastern coast and the South China Sea (East Sea), the incidence of hurricanes and storms is rare, although whirlwinds and hailstorms are a localised phenomenon in a few mountainous districts. Demographics According to the General Statistics Office of the Government of Vietnam, the population of Bắc Giang province as of 2016 was 1,657,600 with a density of 430 persons per km2 over a total land area of of the province. The male population during this period was 790,300, with females accounting for 838,100. The rural population was 1,473,000 against an urban population of 153,400. According to the census of 1 April 2009, the population was 1,555,720 with a density of 407 people/km2, 1.7 times the national average. There are 26 ethnic groups in the province - of these, ethnic Kinh comprised 88.1%, followed by Nùng people with 4.5%, Tày with 2.6%; Sán Chay people and Sán Dìu people, both with 1.6%, Hoa 1.2% and Dao people 0.5%. Administration Bắc Giang is subdivided into 10 district-level sub-divisions : • 1 provincial city: • Bắc Giang (capital) • 2 town: • Việt Yên • Chũ • 7 districts: • Hiệp Hòa • Lạng Giang • Lục Nam • Lục Ngạn • Sơn Động • Tân Yên • Yên Thế They are further subdivided into 16 commune-level towns (or townlets), 207 communes, and 7 wards. ==Culture==

Tourism Bắc Giang has many locations of interest to visitors. It has several monuments such as the Khe Rỗ Primitive Forest, Xương Giang, the Ancient Citadel, Cấm Sơn Lake, Đức La Pagoda and Thọ Hà Communal House. ;Đức La Pagoda The Đức La pagoda, located in the Trí Yên commune of Yên Dung district, was built in the 12th century and is well preserved. It was then the centre of the "Trúc Lâm Trinity" (King Trần Nhân Tông, Pháp Loa and Huyền Quang monks) who established a school of Buddhist preaching and founded the Trúc Lâm religious sect. The pagoda is set in the backdrop of the Co Tien Mountain range at the Phuong Nhon confluence. The pagoda is surrounded by an expanse of rice-fields, amidst villages and hamlets around green bamboo groves. The "99 Nham Bien Mountain range" is seen at a distance. The pagoda is built on a south-west axis and has four principal zones. The first zone has the Ho and Thieu Huong Buddhist pagodas. There are two Thap Dien niches where very large statues of Thien Wong, Dia Tang and Long Than are installed. The Thien Huong Palace, adjacent to this, is an exquisite structure, which has three horizontal panels and a gilded door. The first chamber of Buddha is the architectural legacy of the Lê dynasty. The second zone is separated from the first zone by a brick yard. Within this zone is a simple building built with wooden planks and decorated with natural scenes of sky and clouds. It is the first ancestral shrine, and a panel here has the inscription "Trúc Lâm ho thuong" (A rendezvous of the Trúc Lâm Trinity) in Chinese characters. This inscription is engraved above the three statues of the Trúc Lâm Trinity. The third zone has the two-roofed bell tower. The fourth zone is another ancestral shrine with two statues made in the architectural style of the Nguyễn dynasty. The Đức La pagoda is also an important training centre of Buddhism. The pagoda also has wooden printing blocks of Buddhist sutras. Landmarks File:Thành phố bắc giang.jpg|Bắc Giang city File:Bac giang 6.jpg|Fishing on the Thương River File:Bac giang 1.jpg|Bắc Giang at night File:Bắc Giang1.jpg|Bắc Giang File:Bắc Giang2.jpg|Bắc Giang File:Bắc Giang3.jpg|Bắc Giang File:Bắc Giang4.jpg|Bắc Giang File:Bắc Giang5.jpg|Bắc Giang File:Bắc Giang6.jpg|Highway in Bắc Giang province File:Bắc Giang Viet Yen.jpg|Việt Yên File:Bắc Giang Viet Yen2.jpg|Việt Yên ==Economy==

Bắc Giang's land area is primarily dedicated to agriculture. The province is becoming known as a producer of fruit, particularly pineapples and lychees. Around a quarter of Bắc Giang's land area is devoted to forestry. Located from Hanoi, the province is within both the Hanoi-Hải Phòng-Quảng Ninh Economic Corridor, and the Nanning-Lạng Sơn-Hanoi-Hải Phòng-Quảng Ninh Economic Corridor. Before the province was formulated in 1997 and industrial development of the region was initiated, the GDP of the province was only US$170 with Agro-Forestry accounting for 55% and Industry hardly contributed. It was a poor economy with 90% of agricultural workers remaining below the poverty line. However, during the period 1997–2008, the province having launched several industrial projects in all its districts, 410 projects were launched with investment of US$23.174 billion that included 74 "Foreign Direct Investment" projects worth US$432.9 million. As a result, several economic farming models were introduced, which resulted in "Rural Economic Development", social consumer retail sales, and services got a boost, the poverty rate (2005 level) reduced to 17.78%, and textiles and garment exports accounted for about US$130 million, which was 76% of the province's export turnover. Infrastructure such as National Highways and rural roads were substantially expanded, towns were better planned and beautified. Industrial parks, urban Areas-service and high-tech parks are being added. Key Industries like fertilizer, high technology, engineering, building materials, assembling automobiles, agricultural processing, forestry products, textiles and electric power generation are planned with the objective of achieving a GDP growth rate of 11-12% by 2020. The province has the Bắc Giang Department of Industry and Trade established in 2008 by the Bắc Giang People's Committee, which unifies the Department of Industry and the Department of Trade and Tourism; this testifies to the importance given to promote industrial development of the province. Some of the economic indicators in respect of farming, agriculture and industrial production are the following. As against the national figure of 7592 of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery cooperatives there are only agriculture cooperatives in the province. There are 1786 farms as against the national number of 120,699. The output value of agriculture produce at constant 1994 prices in the province was 3,491.7 billion đồngs against the national figure of 156,681.9 billion đồngs. The province produced 569,400 tonnes of cereals as against the national production of 43.26 million tonnes The per capita production of cereals in the district was as against the national figure of in 2007. In 2007, the industrial output of the province was only 3,868.3 billion đồngs out of the total national output of 1.47 million billion đồngs. ;On Vietnam's Provincial Competitiveness Index 2023, a key tool for evaluating the business environment in Vietnam's provinces, Bac Giang received a score of 69.75. This was a fall from 2022 in which the province received a score of 72.8. In 2023, the province received its highest scores on the 'Business Support Policy' and 'Time Costs' criterion and lowest on 'Labour Policy' and ‘Transparency’. ;Thác Hương irrigation scheme The Thac Huong Irrigation Scheme in the Yên Thế district, adjacent to Thái Nguyên province and west of Hanoi, was implemented in the early 20th century by the-then French colonial government. Construction of the irrigation scheme for utilization of the Cầu River was started in 1922 and operationalised in 1936. The irrigation system was built on the left bank of the river and envisaged irrigation to a total command area of . Net irrigation provided was to an area of in Phú Binh (Thái Nguyên province), Việt Yên, Tân Yên, and Hiệp Hòa (in Bắc Giang Province). Additionally, a supply of potable drinking water was built into the system. Navigation was part of its beneficial uses as a transport route for shipment of rice and salt from Hai Phong to Thái Nguyên. The scheme, as built, has a concrete dam of height and length, known as the Thac Huong dam across the Cầu River. A head regulator on the canal is in width and in height. 10 branch canal intakes were provided, each with a capacity of 25m3/s. However, the energy dissipation arrangements of the dam have been damaged, several times since it was built, by floods and bombing raids. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded the rehabilitation project in 2000. Although restored after 1955, the project is facing water shortages and is unable to meet the demands for irrigation due to building of many projects in the upstream reaches of the river, over utilisation by industries and poor maintenance. Transbasin diversions have been implemented along with pumping from other streams to meet the water demands for irrigation and other uses of drinking water and industries. Lychee Lychee (vải thiều) is a dominant fruit crop and even cultural symbol of Bắc Giang province. It is grown in an area of in this province, out of a total area of in the country and the production is reported to be 20,248 tonnes. This variety originated from Hải Dương province (Thanh Hà District) and is commercially cultivated in Lục Ngạn, Lục Nam and Yên Thế districts of the province, apart from other provinces in the country. According to the Research Institute of Fruits and Vegetables (RIFAV), 33 accessions have been identified as 33 cultivars of lychee grown in different locations in home gardens and consolidated farms. ==Notable people==

• Phạm Thị Hải Chuyền (born 1952), politician ==See also==

Notes References ==Further reading==