Vĩnh Long covers and has a population of 200,120 (as of 2018). The name was spelled
永隆 ("eternal prosperity") in the former
Hán-Nôm writing system.
Topography Vĩnh Long is on the
Cổ Chiên River, which branches out from the
Mekong River at the narrows of
Mỹ Thuận about upstream, only to meet it later downstream. Across the Cổ Chiên river from Vĩnh Long are the An Binh and Bình Hòa Phước islands, some across, with the Mekong River on the other side. A number of canals run through Vĩnh Long, with tall vehicular bridges crossing them. Transport by boat is possible, although parts of the town, particularly An Binh, become unreachable at low tide. Vĩnh Long is about two hours from the large city of
Cần Thơ in the adjacent
Hậu Giang Province, and about three hours from
Saigon. The floating market town of
Cái Bè is on the other side of the An Binh island and is the frequent destination for tourists from Vĩnh Long. == Population ==