Hải Dương is a province in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. Its name derives from Sino-Vietnamese "ocean sun", though the modern province is in fact landlocked. Located in the Northern Key Economic Region, Hai Duong Province has a dynamic economy with a focus on industrial manufacturing.

Name

Hải Dương is Sino-Vietnamese for "ocean sun" (海陽). The name first appeared officially in 1498. In feudal times, Hải Dương indicated a vast area from east of Hanoi to the South China Sea. The area corresponded to all of modern Hải Dương, Hải Phòng, most of Hưng Yên and the southwestern corner of Quảng Ninh.

Geography

The province is located in the Red River Delta of north-eastern Vietnam, about mid-distance from Hanoi to Haiphong. Two famous pagodas, Côn Sơn and Kiếp Bạc, are situated in this province. The province is known for its lychees and for the traditional sweet bánh đậu xanh (mung bean paste). Hải Dương is located in the center of North Vietnam. The natural area of the province is 1668.28 km2, the 51st largest in Vietnam. Hải Dương province borders six provinces: Bắc Ninh, Bắc Giang and Quảng Ninh in the north; Hưng Yên in the west; Hải Phòng in the east; and Thái Bình to the south. There are important roads and railways running through the province, including Highways No. 5, No. 18, No. 183 and No. 37.

Administrative divisions

Hải Dương is subdivided into 12 district-level sub-divisions: They are further subdivided into 13 commune-level towns (or townlets), 227 communes, and 25 wards.

Climate

Demography

History

Economy

Located in the Northern Key Economic Region, Hai Duong Province has a dynamic economy with a focus on industrial manufacturing. On Vietnam's Provincial Competitiveness Index 2023, a key tool for evaluating the business environment in Vietnam’s provinces, Hai Duong received a score of 68.68. This was a slight improvement from 2022 in which the province received a score of 65.22. In 2023, the province received its highest scores on the 'Access To Land' and 'Law and Order’ criteria and lowest on 'Transparency' and ‘Business Support Policy’.

Population and new urban areas

Population

New urban areas

Presently Hải Dương City has two new urban areas. The first one is located in eastern Hải Dương, with an area of 108 ha and consists of two wards: Ngọc Châu and Hải Tân. The second is in western Hải Dương, and has an area of 433 ha. It is located in the territory of Thanh Bình ward and Tứ Minh commune. Both of the two new urban areas are invested by Nam Cuong Group. Currently there are many families living here but the cost of land and the cost of building the homes is quite high in comparison with living standard in Hải Dương. The two new urban area expanding Hải Dương City is one of main reasons Hải Dương City became a second level city on May 16, 2009.

Education system

Hải Dương's education system is divided into 5 phases: pre-primary, primary, intermediate, secondary, and higher education, as the national education system suggests. In addition students have some additional requirements such as education outside the classroom on time management, direction of education (grade 9) and use of school. To study at higher levels students must participate in the examination enrollment process. Students wanting to study in public schools must attend an examination of birth. The exam is held every year, by the Department of Education and Training at the local level. At this level, students also study subjects similar to middle school. However, students in secondary school also take a number of other activities such as business and vocational. At present Hải Dương provincial education consists of: There are a number of schools, listed by province and type:

Public health

Hải Dương was one of the first six provinces in Vietnam to construct a public safety program for children. A public safety site for children was constructed in Đức Chính village, Cẩm Giàng district. As the injury/accident rate amongst children had decreased significantly after only one year, this experimental trial project seems to have had a positive impact. Hải Dương city has a public general hospital on Nguyễn Lương Bằng street.

Transportation

12 year ago (1997), nobody in Hải Dương province believed that the agricultural products of Hải Dương Province, after a few hours of being transported, could be readied for sale in Hanoi. Nowadays, however, it only takes about one hour to go to Hanoi from Hải Dương. This big change is due to the outstanding development in the traffic network.

Media, culture, and entertainment

At present, Hải Dương has one provincial newspaper, publishing daily, weekend, and monthly editions. There are additional magazines published by different departments of the province in related fields. E-newspapers such as at www.haiduong.gov.vn and www.truyenhinhhaiduong.com.vn have made it easier to get information about the province than ever before. Hải Dương Provincial People's Voice and Television Broadcasting Center is known as one of the most developed in the northern region. Cable TV networks have also been installed, providing customers with more than 40 international channels. Hải Dương is famous for being a "sacred land with pre-eminent people" with hundreds of well-known historical, cultural relics and scenic beauty areas such as Côn Sơn - Kiếp Bạc, Nguyễn Trãi Temple and Chi Lăng Nam Storks island. The province is also a place of many traditional handicraft villages with well-known products for centuries. Cultural festivals are organized annually during spring and autumn, attracting visitors from all over the nation. Hải Dương has over 100 hotels ranging from 2 stars to 4 stars and many are motels or guest-houses. Restaurants serving traditional food can be found on almost every street in the city center, but visitors may also enjoy foreign cuisines at specialty restaurants around Bạch Đằng Lake. International restaurants are getting more popular and choices expanding, and you may find Chinese, Korean, and Japanese restaurants here.

Cuisine

Bánh đậu xanh, a sweet mung bean cake, and Rượu Phú Lộc are local specialties.