Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in
Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the
Red River delta.
Haiphong was founded in 1887 as a major seaport city of Vietnam. In 1888, the president of the
French Third Republic,
Sadi Carnot, promulgated a decree to establish Haiphong. From 1954 to 1975, Haiphong served as the most important maritime city of North Vietnam, and it became one of direct-controlled municipalities of a reunified Vietnam with
Hanoi and
Ho Chi Minh City
, population_density_km2 = 4,292
, population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2
, population_demonym = Saigonese
, blank_name = GRP (Nominal)
, blank_info = 2019
, blank1_name = – Total
, blank1_ ...
in 1976. In the 21st century, Haiphong has emerged as a trading gateway, modern, green industrial city of Vietnam, oriented to become the third special-class city of Vietnam by 2030 to 2050 at the latest.
Haiphong has a
Human Development Index of 0.782 (high), ranking
fourth among all municipalities and provinces of Vietnam.
History
Dynastic Vietnam
Haiphong was the home of
Lê Chân Le is a romanization of several rare East Asian surnames and a common Vietnamese surname.
It is a fairly common surname in the United States, ranked 975th during the 1990 census and 368th during the 2000 census. In 2000, it was the eighth-most-co ...
, one of the female generals under the command of the
Trưng Sisters who rose against Chinese rule in 40 AD and ruled until their defeat in 43 AD. Centuries later under the
Mạc dynasty, the area earned the appellation ''Hải-dương thương-chính quan-phòng'' ("The trading defensive area of
Hải Dương Province
H, or h, is the eighth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''aitch'' (pronounced , plural ''aitches''), or region ...
") as it protected the eastern flank of Mac kings' home province.
By the 19th century at the end of
Nguyễn Emperor
Tự Đức's reign, the
Hang Kenh Communal House in what is now the city's
Le Chan District was made the administrative seat of
An Dương District, restoring its regional importance.
[Haiphong's Culture](_blank)
. HaiphongTourism.gov.vn The area by then had developed into a sizable commercial port.
At the eve of the French conquest in 1881, a
typhoon ravaged the area, killing about 3,000 people in and around Haiphong. Despite the damages, Haiphong was developed by the French to serve as
Indochina's main naval base over the ensuing decades.
Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Vietnam War
Following the defeat of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in
World War II, Vietnamese nationalists agitated for independence against French return. French forces landed in Haiphong and encountered resistance which resulted in the deaths of three French soldiers. In retaliation, the French ships, among them the cruiser
''Suffren'', shelled the city, setting it ablaze and precipitating the
First Indochina War. French infantry forces under the command of
Jean-Étienne Valluy Jean-Étienne is a French given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Jean-Étienne Antoinette (born 1966), French Guianan politician
* Jean-Étienne Championnet (1762–1800), French general
* Jean-Étienne Despréaux (1748–1820), Frenc ...
entered the city, fighting
house to house
''House to House: A Soldier's Memoir'' is a 2007 memoir by Iraq War veteran and Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia.Tsouras, Peter.House to House: An Epic Memoir of War" Military History 24.10 (Jan. 2008): 70-71.
The secondary author is John ...
with the support of armored units and airplanes.
Late in the
Vietnam War, Haiphong was subjected to heavy bombing by
US Navy and
Air Force strike aircraft because it was
North Vietnam's only major port. U.S. Admiral
Thomas H. Moorer
Thomas Hinman Moorer (February 9, 1912 – February 5, 2004) was an admiral and naval aviator in the United States Navy who served as the chief of naval operations from 1967 to 1970, and as the seventh chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1 ...
ordered the
mining of Haiphong harbor on 8 May 1972, effectively sealing the port. Until it was lifted, the mining caused no casualty. Despite being targeted, the physical structure of the city was mostly unaffected by the war as the US had a self-imposed prohibition zone for the city. After the war, the city recovered its role as a significant industrial center.
Geography
Haiphong is a coastal city located at the mouth of the
Cấm River, in Vietnam's north-eastern coastal area, east of
Hanoi. The
Bính Bridge
Bính Bridge ( vi, Cầu Bính) is a cable-stayed bridge across the Cấm River connecting the Hai Phong city with Thủy Nguyên District and out to Quảng Ninh.
History
Bính Bridge is a modern cable-stayed bridge, some 1280 metres long ...
crosses the Cam and connects the city with
Thủy Nguyên District. It has a total natural area of (2001). It borders
Quảng Ninh Province to the north,
Hải Dương Province
H, or h, is the eighth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''aitch'' (pronounced , plural ''aitches''), or region ...
to the west,
Thái Bình Province
Cài () is a Chinese-language surname that derives from the name of the ancient Cai state. In 2019 it was the 38th most common surname in China, but the 9th most common in Taiwan (as of 2018), where it is usually romanized as "Tsai" (based on ...
to the south, and the
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern ...
to the east.
Bach Long Vi
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
island,
Cat Ba Island
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members o ...
and the Long Châu islands, located in the Gulf, are also administered as part of the city. Tidal flat ecosystems occur adjacent to the city, however, many have been reclaimed for agriculture or development purposes.
Climate
Haiphong features a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
with hot, humid summers and warm, dry winters. The city is noticeably wetter from April through October; roughly 90% of the city's annual rainfall (which totals approximately ) typically falls during these months. There is a noticeable difference in temperatures between the city's winters and summers. Haiphong's coolest months, January and February, sees average high temperatures reach and average low temperatures at around . Its warmest months, June and July, sees average high temperatures hover around and average low temperatures at around . Sea temperatures range from a low of in February to a high of during the months of July and August.
[Haiphong Climate Guide](_blank)
Retrieved 9 August 2012.
Administrative divisions
Haiphong is subdivided into 15 district-level sub-divisions:
They are further subdivided into 10 commune-level towns (or townlets), 148 communes, and 72 wards.
Table of local government districts
Economy
Haiphong is a major economic center of the North in particular and Vietnam in general both. Under French domination, Haiphong was level 1 city, equal to Saigon and Hanoi. The last years of the 19th century, the French had proposed to build Haiphong into the economic capital of Indochina.
Today, Haiphong is still one of the most important economic centers of Vietnam. In 2009, Haiphong state budget revenue reached 34,000 billion Vnd. In 2011, budget revenues in the city reached 47,725 billion, increase 19% compared to 2010. In 2015, total revenues of the city reached 56 288 billion. Government plans that to 2020, Haiphong's revenues will be over 80,000 billion and the domestic revenue reach 20.000 billion. In the ranking of the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) 2013 of Vietnam, Haiphong city ranked at No. 15/63 provinces.
Haiphong has relationship of trading goods with more than 40 countries and territories around the world. Haiphong is striving to become one of the largest commercial centers of the country.
Industry
Industry is a key sector in Haiphong including food processing, light industries and heavy industries. Major products include fish sauce, beer, cigarettes, textiles, paper, plastic pipes, cement, iron, pharmaceuticals, electric fans, motorbikes, steel pipes and ships and out-sourcing software implementation.
Most of these industries have been growing significantly between 2000 and 2007, with the exceptions of the cigarette and pharmaceutical industries. Shipbuilding, steel pipes, plastic pipes and textiles are among the industries with the most rapid growth.
There are also growing industries supplying products used by existing industries in the city. PetroVietnam set up a joint-venture PVTex with textile manufacturer
Vinatex
The Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) (Tập đoàn dệt may Việt Nam) is a large Vietnamese textile company, and one of Vietnam's largest companies overall. The company's 'productive sector' consists of over 50 joint stock ...
to build Vietnam's first polyester fiber plant in Haiphong. The factory will use by-products from oil-refining and reduce reliance on imported materials. 270,600 people were employed in Haiphong's industry. 112,600 industrial jobs were created between 2000 and 2007.
Agriculture, forestry and fishery
Despite its status as a city, around one third of Haiphong's area or 52,300 ha (as of 2007) are used for agriculture. Rice is the most important crop, taking up around 80% of the agricultural land with an output of 463,100 tons in 2007.
[General Statistics Office (2009): ''Socio-economic Statistical Data of 63 Provinces and Cities, Vietnam''. Statistical Publishing House, Hanoi] Other agricultural products include maize, sugar and peanuts.
Haiphong has a relatively large fishing sector with an output of 79,705 tons (2007). Gross output has almost doubled between 2000 and 2007, mostly due to fast growth in aquaculture, which made up 60% of gross output in 2007. Despite its coastal location, sea fish contribute relatively little to the sector (around one fourth).
Nam Định Province and
Thái Bình Province
Cài () is a Chinese-language surname that derives from the name of the ancient Cai state. In 2019 it was the 38th most common surname in China, but the 9th most common in Taiwan (as of 2018), where it is usually romanized as "Tsai" (based on ...
have much larger fishing sectors and even the inland
Hải Dương Province
H, or h, is the eighth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''aitch'' (pronounced , plural ''aitches''), or region ...
has a larger gross output from fishing than Haiphong.
As of 2007, 315,500 were employed in agriculture and fishery, a significant decrease from 396,300 in 2000. However, these sectors still account for almost a third of total employment in Haiphong, a larger share than industry.
However, gross output in both agriculture and fishery have been growing significantly between 2000 and 2007.
Demographics
Haiphong is the third most populous city in Vietnam, with a population of 2.103.500 for the metropolitan area (2015), encompassing an area of , 46,1 % of population reside in the urban districts.
The gender distribution is half female (50.4%).
[The 2009 Vietnam Population and Housing census: Major findings](_blank)
General Statistics Office of Vietnam.
Population growth
As of the 2009 census, Haiphong's average annual population growth rate was given as 4.0%. Haiphong's crude birth rate was recorded at 18.1
live births per 1000 persons vs the crude death rate of 7.6 per 1000 persons.
Life expectancy at birth was estimated at 77.1 years for women and 72.0 years for men, or 74.5 years overall.
Infant mortality rate
Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...
was measured at 11.8 infant deaths per 1000 live births, just over two points above the nation's average for urban areas. In the same census, the city's out-migration was 1.9% vs in-migration of 2.8% and, for a
net migration rate of 0.9%.
Education
*
Haiphong Maritime High School
Haiphong Maritime High School (''Trung học phổ thông Hàng Hải''), abbreviated as HMHS, is located at 338 Lach Tray St., Ngo Quyen District, Haiphong, Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Repub ...
*
Hai Phong Medical University
Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy ( vi, Trường Đại học Y Dược Hải Phòng, abbr.: ''HPMU'') is a public university established in September 1979 in Haiphong, Vietnam. The university enrolls 450 full time students (each stu ...
*
Hai Phong University
*
*
Vietnam Maritime University
Transport
Roads
Haiphong is located at the junction of two National Highways: Route 5, leading west to
Hanoi, and Route 10, leading south to
Nam Định and onward to connect with
National Route 1 at
Ninh Bình
Ninh Bình () is a small city in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. It is the capital of Ninh Bình Province.
Geography
Ninh Bình Province is located in northern Vietnam comprising 48 square kilometres; the 2007 city population was 130,517 ...
. Highway 356 passes west–east from the Route 5/10 junction through Haiphong's city center all the way to the coast. A connecting road from route 5 to route 18 links Haiphong with
Quảng Ninh Province. In 2015, the new highway connecting Haiphong with Hanoi was completed; this is the most modern highway in Vietnam and reduces the trip by one hour as compared to the previous route.
Within the city there are several long-distance bus depots: Niem Nghia, Vinh Niem, Thuong Ly.
A new highway route was completed last year 2016 to make the transfer faster and easier. From Hanoi to Haiphong and back, it takes less than 2 hours to reach not so long as 3 hours as before. Also shorten the distance from Haiphong to Thai Binh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen.
Tourists can easily catch a coach from Niem Nghia bus station to Hanoi or Cat Ba island, either Quang Ninh, or South of Vietnam.
Airports
The main airport serving Haiphong is
Cat Bi International Airport with three flights daily to Ho Chi Minh city. In April 2011, Vietnam Airlines launched routes to Da Nang with 5 flights a week. An international airport for Haiphong, situated in Tien Lang district, is in the planning stages; if realized it would become the largest airport in northern Vietnam.
Seaports
Haiphong port is one of the largest ports in Vietnam and south-east Asia as a whole. The
Port of Haiphong on the
Cấm River is divided into three main docks: Hoang Dieu (Central terminal) located near the city's center, Chua Ve, and Dinh Vu both farther downstream to the east.
Several ferry terminals connect Haiphong with the neighboring
Cát Hải and
Cát Bà Islands; Ben Binh Ferry terminal is located near the city center while Dinh Vu Ferry is located on a spit of land on the coast. The government had approved the plans to build an international port in Lach Huyen – 15 kilometers from the current port. Once completed this will be one of the deepest port in Vietnam with
draft of 14m, capable of receiving ships up to 100.000
DWT.
Railway
Hai Phong Railway Station
Hải Phòng station is one of the main railway stations on the Hanoi–Hai Phong railway in Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the ...
built in 1902 is the eastern terminus of the
Kunming–Hai Phong Railway, also known as the
Yunnan–Vietnam Railway. Built at by the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
during their occupation, the railway once connected Haiphong to the city of
Kunming
Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...
in Yunnan,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, although service along the Chinese portion of the line is currently suspended. Rail travel from Haiphong with connections to the rest of the
Vietnamese railway network is via Hanoi.
There are daily trains start from 6AM until 6PM from Hai Phong city to the capital Hanoi and return. The trains take approximately 3 hours to arrive to Hanoi as well as the same period back to the landport city.
Cuisine
Hai Phong cuisine is well known for seafood dishes. Seafood restaurants in the Do Son area have very fresh and affordable shrimp, crab, fish, and squid. The style of seafood processing in Hai Phong follows a simple style, emphasizing the essence and freshness of ingredients more than the fussiness in seasoning.
Dishes such as bánh đa cua (red noodle soup with crab), bún cá (fish rice noodle soup), bánh mỳ que cay (spicy stick-bread), cơm cháy hải sản (crispy rice cracker with seafood), nem cua bể (square crab spring rolls),... are now so familiar and famous. These dishes can be found on the streets of other places like Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi,... but enjoying them on the Red Phoenix Flower City (the other name of Haiphong City) is still the most ideal because of the choice of raw ingredients and cooking secrets of local chefs. Hai Phong cuisine has been promoted to Europe at the
Brest Maritime Festival 2008 (France) and resonated greatly.
In addition, Hai Phong also has many other dishes such as mantis shrimp hot pot, bean sprouts salad, sủi dìn, bánh bèo (Haiphong's version, which is different from Hue's version),...
Notable people
*
Mạc Đăng Dung
Mạc Đăng Dung (chữ Hán; 莫 登 庸; 23 November 1483 – 22 August 1541), also known by his temple name Mạc Thái Tổ (), was an emperor of Vietnam and the founder of the Mạc dynasty. Previously a captain of the imperial guard (Praeto ...
(1483–1541) king of ''Đại Việt'' country, the founder of the
Mạc dynasty
*
Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm
Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm ( Hán tự: 阮 秉 謙; 1491–1585) was a Vietnamese administrator, confucianist, poet, prophet and later a saint of the Cao Dai religion and of the new religious movement known as School of Teaching Goodness.
Bio ...
(1491–1585) thinker, poet, prophet,
Cao Dai
Caodaism ( vi, Đạo Cao Đài, Chữ Hán: ) is a monotheistic syncretic new religious movement officially established in the city of Tây Ninh in southern Vietnam in 1926. The full name of the religion is (The Great Faith or theThird Univ ...
religion saint
*
Mai Trung Thu
Mai, or MAI, may refer to:
Names
* Mai (Chinese surname)
* Mai (Vietnamese surname)
* Mai (name)
* Mai (singer), J-Pop singer
* Iris Mai (born 1962), German chess master
Places
* Chiang Mai, largest city in northern Thailand
* Ma-i, a pre-Hi ...
(1906–80) painter
*
Văn Cao
Văn Cao (born Nguyễn Văn Cao, ; 15 November 192310 July 1995) was a Vietnamese composer whose works include '' Tiến Quân Ca'', which became the national anthem of Vietnam. He, along with Phạm Duy and Trịnh Công Sơn, is widely consid ...
(1923–95) musician, poet, painter and composer of the national anthem of Vietnam ''
Tiến Quân Ca
"Tiến Quân Ca" (; lit. "The Marching Song"), known in English as the "Marching Song", "Song of a Marching Army" or "Song of Advancing Soldiers", is the national anthem of Vietnam, written and composed by Văn Cao in 1944. The "Army Marching So ...
''
* Ngọc Sơn (1970– ) singer, songwriter
*
Trà Giang
NSND Trà Giang is a Vietnamese actress. She won the award for Best Actress at the 8th Moscow International Film Festival for her role in '' 17th Parallel, Nights and Days''.
Selected filmography
* '' 17th Parallel, Nights and Days'' (1973)
* '' ...
(1942– ) film actress (born in
Quảng Ngãi Province, grew up and schooled in Haiphong)
*
Wong Kwok-hing (1949– )
Hong Kong trade unionist and a former member of the
Legislative Council of Hong Kong (2004-2016)
*
Phan Thị Hà Thanh
Phan Thị Hà Thanh (born 16 October 1991) is a retired Vietnamese artistic gymnast from Haiphong and a two-time Olympian (2012 and 2016). She is currently the most decorated and successful gymnast from Vietnam on the international stage. She ...
(1991– ) artistic gymnast, first gymnast to win a world medal for Vietnam gymnastics (2011)
*
Thu Phương (1972-) famous pop singer and Haiphong native; she now lives in the U.S.
Twin towns – sister cities
*
Da Nang
Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
, Vietnam
*
Incheon
Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
, South Korea
*
Kitakyushu
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuku ...
, Japan
*
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
, Italy
*
Nanning
Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of ...
, China
*
Saint Petersburg, Russia
*
Seattle, United States
*
Tianjin, China
Gallery
See also
*
List of East Asian ports
*
Haiphong Road
References
Notes
External links
Official Website of Haiphong City
Official Website of Haiphong Tourism
History of Haiphong interactive Google Map with specific sites and historic views of the city from French colonial times.
{{coord, 20, 51, 54.5, N, 106, 41, 01.8, E, region:VN_type:landmark, display=title
Populated places in Haiphong
Hong River Delta
Gulf of Tonkin
Port cities in Vietnam
Cities in Vietnam