Hà Tiên is a Provincial city in Kiên Giang Province, Mekong Delta 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 eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. Its area is and the population as of 2019 is 81,576. The city borders

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

to the west. Hà Tiên is a tourist site of the region thanks to its beaches and landscapes.

Etymology

The name "Hà Tiên" is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese word: 河僊 or 河仙, meaning "river spirit".

History

A settlement and a port seem to have existed at the site of the present town of Hà Tiên from a very early period. Ptolemy's ''Geography'' identified a town there as ''Akadra'' and that it was the port for the Cambodian district of ''Pithonobaste'' - Banteay Meas, all this being part of the Kingdom of Funan. The local capital of this district, also called Banteay Meas, was not on the coast, but located about a

day's journey A day's journey in pre-modern literature, including the Bible, ancient geographers and ethnographers such as Herodotus, is a measurement of distance. In the Bible, it is not as precisely defined as other Biblical measurements of distance; the dis ...

up the Giang-thành river. The name ''Banteay Meas,'' ( km, បន្ទាយមាស, th, บันทายมาศ; lit: "golden ramparts"), referred to the bamboo fortifications once used about the town. The town of Hà Tiên was originally known under the Khmer, name of ''Piem'' or ''Peam'' ( km, ពាម, th, เปียม, ; also Pie, Pam, Bam), the Khmer for "port", "harbour" or "river mouth", while the Vietnamese called it ''Mang-Kham'', from the Vietnamese term for the Khmers, "mang". It was through this port that

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

is said to have reached Cambodia, brought there by chance when a ship carrying Buddhaghosa was blown there by a storm in 415 AD. Many works incorrectly referred to Hà-Tiên as “Panthaimas", the early name of the district in which it was located. It was variously spelled as Panday-mas (Khmer), Ponteamass (English), Phutthaimat ( th, พุทไธมาศ) or Banthaimat ( th, บันทายมาศ), Ponthiamas or Pontheaymas (French), Pontiano (Robert's Map, 1751), Panthai-mas, Bantaimas, Pontiamas, Pontaimas, Bantay-mas, Banteay M’eas, Pontiamas, Pontiamasse, Po-taimat, and infinite other variations. Hà Tiên was established by a small group of Chinese people, mostly men who supported the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

and were opposed to the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

, led by Mo Jiu (

Mạc Cửu Cửu (, vi-hantu, 鄚玖, vi, Mạc Cửu; km, ម៉ាក គីវ ''or'' ; 1655–1736), also spelled Mok Kui, was a Chinese exile who founded the Principality of Hà Tiên and ruled as its first monarch. He played a role in the relati ...

). When they arrived in

Đàng Trong Đàng Trong ( vi-hantu, , lit. "Inner Circuit"), also known as Nam Hà (, "South of the River"), was the South region of Vietnam, under the rule of the Nguyễn lords, later enlarged by the Nam tiến, Vietnamese southward expansion. The word '' ...

(as southern Vietnam was called while under the rule of the Nguyễn lords), the Nguyễn lords ordered the king of Cambodia (then a vassal state of

) to grant land to these Chinese people. These people built markets in this place and turned it into a busy business town. Vietnamese people gradually arrived there. This town later was merged into Vietnamese territory when Mo Jiu delivered its sovereignty to the Nguyễn Lords. Mo Jiu was then conferred the position of ruler of this town. It was at this time that the name Hà Tiên (河仙 - "River Spirit"), referring to the guardian deity of the Giang-thành river, was conferred on the town by the Emperor Minh Vương.

Economy

Around 22 km south of Hà Tiên is a large cement plant located in Kiên Lương. Its history goes back to the Republic of Vietnam ( South Vietnam), where it was one of the largest industrial projects when construction was started in April 1961.

Transportation

Road transport

Buses connect Hà Tiên to the provincial capital Rạch Giá and many other towns in the Mekong Delta, including Châu Đốc, Can Tho, Ca Mau, Vung Tau and Saigon.

Sea transport

Daily fast ferries are available to

Phú Quốc Phú Quốc () is the largest island in Vietnam. Phú Quốc and nearby islands, along with the distant Thổ Chu Islands, are part of Kiên Giang Province as Phú Quốc City, the island has a total area of and a permanent population of appr ...

island. In the low (wet) season they normally operate twice a day - at approximately 08:00-08:30 and then 13:00-13:30 (times vary a bit according to tides/weather). In the high (dry) season they run more frequently, with up to 3 fast boats (Superdong) each making up to 3 crossings every day. The trip takes about 80–90 minutes. There are also now 4 car ferries operating from Hà Tiên to the north east corner of the island at Bai Thom. These run on demand, not to a fixed schedule and can start as early as 05:00 and run until 21:00. This takes about 2.5 hours.

Border crossing

A road border crossing between Vietnam and Cambodia, called the Hà Tiên International Border Gate, is located 7 km west of Hà Tiên in the village of Xà Xía. On the Cambodian side, the border crossing is known as the Prek Chak International Border Checkpoint in Kampong Trach District,

Kampot Kampot may refer to: *Kampot (city), a city in southern Cambodia *Kampot, an alternative spelling of the Slavic drink Kompot *Kampot Province, province of Cambodia * Kampot Municipality, a municipality in Cambodia * Kampot Airport, an airport in Ca ...

. The border crossing was opened in 2007. It is open from 07:00 to 18:00. Besides conventional Vietnamese visas, this border crossing is also listed as a Vietnamese e-Visa point of entry for foreigners.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ha Tien Populated places in Kiên Giang province Populated places on the Mekong River Districts of Kiên Giang province Cambodia–Vietnam border crossings Cities in Vietnam