Kiên Giang was a former

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, located in the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...

region of southern Vietnam. It is known for fishing and rice farming. The provincial capital is Rạch Giá, from

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

. Kiên Giang's area is and its population is about 1,723,067 (2019), of which 22 percent live in urban areas. Kiên Giang is bordered with An Giang province in the northeast, Cần Thơ and Hậu Giang provinces in the east,

Bạc Liêu province Bạc Liêu was a former province of Vietnam. It is a coastal province, and is situated in the Mekong Delta region of the southern part of the country. On June 12th, 2025, Bạc Liêu was incorporated into Cà Mau province. Administrative divi ...

in the southeast and

Cà Mau province Cà Mau is a Provinces of Vietnam, province of Vietnam, named after Cà Mau, its capital city. It is located in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam, and is the southernmost of Vietnam's 63 provinces. It is bordered to the north by Kiên Giang p ...

in the south, and Kampot province of

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

(with the border) in the west, and the

Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand (), historically known as the Gulf of Siam (), is a shallow inlet adjacent to the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. ...

in the southwest (with the coast). According to survey results on April 1, 2019, Kiên Giang province's population is 1,723,067 people.

History

In 1774, Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát divided into 12 in the palace, but still leave the town of Hà Tiên, Mạc Thiên Tích as a ruler. By the reign of Minh Mệnh, in 1832, Hà Tiên had become one of the six provinces of the south. In 1876, France divided into four big administrative regions, each region divided into smaller administrative sub-district or county take action (administratif arrondissement), Hà Tiên, the former being divided into two particle parameters are Hà Tiên and Rạch Giá. From January 1, 1900, two-particle parameters of Hà Tiên and Rạch Giá became two provinces of Hà Tiên and Rạch Giá. In 1976, Kiên Giang Province was established based on the former Rạch Giá Province and three districts from Long Châu Hà Province.

Geography

General

* Coordinates: 9°23'50" N to 10°32'30" N, 104°40' E to 105°32'40" E. * Area: , of agricultural land (66% natural area), private land for rice accounts for (77% of agricultural land). Forests cover (19% of the area). The province also contains of unused land. *The average elevation of the province is above sea level, making it vulnerable to

sea level rise The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...

Natural condition

Kiên Giang has a diverse range of terrains including

plain In geography, a plain, commonly known as flatland, is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and ...

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

forests A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological functio ...

, and

islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water, and by other classifications. For rank-order lists, see the #Other lists of islands, other lists of islands below. Lists of islands by count ...

. The mainland area is relatively flat, gradually sloping from the northeast to the southwest. Due to its low latitude and coastal location, Kiên Giang has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

, hot and humid year-round, with average monthly temperatures ranging from 27 to 27.5 °C. Although Kiên Giang is not directly affected by

typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

s, rainfall from storms contributes a significant portion, especially at the end of the rainy season. The rainy season lasts from April to November, while the dry season runs from December to March of the following year. The average annual rainfall is about 1,600 – 2,000 mm on the mainland and 2,400 – 2,800 mm in the Phu Quoc island area. Kiên Giang's climate experiences very few natural disasters, with no cold spells or direct typhoons, and abundant sunlight and heat, making it highly favorable for the growth of various crops and livestock. Kiên Giang has four main types of land: the freshwater alluvial zone in the western part of the Hậu River, the flood-prone acid sulfate soil zone in the Long Xuyên Quadrangle, the saline soil zone on the Cà Mau Peninsula, and the hilly and island zone in Phú Quốc and Kiên Hải. Of these, agricultural land accounts for 64.2% of the natural area, forest land covers 122.8 thousand hectares, land for special use 35.4 thousand hectares, and residential land 10.1 thousand hectares. In addition, the province has over 70 thousand hectares of fallow or unstable production land, including more than 25 thousand hectares of mixed gardens. Forests in Kiên Giang are limited, mostly consisting of protective forests. Kiên Giang also has relatively large mineral potential. Although exploration and research are still ongoing, preliminary assessments have identified 152 ore points and 23 different types of mineral mines. The province's total limestone reserves are currently at 440 million tons, with an exploitable amount of 342 million tons, including 235 million tons suitable for industrial exploitation — enough to produce 4.6 million tons of clinker per year for 40 years.

Peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

reserves are estimated at 150 million tons.

Administration

Kiên Giang is subdivided into 14 district-level sub-divisions and two cities: * 12 districts: :* An Biên :* An Minh :* Châu Thành :* Giang Thành :* Giồng Riềng :* Gò Quao :* Hòn Đất :* Kiên Hải Island :* Kiên Lương :* Tân Hiệp :* Thổ Châu :* Vĩnh Thuận :* U Minh Thượng * 3 cities: :* Phú Quốc Island :* Hà Tiên :* Rạch Giá (capital) They are further subdivided into 12 commune-level towns (or townships), 118 communes, and 15 wards.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kien Giang Province Gulf of Thailand Former provinces of Vietnam