Hạ Long ( Vietnamese: [hâːˀ lawŋm] | transl. 'descending dragon' ) is a first-class provincial city and the capital city of Quảng Ninh province , Vietnam . It was found in 1993, when the old capital, Hòn Gai, was merged with Bãi Cháy , the main tourist area. The city mainly lies on Hạ Long Bay , and is located at about 178 km (111 mi) east of Hà Nội . The city's population in 2019 was 270,054.
21-454: Hạ Long's economy shifted its economic focus from coal mining to tourism in 2012, due to the large number of visitors drawn by the Hạ Long Bay every year. Hạ Long enjoys rapid growth not only in its own tourism sphere, but also as a destination upon the main pathway to southern China . In the 2007 Vietnam-China Business Forum, a $ 400 million deal was signed to build a highway linking Hạ Long and
42-845: A rhotic accent. Ethnic groups are comparatively more diverse in southern regions. Rhotic accent is usually absent from the Mandarin spoken there. Different dialects are less mutually intelligible, and additional languages such as Cantonese or Hokkien are spoken. Patrilineage organizations are larger and more integrated in rural southern regions, possibly due to merges and competition for territory. A series of studies on regional differences in China suggest that people from places that grow wheat have different social styles and thought styles from those in rice-growing regions. Respondents from northern China are found to be more individualistic, think more analytically, and more open to strangers. Those from
63-624: Is simple and not resilient to droughts. Many southern regions are subtropical and green year round. The winters are short. They often experience typhoons and the East Asian monsoon in the summer. The ecology is complex, and floods are more common. The northern regions are easier to cultivate . Hardy crops such as corn , sorghum , soybeans , and wheat are grown, and one to two crops are produced each year. The growing season lasts four to six months. Wheat-based food such as bread, dumplings , and noodles are more common. Cultivation of
84-548: The Stone Age , there had been three cultures known as Soi Nhụ, Hạ Long and Cái Bèo, affirming that the bay and its surrounding areas were one of the cradles of mankind. The heartland of today's Hạ Long is formerly a fishing village named Bãi Hàu ( lit. ' Oyster coast ' ). By the beginning of the Dynasty of Nguyễn , it was renamed to Mẫu Lệ. The current city was then part of Hoành Bồ . In 1883, during French rule ,
105-537: The French carried out coal mining in the mines on the bay's coast. As many islands were populated with hemp, the French called them Ile des brouilles or a name translated from "Hòn Gai" to "Hòn Gay", and later renamed them Hòn Gai. According to the researchers, "Hòn Gai" is a deviation from the place of the French Red Sea at that time. The "H" is a silent sound when spoken in French. During this period, Hòn Gai
126-624: The Sun World complex. The city has an active Catholic church in its eastern part, Hòn Gai, on the hill near the main post office, which hosts masses every Sunday evening and on Christian holidays. The city is subdivided to 33 commune-level subdivisions , including 21 wards and 12 rural communes : The city comprises five economic areas: The structure of Hạ Long's economy includes: Industry-tourism, services, trading, agriculture, forestry and fishery. In 2002, city's GDP increased up to VND 1,6669.7 billion (pricing of 1994), accounting for 38% of
147-652: The biggest ports in North Vietnam ), Đồng Đăng and Hà Khánh. The Van Don International Airport serves Hạ Long and the wider Quảng Ninh province. It is located approximately 50 km (31 mi) east of Hạ Long. Southern China Northern China ( Chinese : 中国北方 or 中国北部 ; lit. 'China's North') and Southern China (Chinese: 中国南方 or 中国南部 ; lit. 'China's South') are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. The Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as
168-475: The border city of Móng Cái . The highway began construction in 2015 and was completed in 2022. Hạ Long is divided into two parts. The eastern part, known colloquially as Hòn Gai, where most of the governing offices and industrial infrastructure are concentrated, is connected by a cable-stayed bridge to the western part, Bãi Cháy , known as an area for tourism. Being a coastal city, Hạ Long bears unique potentials of tourism and seaport due to its land lies along
189-754: The fancy diets of the Southerners, who are physically frail, live in a different environment, and have different stomachs and bowels. During the Republican period , Lu Xun , a major Chinese writer, wrote: According to my observation, Northerners are sincere and honest; Southerners are skilled and quick-minded. These are their respective virtues. Yet sincerity and honesty lead to stupidity, whereas skillfulness and quick-mindedness lead to duplicity. Northern regions of China have long winters that are cold and dry, often below freezing, and long summers that are hot and humid. Transitional periods are short. The ecology
210-518: The north initially developed faster due to planned economic policies , Soviet aid , and its concentration of construction and resource extraction industries. After market reforms , however, the south took the lead due to manufacturing and eventually high-tech industries, as well as continued internal migration into the region. A research showed that life expectancy was slightly higher in Southern China compared to Northern China. In 2018, it
231-767: The north to the south, especially its coastal areas and along major rivers. After the fall of the Han dynasty , The Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–589) ruled their respective part of China before re-uniting under the Tang dynasty . During the Qing dynasty , regional differences and identification in China fostered the growth of regional stereotypes. Such stereotypes often appeared in historic chronicles and gazetteers and were based on geographic circumstances, historical and literary associations (e.g. people from Shandong , were considered upright and honest) and Chinese cosmology (as
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#1732782823308252-536: The province of Quảng Ninh , with Hòn Gai becoming its capital, and the province's boundaries being expanded. The Hòn Gai town center provided coal for all industrial zones of North Vietnam . It was also one of the gateways that lead to China, and as such, it was frequently targeted by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War . The Bãi Cháy ferry line (decommissioned in 2007 and replaced by the Bãi Cháy Bridge )
273-613: The shore of Hạ Long Bay by 50 km. Hạ Long is 160 km to the north-east from Hà Nội , 60 km to the East from Hải Phòng , 180 km to the south-west from Móng Cái international border gate, and bounded by the Gulf of Tonkin to the south. Hạ Long has strategic location of economic development, security of the region and the country. Mankind has been present in Hạ Long for a long time. Archaeologists and historians concluded that during
294-510: The south of the city lies Mount Bài Thơ with its almost vertical seaward face, which was widely traversed by a number of historically known local poets. The limestone peak is rich in biodiversity and offers attractive views of the bay. Other places of interest include the Town of Cửa Vận, Hoàng Gia Park, Hạ Long Market, Bãi Cháy Trading Center, Quảng Ninh Museum and Library, Tuần Châu island, Vietnam-Japan Cultural House, Children's Cultural House, and
315-647: The south was associated with the fire element, Southerners were considered hot-tempered). These differences were reflected in Qing dynasty policies, such as the prohibition on local officials to serve their home areas, as well as conduct of personal and commercial relations. In 1730, the Kangxi Emperor made the observation in the Tingxun Geyan (庭訓格言): The people of the North are strong; they must not copy
336-401: The southern regions are more likely to think holistically, interdependent, and draw a larger distinction between friends and strangers. The difference was attributed to the growing of rice, which often requires the sharing labor and managing shared irrigation infrastructure. Traveling between places tends to be easier in northern regions where the terrain is more even. As China modernized,
357-651: The southern regions began later in history. Warm temperatures and abundant rainfall help produce rice and tropical fruits . Two to three crops can be grown each year, and the growing season lasts nine to twelve months. Rice-based food is more common. Jones Lamprey, a British army surgeon in 1868, writes that northerners have lighter skin tones than southerners, although the shade can change greatly from season to season depending on an individual's exposure to sunlight when performing manual labor outdoors. Northerners are often taller than southerners. Variants of Mandarin are widely spoken in northern regions and often with
378-522: The transition zone between northern and southern China. They approximately coincide with the 0 degree Celsius isotherm in January, the 800 millimetres (31 in) isohyet , and the 2,000-hour sunshine duration contour. The Huai River basin serves a similar role, and the course of the Huaihe has been used to set different policies to the north and the south. Historically, populations migrated from
399-555: The whole province, of which industry and construction occupy 31%, tourism and services occupy 53%; revenue collection accounts for 86.3% of the province. Annual GDP growth rate is 11.4%. GDP per capital reached US$ 1,070 in 2002, higher than per capita income of the country in that time. Hạ Long City has 1,470 industry and handicrafts manufacturing units, including coal mining and processing, ship building, building materials, mechanic, wood processing , food, foodstuff and garment. There are 3 industrial zones: Cái Lân (with Cái Lân Port, one of
420-532: Was an administrative unit of Quảng Yên province. After the August Revolution in 1945, this township became the capital town of the huge Hồng Gai mine area. Later in 1946, the French retook Hòn Gai. After the 1954 Geneva Conference , Hòn Gai became the capital of the special district of Hồng Quảng. On October 30, 1963, the Vietnamese government combined Hải Ninh province and Hồng Quảng to establish
441-513: Was the most important transportation hub, was the target of many U.S. bombardments, and was awarded Hero of the People's Armed Forces three times. On December 27, 1993, the government issued Decree No. 102/CP, where Hòn Gai officially gained city status and was renamed to Hạ Long, while also incorporating Bãi Cháy into its territory. On December 17, 2019, the city's committee announced its intention to incorporate Hoành Bồ into its territory. In
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