Ninh Bình province

Ninh Bình Province Tỉnh Ninh Bình
Province
Nickname:  Serenity
Location of Ninh Bình within Vietnam
Coordinates: 20°15′N 105°50′E
Country	Vietnam
Region	Red River Delta
Capital	Ninh Bình
Government
• People's Council Chair	Đinh Văn Hùng
• People's Committee Chair	Đinh Văn Hùng
Area
• Total	1,383.7 km2 (534.2 sq mi)
Population  (2004)
• Total	554,700
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Demographics
• Ethnicities	Vietnamese, Mường
Time zone	UTC+07:00 (ICT)
Area codes	229
ISO 3166 code	VN-18
Website	www.ninhbinh.gov.vn

Ninh Bình (Vietnamese: [niŋ ɓîŋ] ) is a province of Vietnam, in the Red River Delta region of the northern part of the country. The province is famous for a high density of natural and cultural attractions, including reserved parks in Cúc Phương National Park and Van Long, grotto caves and rivers in Tràng An, Tam Cốc-Bích Động and Mua Caves, historic monuments in the Hoa Lư ancient capital, Vietnam's largest buddhist worshiping complex (Bái Đính Temple), and the Phát Diệm Cathedral with "eclectic architectural style". Thanks to its adjacency to Hanoi, day trips from the capital are easily manageable.

Administrative divisions

Ninh Bình is subdivided into eight district-level sub-divisions:

• 6 districts:

• • Gia Viễn
  • Hoa Lư
  • Kim Sơn
  • Nho Quan
  • Yên Khánh
  • Yên Mô

• 2 provincial city:
  • Ninh Bình (capital)
  • Tam Điệp

They are further subdivided into seven commune-level towns (or townlets), 122 communes, and 16 wards.

Geography

Ninh Bình is located to the south of the Northern Delta, between the Red and Ma rivers. It is bordered by Hòa Bình and Hà Nam to the north, Nam Định to northeast, Thanh Hóa to the south and west.

Ninh Bình also has a very short coastline abutting the Gulf of Tonkin. The population is 898,500 people. the total area is 1,329.4 sq kilometer

Demographics

The ethnic groups include the Viet (also called Kinh group, the Vietnamese ethnic majority), as well as, Dao, Hoa, Hmong, Mường, Nùng, Tày, Thai and others. There are 23 ethnic communities, among which the Kinh account for more than 98%.

Sights

Natural sights

• Tam Cốc-Bích Động
• Mua Caves (Hang Múa)
• Tràng An
• Cúc Phương: primitive forest and ancient inhabited cave (Nho Quan)
• Dich Long cave and pagoda (Gia Thanh - Gia Vien)

Ninh Binh was selected as among the main locations for the movie Kong: Skull Island.

Ecological sights

• Cúc Phương National Park
• Van Long - the conserved wetland area (Gia Vien)

Historic sights

• Bích Động pagoda and cave
• Bái Đính Temple
• Ban Long Pagoda
• Dinh and Le Temples
• Hoa Lư ancient capital
• Hoa Lư Citadel; Nhat Tu Pagoda
• Phát Diệm Cathedral (Phát Diệm - Kim Sơn)

The old city of Ninh Bình is a well-known historical site in Vietnam.

Gallery

• 
  Tam Cốc-Bích Động
• 
  Phát Diệm Cathedral
• 
  Hoa Lư - ancient capital
• 
  Bái Đính Temple

Festivals

• Thai Vi festival (Ninh Hai - Hoa Lư) (third moon of the lunar calendar)
• Truong Yen Festival
• Yen Cu Festival
• Non Khe Festival

Handicrafts

Embroidered handicrafts in Hoa Lư District Sea reed handicrafts in Kim Sơn District

Transportation

Ninh Bình is located 91 km from Hanoi and has both rail and road transport links. Express rail connections with Hanoi in the north and Thanh Hóa and Vinh in the south. Buses from Hanoi's South Bus Station stop by Ninh Bình; the bus routes parallel and complement the rail route.

Etymology

The province's name derives from Sino-Vietnamese 寧平.

External links

• Official website