Thanh Hoa overview

Area: 11,116.3 sq.km.
Population: 3,646,600 habitants (2004)
Capital: Thanh Hoa City.
Administrative divisions:
- Towns: Sam Son, Bim Son.
- Districts: Muong Lat, Quan Hoa, Quan Son, Ba Thuoc, Cam Thuy, Lang Chanh, Thach Thanh, Ngoc Lac, Thuong Xuan, Nhu Xuan, Nhu Thanh, Vinh Loc, Ha Trung, Nga Son, Yen Dinh, Tho Xuan, Hau Loc, Thieu Hoa, Hoang Hoa, Dong Son, Trieu Son, Quang Xuong, Nong Cong, Tinh Gia.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Muong, Thai, Hmong people, Tho...

Thanh Hoa Geography

Among of five provinces in North-Central Vietnam, Thanh Hoa Province is surrounded by Son La, Hoa Binh, Ninh Binh provinces ( Ninh Binh Travel )on the north, Nghe An Province on the south, East Sea on the east with 102km coastline, and Laos on the west.

Thanh Hoa Toppgraphy

Topography is divided into plain, coastal and mountainous regions. Hilly and mountains account three quarters of the total area. The Western region own abundant resources of forest products, and huge hydroelectric potentials. The plain is the third largest one of Vietnam.

Owing to the cool climate and high rainfall, the province has annual average temperature of 24.5ºC. Rainy season often begins in June and ends in October.

Thanh Hoa Tourism

Located 16km from Thanh Hoa City, Sam Son Beach attracts lot of visitors to relax and bath. Beside the beach, Sam Son offers scenic spots such as Trong Mai Rocks, Doc Cuoc Temple and Mount Co Tien.

Tourists also like to discover Ben En National Park in Nhu Thanh, Nhu Xuan districts. The park is a complex of tropical forests, hills, mountains, rivers, springs, and Muc Lake. With natural landscapes and diversified flora and fauna, Ben En is suitable to eco-tourism, sightseeing, and scientific studies.

Cam Luong Fish Spring is another interesting place in Thanh Hoa, The stream contains thousands of fish that no one dares catch it. Fish in the stream have red mouth and fins, and brown scales, resembling carp. Please come to this place to play with fish, visit beautiful caves and grottos, watch dancing performances of Muong people and enjoy traditional lam rice and can wine.

In addition of these, Thanh Hoa is famous of historical vestiges like Ham Rong Bridge, Ho Citadel and Lam Kinh Remains. Lam Son is the birthplace of national hero Le Loi and the starting point of the Lam Son revolutionary insurrection.

Thanh Hoa Transportation

Thanh Hoa is 150km from Hanoi, 60km from Ninh Binh, and 139km from Vinh (Nghe An). National Highway No.1A and North-South Express Train run through province. There are National Highway No.15 linking to Nghe An and National Highway No.217 connecting to Laos via Na Meo Bordergate

Som Son beach

Sam Son beach is 16 km from Thanh Hoa city, Thanh Hoa province. In 1906, the French colonial government started to develop Sam Son into a holiday resort for French civil servants and officials based in Thanh Hoa and northern Vietnam. Sam Son is famous for its landscapes: Hon Trong Mai, Doc Cuoc temple, Co Tien mountain….
Sam Son coast line is 10 km long and is one of the most beautiful beaches in the north of Viet Nam. Impressive scenes, historical vestiges and hospitality of local people are always in tourists’ mind.
Weather:
Climate in Sam Son is tropical monsoon. In summer, it’s very hot and has a lot of shower. On the contrary, it’s very cold and has a little rain in winter. From May to September, it’s hot season and from November to March, it’s dry season. There are 4 seasons in the year: spring, summer, autumn, winter. The average temperature of the year is between 23 and 24oC.
Specialties:
Sea foods such as: crab, oyster, prawn, tuna…, fermented pork roll (nem chua).
How to get there:
Sam Son beach is 170 km from Hanoi. You can get there by train or by bus.
By bus: High-quality buses depart from northern bus station at 5h30 am every 4 hours.
By train: Thong Nhat express train ( stop at Thanh Hoa station) or tourist train to Thanh Hoa, Vinh ( Nghe An Travel )

Ho citadel

Location: Ho Citadel is situated in Vinh Tien and Vinh Long communes, Vinh Loc District, Thanh Hoa Province, approximately 150 km from Hanoi.
Characteristics: Ho Citadel is also called Tay Do Wall - a rectangle is surrounded by a deep dike.
The citadel was erected in 1397, during the Ho Dynasty. The stone citadel was built in the shape of a square with a gate on each side. The south wall gate is similar to the South Gate of Thang Long Wall. All four walls are surrounded by deep channels, protecting the Imperial Palace inside. Upon completion of the wall, King Ho Quy Ly moved the capital from Thang Long to Tay Do. The citadel was eventually destroyed and abandoned. Over 6 centuries have passed since the wall was erected, and only ruins of the South Gate remain.
Nowadays, inside the citadel are remains of the foundations of the royal places and two carved stone dragons.

Ben En national park

Location: Ben En National Park is situated in Nhu Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Characteristics: This landscape is breathtaking, with its hills, mountains, rivers and the lake looks similar to Halong Bay.
During the 1970s the park was often empty as very few visitors frequented it. However, since it was made into a national park, scientists and tourists alike have frequented the place.
Its scenery is beautiful. The park covers an area of 16,634 ha. The water surface accounts for 3,000hectares of the park. With 21 big and small islands on its water, the lake looks similar to Halong Bay. Tourists and naturalists are interested in Ben En also because of its large bio-diversity. One can find a great range of plants and animals. Much of the wildlife found here has been categorized as endangered or rare.
Different ethnic groups including the Kinh, Muong, Thai and Tho live within the park. Each group brings its unique cultural features to Ben En, making the place an ideal destination for those interested in cultural ethnographic tourism.
The management of the park has several projects to make it a more attractive tourist centre. The islands are being made into ideal places for rest. Hotels are being built.
Transport is being made more convenient and comfortable. New tourism routes are being opened. Ben En is proving its advantages over several other tourism centers