Tỉnh Bình Định

Geography
Capital:	Qui Nhon
Region:	South Central Coast
Area:	6,026 km&sup2
Districts:	10
People
Population:	1,513,100
Ethnicities:	Viet, Cham, Ba Na
Government
Council Chairperson:	Nguyen Xuan Duong
Committee Chairperson:	Vu Hoang Ha
Map

Binh Dinh (in Vietnamese, Bình Định) is a Province of Vietnam. It is located on the coast of the country's central region.

Politically, Binh Dinh is divided into ten districts: An Lao, An Nhon, Hoai An, Hoai Nhon, Phu Cat, Phu My, Tuy Phuoc, Tay Son, Van Canh, and Vinh Thach. The provincial capital, Qui Nhon , is a separate municipality.

Binh Dinh contains a range of different terrains. The province is generally described as being divided into four clearly-defined regions - the highlands along the western border, the hill country, the plains, and the coast. Most of the population lives near the coast.

The major economic activities of Binh Dinh province are fisheries and agriculture. The manufacture of wood products is also significant - Binh Dinh has traditionally been known for supplying valuable exotic woods.

The history of Binh Dinh province is closely linked to that of the historic Kingdom of Champa, a state based around the Cham people who now form the Binh Dinh's largest minority. Champa occupied most of central Vietnam, and frequently fought wars with the Vietnamese to the north. Gradually, however, the Vietnamese pushed the Cham southwards. In 980, the Cham were forced to abandon their capital, My Son, and relocate to the city of Vijaya in Binh Dinh. Vijaya (known to the Vietnamese as Do Ban) remained the capital of Champa for the remainder of the kingdom's existence. In 1470, it was overrun by the Vietnamese. With Binh Dinh under Vietnamese control, Vietnamese settlers gradually moved southwards, eventually displacing the Cham as the dominant ethnic group of the area. Today, ethnic Vietnamese make up over 95% of Binh Dinh's population.

A number of towers built by the Cham are now significant tourist attractions in Binh Dinh. The province's Tay Son district is also famous as the starting place of the Tay Son Uprising (and thus the Tay Son dynasty ). The Quang Trung Museum commemorates the event.

External link

• Binh Dinh Province official website