Bac Lieu Province

Infobox Province Vietnam
Name = Bạc Liêu
Meaning =


Council Chair =
Committee Chair =
Capital = Bạc Liêu
Region = Mekong Delta
Area = 2,525.7
Population = 786,200
Population year = 2004
Population density = 311.3
Ethnicities = Vietnamese, Khmer, Hoa, Chăm
Calling code = 781
ISO code = VN-55
Website = www.baclieu.gov.vn

Bac Lieu (in Vietnamese, "Bạc Liêu"; Hán tự: Fact|date=March 2008) is a Province of Vietnam. It is a coastal province, and is situated in the Mekong Delta region of the southern part of the country.

Administration

Bạc Liêu is divided into six districts:

*Dong Hai
*Giá Rai
*Hòa Binh
*Hồng Dân
*Phước Long
*Vinh Loi

The provincial capital, which is also known as Bạc Liêu, is a separate municipality.

Geography

Bạc Liêu is generally thought of as being in the Mekong Delta, although it is actually located slightly to the south of the Mekong's main outflows. Bạc Liêu is around 100km south of Cần Thơ, the largest city in the Mekong Delta.

Economy

The most important parts of Bạc Liêu's economy are rice farming, fishing, food processing, and clothing manufacturing.

History

Until 1996, the area that now makes up Bạc Liêu Province was part of a larger unit, Minh Hai Province. Although it is located in Vietnam, many years ago this land was apart of the Khmer Empire which ruled most of Indochina many centuries ago. It is still home to many ethnic Khmer people. In 1996, Minh Hai was split into two, with the northeast becoming Bạc Liêu Province and the southwest becoming Cà Mau Province.

Culture

Vọng cổ, an important song in the traditional music of southern Vietnam, was composed in Bac Lieu around 1918 or 1919.