Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province

Infobox province of Vietnam
Name = Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu
Meaning =


Council Chair = Nguyễn Tuấn Minh
Committee Chair = Trần Minh Sanh
Capital = Bà Rịa
Region = Southeast
Area = 1,982.2
Population = 897,600
Population year = 2004
Population density = 452.8
Ethnicities = Vietnamese, Hoa, Chơ-ro, Khmer
Calling code = 64
ISO code = VN-43
Website = www.baria-vungtau.gov.vn

Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the coast of the country's southeastern region. It also includes the Côn Đảo islands, located some distance off Vietnam’s southeastern coast. From 1954 to 1975, this province belonged to the Republic of Vietnam.

Administration

Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu is divided into six districts:

*Châu Đức
*Côn Đảo (National Park)
*Đất Đỏ
*Long Điền
*Tân Thành
*Xuyên Mộc

The town of Bà Rịa is a separate municipality, as is the city of Vũng Tàu.

Economy

Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu provincial economic activities include: petroleum (the most important), electricity at Phú Mỹ Power Center and Bà Rịa Power Plant (accounting for approx. 40% of the country’s total power capacity), petrochemicals: Phú Mỹ Urea Plant (800,000 metric tonnes per year, polyethylene (100,000 metric tonnes/year), steel production, and cement production. Tourism, commerce and fishing are also important economic activities of the province. Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu contributes greatly to the country’s budget. In 2005, it accounted for around 24% of Vietnam’s budget (VND 42,000 billion of total VND 180,000 billion (exchange rate VND/USD: 16,000), ranking second, after Hồ Chí Minh City before Hà Nội (VND 28,000 billion in 2005). The provincial GDP per capita ranks second to none in the country, over USD 4,000, if excluding petroleum GDP, it is over USD 2000 (Hồ Chí Minh City ranks second with this index USD 1,850). However, in term of standard of living, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu is third to Hồ Chí Minh City and Hà Nội. Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu is also one of the leading direct foreign investment (FDI) attractions of Vietnam, in the top five of FDI acquisition provinces of Vietnam. In tourism, there are some big projects licensed or to be licenced soon: Saigon Atlantis resort (capitalized USD 300 million), Vungtau Aquarium and Bau Trung entertainment park (USD 500 USD), Xuyen Moc safari (USD 200)...Vũng Tàu is an important tourist destination, being particularly well known for its beaches, for its colonial-era architecture, and for a large statue of Jesus on a hill by the sea.

History

With the exception of the Côn Đảo islands, all of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province was once a part of Đồng Nai Province to the north. In 1979, Vũng Tàu was broken away from Đồng Nai and merged with the Côn Đảo islands (formerly part of Hậu Giang Province), forming the new Vũng Tàu–Côn Đảo “special zone”. Later, in 1992, Bà Rịa was also broken away from Ðồng Nai Province, merging with Vũng Tàu–Côn Đảo to form the modern province of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu.

External links

* [http://www.baobariavungtau.com.vn Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Daily Newspaper website]
* [http://www.baria-vungtau.info/index.php?url=english/news/index.php&lang=e Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province Foreign Affairs Department website]
* [http://www.baria-vungtau.gov.vn Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province home page (mostly in Vietnamese)]
* [http://www.bariavungtautourism.com/index.php Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Tourism Home Page (in Vietnamese, English and Chinese)]