Hải Dương


Hải Dương is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of Hải Dương, a highly industrialized province in the Hanoi Capital Region and the Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam. Its name is Sino-Vietnamese for "ocean sun". The city is at the midpoint between the capital Hanoi and major port Haiphong, and is part of the Northern Key Economic Zone. In 2019, Hai Duong city had a population of 507,469.

Name

The name first appeared officially in 1498. In feudal times, Hải Dương indicated a vast area from east of Hanoi to the sea. This area corresponds to all of modern Hải Dương, Haiphong, most of Hưng Yên and the southwestern corner of Quảng Ninh. Hải Dương city is in the middle of this historical area and was the location of a citadel defending the capital. Because of this historical location, Thành Đông is a common nickname of Hải Dương.

Geography

Hải Dương city is bordered to the north-east by Nam Sách and Thanh Hà districts, to the west by Cẩm Giàng District, and to the south by Gia Lộc and Tứ Kỳ districts, and also a branch of the Sat River. A branch of the Cái River divides the city into two parts, on one side the urban area, and on the other side rural and industrial outskirts. The city is located in the centre of both the Northern Economic Area and of the Hanoi–Haiphong–Quảng Ninh development region as well. Hải Dương is located from Hanoi, from Haiphong, and from Halong Bay. A railway, National Highway No.5 and National Highway No.18 all pass through the province.
Hải Dương Province is also located within the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. It is bordered by Haiphong and Quảng Ninh provinces in the east, Hưng Yên in the west, Bắc Ninh and Bắc Giang in the north, and Thái Bình in the south. With a total area of, Hải Dương Province has one major city and eleven districts.
Nowadays, highways make it easier to commute between Haiphong, Hải Dương and Hanoi. Since October 2017 it takes between 45 minutes and one hour to travel from Hải Dương to Hanoi.

Administrative divisions

Hải Dương city was built in 1804, and was first called "Thành Đông", referring to the citadel east of Vietnam's capital, Hanoi. During the French colonial period, Hải Dương was a town. Before 1968, Hải Dương was a town in Hải Dương Province. Between 1968 and 1996 it was the capital of Hải Hưng Province after the provinces of Hải Dương and Hưng Yên merged to form Hải Hưng. On November 6, 1996, following the separation of Hải Dương and Hưng Yên provinces, Hải Dương became the capital of Hải Dương province. On August 6, 1997, Hải Dương was established as a city.
From 2013, Hải Dương city contains 17 wards and 4 communes.

Wards