Area: 4,590.3 km2
Population: 861,216 people (2020)
Capital: Hoa Binh City.
Districts: Da Bac, Mai Chau, Ky Son, Cao Phong, Luong Son, Kim Boi, Tan Lac, Lac Son, Lac Thuy, Yen Thuy.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Muong, Thai, Tay, Dao…
OVERVIEW
Hoa Binh province is known to be an origin of “Hoa Binh culture” – the cradle of Vietnamese ancient culture. Besides, tourist and humanity resources are diversified, plentiful and attractive with 184 historic sites, cultural sites and natural landscapes together with unparalleled cultures of ethnic groups like Muong, Thai, Mong, Tay and Dao expressed in building architectures, beliefs, customs and traditional festivals.
Geography
Hoa Binh is a mountainous province in the North. It is bordered by Phu Tho and Hanoi in the north, Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa in the south, Ha Nam in the east, and Son La in the west.
The topography is combined by mountains and narrow valleys. The annual average temperature varies between 23 and 25oC.
Tourism
The culture of Hoa Binh combines several ethnic groups with their own languages, traditional literature, and festivals.
Tourists especially enjoy the ethnic specialty dishes including rice cooked in bamboo and grilled meat. At night, visitors can stay in stilt houses at Lac Village in Mai Chau Valley, enjoy watching traditional dancing, music performances (bronze drums, gongs), and Thai minority singing and dancing. The remote Muong, Dao, Tay minority villages draw visitors who like study the life of ethnic groups. Beautiful brocade and forest products are interesting souvenirs.
Mountainous terrain with Thac Bo, Hoa Tien, Ret Caves, Pu Nooc Primitive forest and many clean springs are suitable for swimming, climbing, walking, and hunting. Visitors are also fascinated by superb beauty of Hoa Binh Hydroelectric Power Plant, one of the three largest ones in Vietnam. Boating on Da River is an enjoyable feeling.
Apart of these, scientific tests have shown that the mineral water at Kim Boi Hot Spring is good for drinking, bathing and treatment.
Transportation
Road and water transportation are convenient. There is National Highway No. 6 from Hanoi viA Hoa Binh, Son La, National Highway No. 15 from Mai Chau to Thanh Hoa, National Highway No. 12B from Hoa Binh to Nho Quan (Ninh Binh).
Hoa Binh City is 82km from Hanoi. Da River is 5km from Hoa Binh City.
