Quang Binh Province

Quang Binh Province

Quảng Bình ( listen), formerly Tiên Bình under the reign of Lê Trung Hưng of the Lê Dynasty, this province was renamed Quảng Bình in 1604) is a province along Vietnam's north-central coast. The province has an area of 8,065.8 square kilometers and population of 857,818 inhabitants (as of 2008) The province is bordered by the Laotian province of Khammouan to the west, the South China Sea to the east, Hà Tĩnh to the north and Quảng Trị to the south. Historically, this region belonged to Văn Lang and later the kingdom of Champa. Later it was claimed by both the Đại Việt and Champa and officially annexed into Đại Việt by Lý Thường Kiệt, a Lý dynasty general (under the reign of Lý Thánh Tông).

The site of present-day Quảng Bình was battlefields between Champa and Vietnam until the Vietnamese territory was expanded further south by subsequent dynasties. Quảng Bình's importance expanded after Nguyễn Hoàng, a prince of Nguyễn Lords was sent to the south by a king of the Lê dynasty. Hoàng built his estate and turned it into Đàng Trong, a rival of the de facto Trịnh-controlled Đàng Ngoài. Quảng Bình became an important front to defend Đàng Trong from attck by Đàng Ngoài. Under French rule, this province was part of Annam. During the Vietnam War, this province was part of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (aka North Vietnam), only 20 km from the DMZ. This province was severely devastated by bombing from U.S. B-52s. This province is home to the World Heritage Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park. The province is also home to several famous Vietnamese persons, including general Võ Nguyên Giáp, poet Hàn Mặc Tử, writer Bảo Ninh and the family of former South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm.