Nam Định is a big city in the Red River Delta

Red River Delta

The Red River Delta is the flat plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries joining in the Thai Binh River in northern Vietnam. The delta measuring some 15,000 square km is well protected by a network of dikes. It is an agriculturally rich area and densely populated...

 of northern Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

. It is the capital of Nam Dinh Province and capital of the South of Red River Delta. Nam Dinh province was, at one time, part of Ha Nam Ninh province until it was split up again in 1996 to return to being two separate provinces, Ha Nam Province

Ha Nam Province

Hà Nam is a province of northern Vietnam, in the Red River Delta.-History:The Hà Nam Province, and Vietnam as a whole, implemented the second five-year plan between 1975 and 1980. This plan included protecting the country's national border and gradually overcoming difficulties within the country...

, Ninh Binh Ninh Binh Province

Ninh Bình Province

-Festivals:* Thai Vi festival * Truong Yen Festival* Yen Cu Festival* Non Khe Festival-Transportation:...

 and Nam Dinh province. The city of Nam Dinh is 90 km southeast of Vietnam's capital, Hanoi

Hanoi

Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...

. From August 18–20 of each year, there is a festival held in Nam Dinh called the Co Trach

Co Trach

Co Trach Temple Co Trach Temple Co Trach Temple ( the temple worships Hung Dao Dai Vuong-Tran Quoc Tuan who was a commander-in-chief of Vietnam and fought off the Mongols in their multiple invasions of Vietnam...

. This celebration honors General Tran Hung Dao, a 13th century national hero who led Vietnamese forces to victory over the invading Mongols

Mongols

Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...

.

Topography

Nam Dinh can be divided into 3 regions:

The low-lying delta region- Vụ Bản

Vu Ban

Vụ Bản is a rural district of Nam Dinh province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of . The district covers an area of 148 km². The district capital lies at Goi.-References:...

, Ý Yên

Y Yen

Ý Yên is a rural district of Nam Dinh province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 241,689. The district covers an area of 240 km². The district capital lies at Lam.-References:...

, Nam Trực

Nam Truc

Nam Trực is a rural district of Nam Dinh province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 203,311 . The district covers an area of 162 km². The district capital lies at Nam Giang....

, Trực Ninh

Truc Ninh

Truc Ninh is a district of Nam Dinh Province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 196,765. The district covers an area of 143 km². The district capital lies at Co Le.-References:...

, Xuân Trường

Xuan Trung

Xuan Truong is the capital of the Xuân Trường District, located in the northeast of Nam Định Province in Vietnam. It borders the province of Thai Binh province at the north, Hải Hậu District at the south, Giao Thủy District at the east, Trực Ninh District at the west...

. This region has a has a high level of agriculture and, textile and manufacturing industries.

The lowland coastal region- is home to districts such as, Giao Thủy

Giao Thuy

Giao Thủy is a rural district of Nam Dinh province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 207,273. The district covers an area of 166 km². The district capital lies at Ngo Dong....

, Hải Hậu

Hai Hau

Hải Hậu is a rural district of Nam Dinh province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 285,298. The district covers an area of 227 km². The district capital lies at Yen Dinh.-References:...

, and Nghĩa Hưng

Nghia Hung

Nghĩa Hưng is a rural district of Nam Dinh province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 202,231. The district covers an area of 250 km²...

. Nam Dinh's coastline is 72 km long and has favorable conditions for raising livestock and fishing. Here one will also find Xuân Thủy National Nature Reserve.

The Central region- where Nam Định is located, is supported through textile and garment industries, mechanical and processing industries, and traditional trades. Along with a general services sector, there is a growing professional sector as well. Nam Định is at the center of Việt Nam's growing textile and trade - gateway to the South through the Red River Delta - sông Hồng

Red River Delta

The Red River Delta is the flat plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries joining in the Thai Binh River in northern Vietnam. The delta measuring some 15,000 square km is well protected by a network of dikes. It is an agriculturally rich area and densely populated...

.

Nam Định has four major estuaries - Ba Lạt, Đáy, Lạch Giang, and Hà Lạn.

Climate

Like most other provinces in the North Delta region, Nam Đinh has typical tropical monsoon humidity. The average annual temperature ranges from 23-24 °C (73-75 °F). The coldest months are December and January, with average temperatures ranging from 16-17 °C (61-63 °F) and the hottest month being July, with temperatures over 29 °C (84 °F).

The average annual rainfall is between 1750-1800mm (69-71 inches) per year, diviđe into two distinct seasons: rain season from May to October, and the non-rain season (or less rain season) from November to February. The total number of hours of sunlight per year averages out about 1650–1700 hours per year. The average relative humidity: 80-85%.

Additionally, being next to the Gulf of Tonkin

Gulf of Tonkin

The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...

, Nam Định is normally affected by tropical storms and monsoons, with an average of 4-6 attacks per year.

Economy

In 2000 the estimated provincial GDP reach $400,000 USD (5.92 billion VND). In 2005, the economy structure was as following: agriculture-forestry-fishing 41%, industrial and construction 21.5%, services 38%.

Industrial zones

• Hòa Xá Industrial Zone: Located in Nam Định with a total area of 808 acres (3.3 km²). The total estimated investment of about US$18.76 billion, with approx. 86 investment projects.
• Mỹ Trung Industrial Park: Located in the Mỹ Lọc District and Lọc Hạ Ward, in the city of Nam Định, bordering the National Highway 10. This area is still under development, with a total area of 370 acres (1.5 km²) but can expand up to 470 acres (1.9 km²). The total expected investment is approximately $16.2 – $19 million US (300-350 billion VND).
• Thành An Industrial Park: Located in the colonial part of Nam Định and Tân Thành - Vụ Bản, which boarders National Highway 10 and connecting roads from National Highway 10 to Road 21, which leads to the port of Hải Thịnh and other southern districts of the province. Thành An Industrial Park can expand their planning up to 370 acres (1.5 km²). The total investment for Thành An is approximately $19 – $21.6 million US (350-400 billion VND).
• Bảo Minh Industrial Park: Belongs to the District Vụ Bản - Nam Định, located south of the National Highway 10 and approx. 10 km from Nam Định. Bảo Minh Industrial Park is 494 acres (2 km²) and has a total investment of $16.2 - $21.6 million US (300-400 billion VND).
• Hồng Tiến Industrial Park: Located just 25 km away from Nam Định, in District Ý Yên, its convenient location has it settled next to the National Highway 10, 6 km away from Binh Bình (which is close to Ninh Phúc Port), and also along the North-South National railway. The total area of Hồng Tiến is about 620 acres (2.5 km²). This industrial park was first setup as an investment infrastructure for Vietnam Petroleum Corporation.
• Ninh Cơ Industrial Park: Located along the Ninh Cơ River, it is approx. 500 ha, which includes: Seapots, ship building, industrial engineering, import/export processing and transporting, and tourism services along the river in two districts (Hải Hưng
  Hai Hau
  Hải Hậu is a rural district of Nam Dinh province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 285,298. The district covers an area of 227 km². The district capital lies at Yen Dinh.-References:...
  
   and Nghĩa Hưng
  Nghia Hung
  Nghĩa Hưng is a rural district of Nam Dinh province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 202,231. The district covers an area of 250 km²...
  
  ). Ninh Cơ Industrial Park is operated by VINASHLN Shipbuilding Company.

Education

Nam Định Province is well known in Vietnam for its traditional education system and schools. Nam Định has 4 universityes.Lê Hồng Phong High School is one of the top ranked high schools in all of Vietnam. Other top schools in Nam Định are Giao Thủy A High School, Trần Hưng Đạo High School, Nguyễn Khuyến High School, and Hải Hậu A, which were all in Vietnams top 200 schools (National High School Standards - 2003). Nam Định has 16 schools in the top 200 (as of 2003), in addition to Vietnam's top 100 schools of 2009, Nam Định currently has 5 schools.

Sports

Nam Định has two sports facilities, Thiên Trường Stadium (formerly Cuối Stadium)

Chùa Cuõi Stadium

Chùa Cuối Stadium, also known as Thiên Truong Stadium, is a multi-use stadium in Nam Dinh, Vietnam. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Nam Ðinh FC. The stadium holds 30,000 people. Thien Truong Stadium is located on Dang Xuan Thieu street, Nam Dinh city...

 and Trần Quốc Toản Indoor Stadium, which are host to football and volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 matches. Both sports centers are located on Hùng Vương Street in the city of Nam Định.

Hà Nam Ninh was the National Football Champions (V-League

V-League

The number of foreign players is restricted to five per team. A team could use three foreigners on the field each game.As 2009 statistics, about half of V-League foreign players are Brazilian and the rest come from Argentina, Nigeria, Ghana, Czech Republic, Thailand and others.-Attendance:V-League...

) in 1985 with star player Nguyễn Văn Dũng. In 2001, Nam Định took second place in the National Championships, losing to Bình Dịnh F.C.

Pisico Bình Ðinh

SQC Bình Ðịnh is a Vietnamese football club based in Quy Nhon. They used to play in the top division in Vietnamese football the V-League finishing 12th in the 2008 season. They had to play in a playoff against Đồng Tháp F.C. to stay up but lost the game 1-0 and were relegated. They now play in the...

. In 2007, the Nam Định football team changed its name to Đạm Phú Mỹ Nam Định and won its first National Cup

Vietnamese Cup

The Vietnamese Cup is an annual soccer competition in Vietnam. It is one of the three major Vietnamese clubs competitions held by the Vietnam Football Federation , and has existed since 1992- Past results :-See also:* Football in Vietnam...

under its new name. In 2009 the Nam Dinh Football team changed its name to Megastar Nam Dinh F.C and failed in standind on V-League to 1st level tournament 2010