Bình Định was formerly a northern coastal province in the South Central Coast region, the Central of Vietnam. It borders Quảng Ngãi to the north, Phú Yên to the south, Gia Lai to the west and the South China Sea to the east.

Bình Định province has an area of , The province is known for its scenery and beaches. There are also a number of Cham structures. Majority of the province is covered by mountains or hills. Its capital Quy Nhon served as the capital of the historic Tây Sơn dynasty. Economically the province has the most productive primary sector in the South Central Coast region, mostly because of its large output of rice, coconuts and its strong livestock, forestry and fishing sectors.

On June 12, 2025, Bình Định was incorporated into Gia Lai province.

History

Champa

thumb|left|Cham towers

Bình Định was probably one of the places where the Cham first arrived in what is now Vietnam. Its favourable geography led to the rise of the Cham Port of Thị Nại where Quy Nhơn is now located. The city-state of Vijaya was located around this port and the main city, which was further inland. Its centre was in the southern lowland of Bình Định. However, its architecture implies that it did not become important until the eleventh or twelfth century. while most other Cham structures only used bricks. This suggests some influence from Cambodian Angkor.

Vijaya was involved in various wars with neighbouring countries. Major wars were fought with Angkor (now Cambodia) in the 12th and 13th centuries. Around this time Vijaya seems to have been associated with, and at times even dominated by, the Khmer King Jayavarman VII. Major wars with Vietnam were fought in 1069 and again in the 15th century, which eventually led to the defeat of Vijaya and the demise of Champa in 1471.

Tây Sơn Dynasty

The Tây Sơn dynasty originated from Binh Dinh, being named after Tây Sơn district where the rulers had come from. The capital of Quy Nhon served as their capital until the Vietnamese Civil War of 1789–1802, when the province was wracked by warfare and the dynasty collapsed.

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File:Cổng chính tử cấm thành, thành Hoàng Đế.JPG| Ruin of main gate of Tây Sơn dynasty's palace.

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Its Sino-Vietnamese name (chữ Hán: 平定) translates as "pacified" or "subjugated".

Nguyễn dynasty

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File:Province de Binh-Dinh (1909).jpg|Map of Binh Dinh province in 1909

File:Bản vẽ thành Đồ Bàn (thành Hoàng đế), Bình Định năm 1913.jpg|Drawing of Đồ Bàn citadel in 1913

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Modern era

In February 1976, Bình Định and Quảng Ngãi provinces were merged into one new province called Nghĩa Bình. It was re-partitioned on 30 June 1989 into its previous components.

On 12 June 2025, as part of major nationwide reforms, Bình Định province was dissolved and merged with Gia Lai province. While most of the mountains as well as the highest peaks are in the west, there are mountains throughout the province, even near the coast. Most districts of Bình Định have a topography that is a mix of mountains or hills and lowlands. The districts of An Lão in the north-west, Vĩnh Thạnh in the west, and Vân Canh in the south-west are mostly mountainous. All other districts have some lowlands.

The largest lowland area is located in the south of the province along the lower Côn River. It encompasses much of Quy Nhon, the districts of Tuy Phước, An Nhơn, the western part of Phù Cát, and the eastern part of Tây Sơn. Given its size, and the access to a major port as well as Bình Định's major river, it has long been the place where most of Bình Định's people and economic activities concentrate. It was the site of Vijaya, one of the major city-states of Champa. The majority of Bình Định's population lives in the districts around this plain.

Other lowland areas are located in the coastal districts of Hoài Nhơn, Phù Mỹ, Phù Cát, as well as the inland district of Hoài Ân. There are some hills or mountains near the coast in all of the coastal provinces, with the highest peak in Phù Cát at 874m (Ba mountain, núi Bà) and in Phù Mỹ at 602m.

Administrative divisions

right|thumb|Bình Định province districts

Bình Định is subdivided into 11 district-level sub-divisions:

  • 8 districts:

:* An Lão

:* Hoài Ân

:* Phù Cát

:* Phù Mỹ

:* Tuy Phước

:* Tây Sơn

:* Vân Canh

:* Vĩnh Thạnh

  • 2 district-level town:
  • An Nhơn
  • Hoài Nhơn
  • 1 provincial city:
  • Quy Nhon (capital)

They are further subdivided into 12 commune-level towns (or townlets), 115 communes, and 28 wards.

Economy

With a gross domestic product per capita of 9.57 million đồngs in 2007, Bình Định is ranked fourth out of eight provinces and cities in the South Central Coast. While being significantly behind the main success stories of the region, namely Da Nang and Khánh Hòa province, it is more developed than most other provinces in the region. It has been benefiting from its strategic position as one of the main gateways to the Central Highlands and its port. It is the region's third-largest industrial center (mainly based on furniture manufacturing) and also has strong agricultural, forestry, livestock, and fishing sectors.

In 2007 Bình Định exported goods worth US$327.3 million, while importing goods worth US$141.6 million. The rice harvest is the largest of the South Central Coast region but accounts only for a modest 1.62% of the national output. In 2009 gross output was 3.97 trillion VND or 137,466t.

The largest industries after furniture manufacturing (5290.8 billion VND in 2009) in terms of gross output are food products and beverages (2770.5 billion), non-metallic mineral products (938.4 billion), wood processing (843.6 billion), and chemical products (755.1 billion).

Roads

thumb|[[National Route 1 (Vietnam)|National Route 1]]

There are national roads with a total length of 208&nbsp;km and provincial roads a total length of 458.5&nbsp;km. National Route 1 runs through the province from north to south with a length of 118&nbsp;km, This direct link from Quy Nhon to the Central Highlands and the border to Cambodia has been important for Bình Định's role as a gateway to the highlands and its industrial development, since especially the wood processing and furniture industry has relied on raw materials from the highlands, Cambodia and Laos. 70&nbsp;km of National Route 19 are located in Bình Định.

Railways

The North–South Railway in Bình Định has a length of 134&nbsp;km. It has been growing slowly from 2000 to 2007 – at just 0.92% per year on average.

Ethnic groups

  • Kinh: 1,445,150
  • Tay: 176
  • Thai: 496
  • Hoa: 353
  • Khmer: 89
  • Muong: 502
  • Nung: 72
  • Mong: 20
  • Dao: 52
  • Gia Rai: 322
  • Ngai: –
  • E De: 129
  • Ba Na: 21,650
  • Xo Dang: 88
  • San Chay: 14
  • Co Ho: 14
  • Cham: 6,364
  • San Diu: 6
  • Hre: 11,112
  • Mnong: 32
  • Raglay: 30
  • Xtieng: 3
  • Bru Van Kieu: 16
  • Tho: 58
  • Giay: 4
  • Co Tu: 37
  • Gie Trieng: 39
  • Ma: 12
  • Kho Mu: 4
  • Co: 23
  • Ta Oi: 5
  • Cho Ro: 6
  • Khang: 1
  • Xinh Mun: 1
  • Ha Nhi: 2
  • Chu Ru: 1
  • Lao: –
  • La Chi: –
  • La Ha: 2
  • Phu La: –
  • La Hu: –
  • Lu: –
  • Lo Lo: –
  • Chut: 1
  • Mang: –
  • Pa Then: –
  • Co Lao: 5
  • Cong: –
  • Bo Y: 1
  • Si La: –
  • Pu Peo: –
  • Brau: –
  • O Du: –
  • Ro Mam: 1
  • Nguoi Nuoc Ngoai: 25
  • Khong Xac Dinh: –

Sights

A number of towers built by the Cham are now significant tourist attractions in Bình Định. The province's Tây Sơn district is also famous as the starting place of the Tây Sơn Uprising (and thus the Tây Sơn dynasty). The Quang Trung Museum commemorates the event.

Sport

Traditional martial arts practiced in Binh Dinh (Võ thuật Bình Định) has become a cultural heritage.

;Football

Binh Dinh Football Club based in Quy Nhon plays in the top tier of Vietnamese football, the V.League 1. Their home stadium is Quy Nhơn Stadium which has a capacity of 25,000.

References

;Bibliography

  • Trần Kỳ Phương (2009): "The Architecture of the Temple-Towers of Ancient Champa" in Hardy, Andrew et al. (ed): Champa and the Archaeology of Mỹ Sơn (Vietnam). NUS Press, Singapore
  • Vickery, Michael (2009): "A Short History of Champa" in Hardy, Andrew et al. (ed): Champa and the Archaeology of Mỹ Sơn (Vietnam). NUS Press, Singapore
  • Bình Định province official website
  • Bình Định Invest, the official provincial investment promotion website
  • Quy Nhon Life, The page is aimed introducing the images of Bình Định, its landscape and people to everyone, especially foreign travelers.