Thái Nguyên () is a province in the Northeast region of Vietnam. It is a mountainous inland province. Thái Nguyên's society is composed of eight ethnic groups.

With its natural resources and somewhat salubrious climate, Thái Nguyên offers opportunities for industrial development for domestic and foreign investors. (note other sources state 1,590 or 1,592 metres) and cliffs running from northwest to southeast.

The Tam Đảo mountain region is protected by the Tam Đảo National Park, established in 1996, which is one of the national parks in Vietnam. There were 638 farms as against the national number of 120,699 in 2008. The output value of agriculture produce at constant 1994 prices in the province was 1667.1 billion đồngs against the national value of 156681.9 billion đồngs.

The province produced 410,400 tonnes of cereals as against the national production of 43.68 million tonnes. The per capita production of cereals in the province was 356.9 kg as against the national figure of 501.9 kg in 2007. In 2007, the industrial output of the province was 11,987.5 Bhilldongs against the national output of 1.47 million Bhilldongs.

Irrigation and hydroelectric power

Núi Cốc reservoir is 25 km west of Thái Nguyên city. It covers an area of with deep waters that can store 175 million cubic metres. The lake waters feeds an irrigation canal and a hydroelectric power station with three units of 630 KW capacity each, for a total output of about 2 GWh. The irrigation system was built in 1977. The power plant construction on the irrigation canal was started in Jan 2008 and the plant commissioned in Jan 2010. A 22 kV transmission line carries the power to a nearby grid.

Transport

Two railway lines serve Thái Nguyên Province, and particularly the city of Thái Nguyên. The first line connects Hanoi Railway Station to Quán Triều Railway Station (Quán Triều Ward), and the second connects Lưu Xá Railway Station (Phú Xá Ward) to Hạ Long Railway Station, Hạ Long, via a railway junction at Kép in Bắc Giang province. Both lines were built after the First Indochina War; unlike most railway lines in Vietnam, which were established in metre gauge, the Luu Xa–Hạ Long line was built at standard gauge, and the Hanoi–Quán Triều line was built at mixed gauge. The rail spur connecting Luu Xa and Kép was a strategic line constructed between October 1965 and December 1966 by a railroad engineering division of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, who operated in North Vietnam repairing railway lines at the request of Ho Chi Minh.

Administrative divisions

thumb|right|240px|Thái Nguyên map

Thái Nguyên is subdivided into 92 commune, wards.

Before 2025, there are 9 district-level sub-divisions and 178 commune-level sub-divisions:

{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="6" width="100%" align="center" style="background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; margin-top: 16px"

! colspan="3" style="background: #E6E6FA; font-size: 95%;" | Administrative divisions of Thái Nguyên

|-

| width="50%" valign="top" style="background: #f9f9f9;"|

{| cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="background: #f9f9f9; font-size: 90%; text-align: right;" width="100%"

|-

! align="left" style="border-bottom: 2px solid #CCCCFF; padding-left: 10px; white-space:nowrap" | Name!! style="border-bottom: 2px solid #CCCCFF;" |Population!! style="border-bottom: 2px solid #CCCCFF;" | Commune-level sub-divisions

|-

| align="left" colspan="3" style="background: #F5F5DC; padding-left: 30px;" | Cities (3)

|-

| align="left" style="padding-left: 6px; white-space:nowrap" | Thái Nguyên ||362,921 || 21 wards, 11 communes

|-bgcolor="#f5f5f5"

| align="left" style="padding-left: 6px; white-space:nowrap" | Phổ Yên ||220,963||13 wards, 5 communes

|-

| align="left" style="padding-left: 6px; white-space:nowrap" | Sông Công ||146,120 || 7 wards, 3 communes

|-

| align="left" colspan="3" style="background: #F5F5DC; padding-left: 30px;" | District (6)

|- bgcolor="#f5f5f5"

| align="left" style="padding-left: 6px; white-space:nowrap" | Đại Từ District ||160,598||2 towns, 28 communes

|}

| width="50%" valign="top" style="background: #f9f9f9;" |

{| cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="background: #f9f9f9; font-size: 90%; text-align: right;" width="100%"

|-

! align="left" style="border-bottom: 2px solid #CCCCFF; padding-left: 10px; white-space:nowrap" | Name!! style="border-bottom: 2px solid #CCCCFF;" | Population!! style="border-bottom: 2px solid #CCCCFF;" | Commune-level sub-divisions

|-

| align="left" style="padding-left: 6px; white-space:nowrap" | Định Hóa District ||90,600|| 1 town, 22 communes

|- bgcolor="#f5f5f5"

| align="left" style="padding-left: 6px; white-space:nowrap" | Đồng Hỷ District ||90,709||2 towns, 13 communes

|-

| align="left" style="padding-left: 6px; white-space:nowrap" | Phú Bình District ||144,908|| 1 town, 19 communes

|- bgcolor="#f5f5f5"

| align="left" style="padding-left: 6px; white-space:nowrap" | Phú Lương District|| 94,203 ||2 towns, 13 communes

|-

| align="left" style="padding-left: 6px; white-space:nowrap" | Võ Nhai District|| 68,080 ||1 town, 14 communes

|}

| valign="top" style="background: #f9f9f9; font-size: 90%" |

|}

Attractions

Some tourist attractions outside the capital city are listed below.

;Núi Cốc Lake

Tour boats circle the lake, recounting local legends and visiting some of the 89 islands within it. Some islands feature historic remains, protected breeding sites for birds, or feral goats. In March 2007, an eco-tourism park was developed beside the lake. It features musical fountains, an animal park, and a Fairy Tale House Underworld and Water park.

;Phuong Hoang cave

Phuong Hoang (Phoenix) cave is located at a distance of 40 km from Thái Nguyên city. The cave has four chambers where stalagmite and stalactite formations can be seen. Two of the caves admit some sunlight when the sun is at the right angle. Otherwise, artificial light is required to see the Hisinterior.

;Cuisine

Besides its tea, the province is known for such local culinary specialties as bún chả and phở noodle dishes, Định Hóa rice, Dầy cake, and hill chicken. Another food is Bánh chưng from Bờ Đậu village about 10 km north of Thái Nguyên City in Phú Lương District, where both sides of the road are lined with shops selling the local specialty made from glutinous rice cake, mung bean puree, and pork wrapped in aromatic leaves (usually Stachyphrynium placentarium, sometimes banana) and tied up with string made from a kind of bamboo, which can be used to slice the rice cake into portions for sharing. Tết is the village's busiest season.

<gallery widths="160px" heights="120px">

File:Festival Huế 2008-11.JPG| A festival scene

File:ThienSon10 TrungSon.JPG|Seats in a garden

File:Tượng voi đồng.jpg|The elephant statue as a present of King Prajadhipok of Siam at entrance to a temple

File:Vietnamese green tea.jpg|Vietnamese green tea

File:Đền Đuổm.JPG|Temple in the province

Nuicoc-lake-buddha&tourboats.JPG|Buddha statue and tour boats at Nui Coc Lake

File:PPP 4894.jpg|Fountain in Nui Coc Lake Tourist Area

File:Vietnam-ThaiNguyen-PhoenixCave-stalactites.JPG|Inside Phoenix Cave

</gallery>

References

  • Official website
  • Official Forum