Mekong Delta
- This article is about the geographical region. For the German heavy metal band, see Mekong Delta (band).
The Mekong Delta (Vietnamese: đồng bằng sông Cửu Long “Nine Dragon river delta”) is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southeastern Vietnam of 39,000 km² [1]. The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.
Provinces
| No. | Provinces/Municipality | Area (km²) | Population (2004) | Pop. density (person/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Can Tho | 1,401.6 | 1,139,900 | 813.3 |
| 2 | An Giang | 3,536.8 | 2,210,400 | 625.0 |
| 3 | Bạc Liêu | 2,584.1 | 820,100 | 317.4 |
| 4 | Ben Tre | 2,360.2 | 1,353,300 | 573.4 |
| 5 | Ca Mau | 5,331.7 | 1,232,000 | 231.1 |
| 6 | Dong Thap | 3,376.4 | 1,667,800 | 494.0 |
| 7 | Hau Giang | 1,601.1 | 796,900 | 497.7 |
| 8 | Kien Giang | 6,348.3 | 1,684,600 | 265.4 |
| 9 | Long An | 4,493.8 | 1,423,100 | 316.7 |
| 10 | Soc Trang | 3,312.3 | 1,276,200 | 385.3 |
| 11 | Tien Giang | 2,484.2 | 1,717,400 | 691.3 |
| 12 | Tra Vinh | 2,295.1 | 1,036,800 | 451.7 |
| 13 | Vĩnh Long | 1,479.1 | 1,057,000 | 714.6 |
Major cities
The most renowned places in the Mekong delta are Mỹ Tho and Caí Bè near Ho Chi Minh City, then, more to the heart of the region, Vĩnh Long, Sa Đéc and Cần Thơ, from where it is possible to reach the remotest confines of the delta, South towards the mangrove and the South China Sea, North towards Châu Đốc, or West towards the island of Phú Quốc.
Vietnam War
During French colonialism in Cochinchina, the first nationalist revolt, in the name of the king, started in that Mekong delta and was followed by the First Indochina War fought by the French with their “Dinassaut” on waterways and copied later by the US Navy Mobile Riverine Force[1].
During the Vietnam War, the Delta region saw fighting between Viet Cong (NLF) guerrillas and units of the United States Navy's swift boats and hovercrafts (PACVs).
Economy
The area is home to large numbers of rice fields. In 2004, in large part thanks to the Mekong Delta, Vietnam was the third largest exporter of rice globally after Thailand and India. In 2003, Vietnam was the world's second largest exporter of rice [2]. Additionally, the region is home to large exports of basa fish, Tra catfish and shrimp, much of which is exported.
Demographics
The inhabitants of the Mekong Delta region are largely ethnic Viet, with Khmer minority populations living primarily in the Trà Vinh, Sóc Trăng, and Muslim Chăm in Tan Chau, by An Giang provinces. There are also sizeable Hoa (ethnic Chinese) populations in the Kiên Giang and Trà Vinh provinces.