Long An

Lying next to Ho Chi Minh City, Long An is a mid-sized province located within the Mekong Delta region in Southern Vietnam.  The provincial capital is Tan An, other major cities include Ben Luc, Duc Hoa, Thanh Hoa, and Moc Hoa District.  There are 13 districts within the province. Due to its proximity to Ho Chi Minh City, Long An is considered a prime location to set up manufacturing facilities. However, the province is still in the early stages of development and some parts of its infrastructure need to be upgraded.

The people of Long An province are well known for their tradition of “loyalty and courageousness and [the] steadfastness of the whole population [in fighting] the enemy in battle” and for their industriousness and creativeness in their work. 

The province is still mainly agricultural, but it is steadily investing more money into building up various industries, such as plastics and textiles,` throughout the region. In recent years, Long An has emerged as a key province for the attraction of investment and the development of industrial parks (IP), such as the Long Hau IP.

Long An is home to two large universities: the Long An University of Economics and Industry, and Tan Tao University.

In 2013, Long An had a total of 37 licensed FDI projects, with US$160.3 million in registered capital.

Geography:

Long An is situated in an advantageous position in the Southern Key Economic Region of Vietnam. It serves as a bridge between Ho Chi Minh City in the north and 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta in the south. The province also has Cambodia to its west and the East Sea (South China Sea) to its east.

Long An is a low-lying coastal region, therefore some areas of it are subject to flooding during the rainy seasons - this period lasts from the beginning of August until November.

The province has numerous rivers, two of the main ones are the Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay, these rivers connect with the Tien to form a larger river system.  Another important river in the region is the Xoai Rap.

Agriculture:

Long An is famous for its Cho Dao rice, a traditional variety of rice. Cho Dao is known colloquially as Nàng Thơm(“fragrant girl”).  The pineapples and mangos which are grown in the region are also well known for their sweet taste.

Additionally, many Hong Kong and Taiwanese companies have setup in Long An in order to process agricultural products for domestic consumption and/or export.   

Tourism:

Long An is home to a number of historical sites.  The ancient Vinh Phong Temple, located near the town of Thu Thua, is a memorial to Mr. Mai Tu Thua, founder of the villages that later grew into the town of Thu Thua. Additionally, the Phuoc Lam Pagoda is located in Xom Chua. This pagoda was built by Mr. Bui Van Minh in 1880 and was intended to be a place of worship to the Buddha as well as an ancestral hall for his Bui clan.

Industries:

Long An began its industrialization process in earnest in 2002 when HCMC began moving about 30,000 industrial and craft businesses out of the city and into the outer areas of the region.  Long An quickly seized upon this opportunity and many of the businesses were located within the province.

A sizable number of plastics manufacturers have located their operations in Long An. Other products that are produced in large quantities by the region are shoes and clothing.

Additionally, there is a growing industry in agricultural products processing. Foreign companies, such as Cargill, have located sizable operations within the region.