An Giang province

History

An Giang was the former territory of Chenla. In 1757, Cambodia's King Nặc Đôn (Ang Tong) died. The regent Nặc Nhuận paid his two prefectures: Trà Vinh and Ba Thắc as tribute to Lord Võ to get approval as the new king of Cambodia. Shortly afterward, Nặc Nhuận's son-in-law killed him to ascend the crown. Nặc Đôn's grandson, Nặc Tôn (Ang Ton) fled to Hà Tiên seeking for military aid. Lord Võ appointed Nặc Tôn as the new king of Cambodia and ordered Mạc Thiên Tứ and his troops to escort Nặc Tôn back. In return, Nặc Tôn ceded the Tầm Phong Long region to Lord Võ. Lord Võ divided this region to three sub-regions: Châu Đốc, , and Đông Khẩu, under the administration of .

An Giang province was first established in 1832 when Emperor Minh Mạng divided Lower Cochinchina into Six Provinces.

Geography

An Giang is located in the upper reaches of the Mekong Delta. The Hậu River and Tiền River branches of the Mekong River are the province's dominant geographical features. With the exception of the west, most of An Giang is fairly flat and is criss-crossed by many canals and small rivers. This terrain has made An Giang a significant agricultural center, producing significant quantities of rice.

The Cấm Mountains, also known as the Thất Sơn range or the "Seven Mountains", are located in the western Tịnh Biên District. Followers of the Bửu Sơn Kỳ Hương tradition, founded in An Giang in 1849, refer to these mountains as Bửu Sơn, "Precious Mountains".

Etymology

The province's name is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese word: 安江, meaning "peaceful river".

Administrative divisions

An Giang is subdivided into 14 wards, 85 communes, and 3 special zones (including Phu Quoc, Kien Hai and Tho Chau).

Before 2025, An Giang was subdivided into 11 district-level sub-divisions:

• Districts:

1. An Phú: 3 towns and 11 rural communes
2. Châu Phú: 2 town and 11 rural communes
3. Châu Thành: 2 town and 11 rural communes
4. Chợ Mới: 3 towns and 15 rural communes
5. Phú Tân: 2 towns and 16 rural communes
6. Thoại Sơn: 3 towns and 14 rural communes
7. Tri Tôn: 3 towns and 12 rural communes

• District-level towns:

1. Tân Châu: 5 wards and 9 rural communes
2. Tịnh Biên: 7 wards and 7 rural communes

• Provincial cities:

1. Châu Đốc: 5 wards and 2 rural communes
2. Long Xuyên: 11 wards and 2 rural communes (capital of province)

• They are further subdivided into 18 commune-level towns (or townlets), 110 communes, and 28 wards (156 in total).

Demographics

An Giang first became a province in 1832, having been settled by Vietnamese migrants moving southward in search of new land. It is believed that An Giang was once an important center of the 1st millennium Óc Eo culture, presumably owing to its position on the river. Traditionally, An Giang has been known for its silk industry.

An Giang is home to a substantial number of people from Vietnam's ethnic minorities. Due to the province's proximity to Cambodia, the Khmer Krom is the largest non-Vietnamese group. Other groups, such as the Chams and ethnic Chinese (Hoa), are also found in An Giang.

As of 2020, An Giang Province covers an area of 3,536.83 square kilometers with a population of 1,904,532 people, resulting in a population density of 539 people per square kilometer.

The province is home to 24,011 households of ethnic minorities, comprising 114,632 people, accounting for 5.17% of the total provincial population.

Transport

The province is served by these airports:

• Rach Gia Airport which provides flight routes to Ho Chi Minh City which are operated by Vietnam Airlines
• Phu Quoc International Airport serves the island of Phú Quốc that provides flights to the mainland of Vietnam and to some other international destinations in China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Russia.

Notable people

• Tôn Đức Thắng, a prominent Communist and former President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, later became the first President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Long Xuyên).
• Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ, vice-president of the Republic of Vietnam before April 30, 1975 (Long Xuyên).
• Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum, Khmer Krom and Prime Minister of Cambodia in 1962.
• Vương Trung Hiếu, writer (Thoại Sơn).
• Trịnh Bửu Hoài, writer (Châu Đốc).
• Hoàng Hiệp, musician (Chợ Mới).
• Võ Tòng Xuân, academic, agronomist, and former rector of An Giang University (Tri Tôn).
• Huỳnh Phú Sổ, founder of the Hòa Hảo sect of Buddhism (Phú Tân).
• Thoại Ngọc Hầu, general of Nguyễn dynasty (Chợ Mới).
• Đoàn Minh Huyên, founder of the Bửu Sơn Kỳ Hương tradition.
• Vũ Cát Tường, singer.

Notes

References

References

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3. "Tình hình kinh tế, xã hội Đồng Tháp năm 2018".
4. "Human Development Index by province(*) by Cities, provincies and Year".
5. "Nghị quyết số 202/2025/QH15 về việc sắp xếp đơn vị hành chính cấp tỉnh".
6. Trịnh Hoài Đức. "Gia Định thành thông chí". Viện Sử học & NXB Giáo dục – Published 1998.
7. Quốc Sử quán triều Nguyễn. "Đại Nam Thực Lục - Tiền Biên - Kỷ Thứ Nhất (từ 1558 đến 1819)". Translator: Nguyễn Ngọc Tỉnh, Editor: Đào Duy Anh – Viện Sử học và NXB Giáo dục – Published 2002.
8. Quốc Sử quán triều Nguyễn. "Đại Nam Nhất Thống Chí - Lục Tỉnh Nam Việt - Tập Hạ". Translator: Tu Trai Nguyễn Tạo, Editor: Á Nam Trần Tuấn Khải – Nha Văn hóa, Bộ Quốc gia Giáo dục - Published 1959.
9. (May 5, 2021). "Statistical Yearbook 2021 (57 - AN GIANG PROVINCE STATISTICAL OFFICE/ Population and area of An Giang Province as of December 31, 2020, page 397)".
10. "Population, Area, and Population Density by Province - General Statistics Office - 2016".