Phu Tho Province

Phu Tho Province

Phú Thọ ( listen) is a province in northern Vietnam. The name of the province was derived from Sino-Vietnamese 富壽 and its capital is Việt Trì, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Hanoi and 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Nội Bài International Airport. The province covers an area of 3528.1 square kilometres and, as of 2008, it had a population of 1,364,700.

The history of Phu Tho is linked to the 18 Hung Kings who were credited with building the nation of Văn Lang. Because of its strategic location, the province is known as the "West Gate of Hanoi". It is located at the confluence of two large rivers: the Red River and the Da River, and in a transitional area between the Red River Delta the country's northern mountainous provinces. The Xuân Sơn National Park, established in February 2002, is located in the province about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Việt Trì. The park covers an area of 15,048 hectares (37,180 acres), with over 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) of natural forest and 1,396 hectares (8,670 mi) of limestone-mountain forests. Phú Thọ is one of the poorest areas of Vietnam and the poorest households earn below USD $6 per person per month. Tea is important to the economy of the province. The Hung Kings temple complex, located on Nghĩa Lĩnh mountain in Việt Trì, is a complex of majestic architecture enclosing Hạ Temple (built in the 15th century), Thiện Quang pagoda, Giếng, Trung and Thuong temples, and King Hung's tomb.