Vĩnh Long ( listen) is the capital of Vĩnh Long Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. The name was spelled 永隆 ("eternal prosperity") in the former Han-Nom writing system.
Vĩnh Long covers 48.1 km2 and has a population of 147,039 (as of 2009). Vĩnh Long is on the Cổ Chiên river, which branches out from the Mekong River at the narrows of Mỹ Thuận about 10 kilometers upstream, only to meet it later downstream. Across the Cổ Chiên river from Vĩnh Long are the An Binh and Bình Hòa Phước islands, some 15 kilometers across, with the Mekong River on the other side. A number of canals run through Vĩnh Long, with tall vehicular bridges crossing them. Transport by boat is possible, although parts of the town, particularly An Binh, become unreachable at low tide.
Vĩnh Long is about two hours from the large city of Cần Thơ in the adjacent Hậu Giang Province, and about three hours from Saigon. The floating market town of Cái Bèi is on the other side of the An Binh island and is the frequent destination for tourist boats from Vĩnh Long.
Coordinates: 10°15′N 105°58′E / 10.250°N 105.967°E / 10.250; 105.967
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