Long Xuyen

Long Xuyên is the capital city of An Giang Province, in the Mekong Delta region of southwestern Vietnam. It is located at approximately 1,950 km south of Hanoi, 189 km from Ho Chi Minh City, and 45 km from the boundary with Cambodia. The population of Long Xuyên city is over 368,376 (2013), with an area of only 130 km².

Long Xuyên is the second most prosperous city in southwestern Vietnam, just after Cần Thơ city

Economy

Long Xuyên is a very developed city in merchandising (mainly in rice trading) and processing fish industry (such as basa fish) with more than six plants and 10,000 workers.

Education

Long Xuyên is home to An Giang University and the Long Xuyên Teacher's Training College. An Giang University is the second largest university in the Mekong Delta. An Giang University has more than 8,000 students and began as a teaching trainer's college. It was recognized with university status in 2000. Currently they have faculties in Education, Agriculture, Economics, IT, and Marx-Lenin Ideologies

There are three main high schools in Long Xuyên city. Thoại Ngọc Hầu, Binh Khanh, and Long Xuyên, respectively. Thoại Ngọc Hầu high school was once known as Long Xuyên high school, with currently over 2,000 students. Thoại Ngọc Hầu is a specialized school for majors of English, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Literature, and Biology.

Culture

Long Xuyên is the center of the Hòa Hảo religion. There are also many Catholic churches, as well as some people who follow Buddhism and other religions.

The local people often go to supermarkets on Saturday and Sunday. Also, former president Tôn Đức Thắng's birthday is celebrated in My Hoa Hung (Tiger Island).

Local dishes include the standard Vietnamese fare as well as some variations on the area specialties (for example basa fish, mắm thái, and thot not coconuts).

Each year, many tourists pass through Long Xuyên, on their way to Châu Đốc, which is a major stop-over on the way to Cambodia. However, tourists rarely stay in Long Xuyên.

Bà Chúa Xứ Shrine is a sacred place that is visited by many people who pray for financial success. Each March, Châu Đốc celebrates the Bà Chúa Xứ festival, a large religious festival on top of Sam mountain.