View source for Hà Tiên

{{Short description|Provincial city in Kiên Giang Province, Mekong Delta in Vietnam}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Expand Vietnamese|topic=geo|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
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| name                            = Hà Tiên
| official_name                   = Hà Tiên City
| other_name                      =
| native_name                     = Thành phố Hà Tiên
| nickname                        =
| settlement_type                 = [[Provincial city (Vietnam)|City (Class-3)]]
| motto                           = <!-- images and maps  ----------->
| image_skyline                   = Ha_Tien_shophouses.jpg
| imagesize                       = 300px
| image_caption                   = Hà Tiên town square
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| pushpin_map                     = Vietnam <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
| pushpin_label_position          = bottom
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location in Vietnam
| pushpin_mapsize                 = 200
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| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = {{flag|Vietnam}}
| subdivision_type1               = Admin.&nbsp;division
| subdivision_name1               = [[Kiên Giang Province]]
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| leader_title                    = Mayor
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| established_title               = <!-- Settled -->
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| area_total_km2                  = 100.49 <!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion-->
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| area_blank1_sq_mi               = <!-- Population   ----------------------->
| population_as_of                = 2019
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| population_total                = 100560
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| coordinates                     = {{coord|10|23|N|104|29|E|region:VN|display=inline}}
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| blank_name                      = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info                      = [[Tropical savanna climate|Aw]]
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}}
'''Hà Tiên''' is a [[Provincial city (Vietnam)|provincial city]] in [[Kiên Giang Province]], [[Mekong Delta]] in [[Vietnam]]. Its area is {{cvt|10049|ha|km2 sqmi}} and the population as of 2019 is 81,576. The city borders [[Cambodia]] to the west. Hà Tiên is a tourist site of the region thanks to its beaches and landscapes.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}
==Etymology==
The name "Hà Tiên" is derived from the [[Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary|Sino-Vietnamese]] word: [[wikt:河|河]][[wikt:僊|僊]] or [[wikt:河|河]][[wikt:仙|仙]], meaning "river spirit".
==History==
{{main|Principality of Hà Tiên}}
[[Image:Lăng Mạc Cửu.JPG|left|thumb|200px|[[Mạc Cửu]] mausoleum]]
[[File:Bản vẽ thành Hà Tiên.jpg|thumb|Drawing of Hà Tiên citadel in the Nguyễn dynasty]]
A settlement and a port seem to have existed at the site of the present town of Hà Tiên from a very early period. [[Claudius Ptolemy|Ptolemy's]] ''Geography'' identified a town there{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} as ''Akadra'' and that it was the port for the Cambodian district of ''Pithonobaste'' - [[Banteay Meas]], all this being part of the [[Kingdom of Funan]]. The local capital of this district, also called Banteay Meas, was not on the coast, but located about a [[day's journey]] up the Giang-thành river. The name ''Banteay Meas,'' ({{langx|km|បន្ទាយមាស}}, {{langx|th|บันทายมาศ}}; lit: "golden ramparts"), referred to the bamboo fortifications once used about the town. The town of Hà Tiên was originally known under the [[Khmer language|Khmer]], name of ''Piem'' or ''Peam'' ({{langx|km|ពាម}}, {{langx|th|เปียม}}, {{zh|港口}}; also Pie, Pam, Bam), the Khmer for "port", "harbour" or "river mouth", while the Vietnamese called it ''Mang-Kham'', from the Vietnamese term for the Khmers, "mang". It was through this port that [[Buddhism]] is said to have reached Cambodia, brought there by chance when a ship carrying [[Buddhaghosa]] was blown there by a storm in 415&nbsp;AD.<ref>G. E. Gerini, “Notes on the Early Geography of Indo-China”, ''Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland,'' 1897, p. 557; review of G. E. Gerini, ''Researches in Ptolemy's Geography of Eastern Asia (Further India and Indo-Malay Archipelago)'' (London,  Royal Asiatic Society, 1909), in ''The Geographical Journal,'' vol. 37, no.1, January  1911, p. 82; Nicholas Sellers, ''The Princes of Hà-Tiên (1682-1867): the Last of the Philosopher-Princes and the Prelude to the French Conquest of Indochina: a Study of the Independent Rule of the Mac Dynasty in the Principality of Hà-Tiên, and the Establishment of the Empire of Vietnam,'' Brussels, Thanh-long, 1983, p.&nbsp;9.</ref>
Many works incorrectly referred to Hà-Tiên as “Panthaimas", the early name of the district in which it was located. It was variously spelled as Panday-mas (Khmer), Ponteamass (English), Phutthaimat ({{langx|th|พุทไธมาศ}}) or Banthaimat ({{langx|th|บันทายมาศ}}), Ponthiamas or Pontheaymas (French), Pontiano (Robert's Map, 1751), Panthai-mas, Bantaimas, Pontiamas, Pontaimas, Bantay-mas, Banteay M’eas, Pontiamas, Pontiamasse, Po-taimat, and infinite other variations.<ref>Nicholas Sellers, ''The Princes of Hà-Tiên (1682-1867): the Last of the Philosopher-Princes and the Prelude to the French Conquest of Indochina: a Study of the Independent Rule of the Mac Dynasty in the Principality of Hà-Tiên, and the Establishment of the Empire of Vietnam,'' Brussels, Thanh-long, 1983, p.&nbsp;164.</ref>
Hà Tiên was established by a small group of Chinese people, mostly men who supported the [[Ming Dynasty]] and were opposed to the [[Qing Dynasty]], led by Mo Jiu ([[Mạc Cửu]]). When they arrived in [[Đàng Trong]] (as southern Vietnam was called while under the rule of the [[Nguyễn lords]]), the Nguyễn lords ordered the king of Cambodia (then a vassal state of [[Đàng Trong]]) to grant land to these Chinese people. These people built markets in this place and turned it into a busy business town. Vietnamese people gradually arrived there. This town later was merged into Vietnamese territory when Mo Jiu delivered its sovereignty to the Nguyễn Lords. Mo Jiu was then conferred the position of ruler of this town. It was at this time that the name Hà Tiên (河仙 - "River Spirit"), referring to the guardian deity of the Giang-thành river, was conferred on the town by the lord [[Nguyễn Phúc Chu]].<ref>Nicholas Sellers, ''The Princes of Hà-Tiên (1682-1867): the Last of the Philosopher-Princes and the Prelude to the French Conquest of Indochina: a Study of the Independent Rule of the Mac Dynasty in the Principality of Hà-Tiên, and the Establishment of the Empire of Vietnam,'' Brussels, Thanh-long, 1983, p.&nbsp;24.</ref>
==Climate==
{{Weather box
|location = Hà Tiên
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 31.6
| Feb record high C = 32.6
| Mar record high C = 32.3
| Apr record high C = 33.1
| May record high C = 34.5
| Jun record high C = 32.6
| Jul record high C = 32.1
| Aug record high C = 32.1
| Sep record high C = 31.7
| Oct record high C = 32.0
| Nov record high C = 32.1
| Dec record high C = 32.0
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| Jan mean C = 25.6
| Feb mean C = 26.5
| Mar mean C = 26.9
| Apr mean C = 27.9
| May mean C = 28.0
| Jun mean C = 27.5
| Jul mean C = 27.0
| Aug mean C = 26.9
| Sep mean C = 26.7
| Oct mean C = 26.4
| Nov mean C = 26.1
| Dec mean C = 25.4
| year mean C = 26.7
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| Jan record low C = 16.1
| Feb record low C = 19.5
| Mar record low C = 20.0
| Apr record low C = 19.6
| May record low C = 21.0
| Jun record low C = 20.2
| Jul record low C = 20.9
| Aug record low C = 20.7
| Sep record low C = 20.9
| Oct record low C = 20.1
| Nov record low C = 17.1
| Dec record low C = 17.1
| year record low C =
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 22.8
| Feb precipitation mm = 17.9
| Mar precipitation mm = 60.0
| Apr precipitation mm = 132.7
| May precipitation mm = 202.1
| Jun precipitation mm = 234.5
| Jul precipitation mm = 300.7
| Aug precipitation mm = 289.6
| Sep precipitation mm = 256.5
| Oct precipitation mm = 269.6
| Nov precipitation mm = 151.4
| Dec precipitation mm = 62.5
| year precipitation mm = 2000.1
| Jan humidity = 76.8
| Feb humidity = 78.7
| Mar humidity = 78.0
| Apr humidity = 77.7
| May humidity = 81.2
| Jun humidity = 81.2
| Jul humidity = 82.2
| Aug humidity = 85.0
| Sep humidity = 81.6
| Oct humidity = 84.4
| Nov humidity = 82.1
| Dec humidity = 80.2
| year humidity = 81.0
|source 1 = The Yearbook of Indochina (mean temperature 1928-1933, humidity 1930-1933)<ref>[https://seadelt.net/Asset/Source/Document_ID-247_No-01.PDF  The Yearbook of Indochina (1932-1933)]</ref>
|source 2 = Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology (precipitation 1992-2022) <ref name=IBST>{{cite web|title=Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology|url=https://vjol.info.vn/index.php/TCKHTV/article/view/80753/68778 |lang=en}}</ref>
}}
==Economy==
Around 22&nbsp;km south of Hà Tiên is a large cement plant located in Kiên Lương. Its history goes back to the Republic of Vietnam ([[South Vietnam]]), where it was one of the largest industrial projects when construction was started in April 1961.<ref>[[Đặng Phong]] (2004), Kinh tế Miền Nam Việt nam thời kỳ 1955 - 1975, Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội, Hanoi, page 286</ref>
==Transportation==
[[File:Ha Tien border.jpg|thumb|right|Vietnamese border gate next to Hà Tiên]]
[[File:Cửa khẩu Quốc tế Hà Tiên.jpg|thumb|right|Border crossing Vietnam - Cambodia]]
===Road transport===
Buses connect Hà Tiên to the provincial capital [[Rạch Giá]] and many other towns in the Mekong Delta, including Châu Đốc, Can Tho, Ca Mau, Vung Tau and Saigon.
===Sea transport===
Daily fast ferries are available to [[Phú Quốc]] island. In the low (wet) season they normally operate twice a day - at approximately 08:00-08:30 and then 13:00-13:30 (times vary a bit according to tides/weather). In the high (dry) season they run more frequently, with up to 3 fast boats (Superdong) each making up to 3 crossings every day. The trip takes about 80–90 minutes. There are also now 4 car ferries operating from Hà Tiên to the north east corner of the island at Bai Thom. These run on demand, not to a fixed schedule and can start as early as 05:00 and run until 21:00. This takes about 2.5 hours.
===Border crossing===
A road border crossing between Vietnam and Cambodia, called the Hà Tiên International Border Gate, is located 7&nbsp;km west of Hà Tiên in the village of Xà Xía. On the Cambodian side, the border crossing is known as the Prek Chak International Border Checkpoint in [[Kampong Trach District]], [[Kampot Province|Kampot]]. The border crossing was opened in 2007. It is open from 07:00 to 18:00. Besides conventional Vietnamese visas, this border crossing is also listed as a Vietnamese e-Visa point of entry for foreigners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/documents/20181/117155/List-of-evisa-port.pdf/c774e24b-1ab8-4fb6-9ac1-dcdfaccecf8e|title=Danh Sách Cửa Khẩu Cho Phép Người Nước Ngoài Nhập Cảnh, Xuất Cảnh Bằng Thị Thực Điện Tử (List Of Ports That Allowed Foreigners Enter And Exit Vietnam By Vietnamese E-Visa)|publisher=Vietnam Immigration Department|access-date=27 February 2019}}</ref>
{{coord|10|23|N|104|29|E|display=title|region:VN_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki}}
==See also==
{{Commons category|Ha Tien}}
* [[Kiên Giang]]
* [[Phú Quốc]]
==References==
{{Reflist|4}}
==External links==
*{{wikivoyage-inline|Hà Tiên}}
{{Districts of Mekong Delta}}
{{Cities in Vietnam}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ha Tien}}
[[Category:Populated places in Kiên Giang province]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Mekong River]]
[[Category:Districts of Kiên Giang province]]
[[Category:Cambodia–Vietnam border crossings]]
[[Category:Cities in Vietnam]]