Hai Phong

Hai Phong is located in the center of the Red River. It is approximately 100 kilometres from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and serves as the primary seaport for the northern region of Vietnam.

Hai Phong was originally found by Le Chan, the female general of a Vietnamese revolution called Hai Ba Trung in the year 43 AD. It has existed as a significant port city for at least several centuries, and was one of Vietnam's principal trading centres. When Vietnam was invaded by the French, the city became France's main naval base in Indochina. After World War II, when Vietnam attempted to regain its independence, Hai Phong was the site of the first military action undertaken by the French, being shelled by the French heavy cruiser Suffren which resulted in more than two thousand casualties. Later, in the Vietnam War, the city was subjected to heavy bombing by US Navy and Air Force strike aircraft due to its status as North Vietnam's only major port. After the war, the city was built up as a significant industrial centre.

Today, known as a port city, it serves the entire northern region of Vietnam and has managed to attract large FDIs that fueled economic rates of growth exceeding 12% per annum over the last decade.