Khánh Hòa, South Central Coast, Vietnam

🇻🇳 Khánh Hòa is a province of Vietnam located in the South Central Coast. It spans an area of 5,197 km². Its capital is Nha Trang. Khánh Hòa is the site of Bảo Đại's summer home, the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang, the Institute of Oceanography, the Institute of Vaccines and Biological Substances, and was headquarters of the US Army's Special Forces ("the Green Berets") during the Vietnam War in the late 1950s and 1960s. Cam Ranh Bay port is on land closest to a deep sea drop in Vietnam - the best site for submarine bases in Vietnam. An ancient temple of Champa is on the north side of Nha Trang.

The provincial coastline spreads from Đại Lãnh Commune to the end of Cam Ranh Bay with 385 km (239 mi) of coastline featuring numerous creek mouths, lagoons, river mouths, and hundreds of islands and islets. The province also administers large territorial waters. The Spratly Islands are part of the province's Trường Sa District. The coastline is indented by several bays, most notably the four bays of Vân Phong Bay, Nha Phu Bay, Nha Trang Bay (Cù Huân) and Cam Ranh Bay, of which Cam Ranh Bay with an area of around 200 km² (77 sq mi), encompassed by a mountain range, is regarded as one of the three best natural seaports in the world. Cam Ranh Bay is strategically important and has been used as a naval base by several major powers throughout history.

Hòn Đôi Cliff (Mũi Hòn Đôi) on the Hòn Gốm Peninsula in Vạn Ninh District is the easternmost tip of Vietnam's mainland.

The province is mostly mountainous. The highest peak is Vọng Phu Mountain (2,051 m (6,729 ft)) at the border of Đắk Lắk province. The only large lowland area is located around Ninh Hòa in the north of the province. Partly as a result of this, not much land is available for agriculture. 87,100 ha (215,230 acres) or 16.7% of Khánh Hòa's total area are used for farming, one of the lowest shares in the South Central Coast. Forests cover more than half of the province's area.

The province enjoys a mild climate with an average annual temperature of 26.7 °C (80.1 °F). There are two distinct seasons: the rainy season lasts from April to December, with the other months being the dry season, except in Nha Trang where the rainy season lasts for just two months. The average relative humidity is 80.5%. The climate on the summit of Hòn Bà Mountain (located 30 km (19 mi) from Nha Trang) features a climate like that of Đà Lạt and Sa Pa.

Administrative divisions Khánh Hòa is subdivided into nine district-level sub-divisions: • 6 districts: ◦ Cam Lâm ◦ Diên Khánh ◦ Khánh Sơn ◦ Khánh Vĩnh ◦ Trường Sa (also known as the Spratly Islands) ◦ Vạn Ninh • 1 district-level town: ◦ Ninh Hòa (recently upgraded from district status) • 2 provincial cities: ◦ Cam Ranh ◦ Nha Trang (capital)

They are further subdivided into six commune-level towns (or townlets), 99 communes, and 35 wards.

Economy With a GDP per capita of 16.1 million VND (2007), Khánh Hòa is economically the most developed province of central Vietnam (after Da Nang). It has a relatively small agricultural sector, but strong industry and services. The province is endowed with beautiful natural landscapes and beaches, which (together with its Cham heritage) attracts a large number of tourists. Khánh Hòa has had a significant trade surplus in recent years, with exports in 2007 of US$503.3 million and imports of US$222.5 million.

Agriculture, forestry, fishing Given its lack of flat land, Khánh Hòa has a relatively small agricultural sector. Rice harvests are among the lowest in the South Central Coast with 188,500t in 2007. However, its output of sugar cane (738,200t in 2007, 4.25% of the national figure) and cashew nuts (5,238t, 1.74%) are more significant.

Khánh Hòa is one of the few provinces with a higher gross output in fishing than in agriculture. This is mostly due to the large number of aquaculture farms in the province, which make up around two thirds of the fishing output.

Economy: Industry Nha Trang is the South Central Coast's second largest industrial centre and the province in general accounts for more than one fifth of the region's industrial GDP. Food processing industries are large, especially those processing local fishing products and food for shrimp farms. Other industrial sectors produce beverages, fabric, textiles, paper, and construction materials.

Industrial production is not only in and around Nha Trang. The province has also benefited significantly from investment related to the former Russian naval base at Cam Ranh, to which around 30 factories were attached. A major new industrial centre is being developed in the north of the province around Vân Phong Port (Vân Phong Economic Zone).

Infrastructure Khánh Hòa is located along Vietnam's main north-south transport corridors. National Road 1 and the North–South Railway run through the province. All Reunification Express trains as well as some local trains stop at Nha Trang Railway Station.

As a coastal province featuring several natural deep water bays, Khánh Hòa has what is needed to develop its deep-water seaports. Nha Trang Port (a tourist and cargo port) and Dốc Lết Port (a shipbuilding and logistics port) are now in use. Vân Phong Port, a megaproject intended to be developed in Vân Phong Bay by a consortium of Japanese corporations (with Sumitomo as the leading investor) with an estimated investment of US$15 billion, is in progress. On completion, this deep sea port will be capable of handling ships up to 100,000 tonnes and 100 million tonnes of loaded/unloaded cargo per annum.

Cam Ranh International Airport is located in the south of the province and is one of Vietnam's busiest airports.

Education Khánh Hòa is one of the most important educational centres in Vietnam. It is home to Nha Trang University (formerly Nha Trang Fishery University), a multidisciplinary university; the Naval Academy; the Air Force Officer Academy; a Normal College; a Kindergarten Teacher's Training College; and an Arts and Tourism College.