A corner of Thanh Nam - present-day Nam Dinh City. Pho Minh Tower, a historical relic in Nam Dinh. Modern cutting machines are used at Song Hong Textile and Garment Company. In the textile workshop of Nam Dinh Textile Company. Checking the quality of medicines before delivery at Nam Ha Pharmaceutical Share-holding Company. Building the ground for construction of a company run by South Korean Young One, one of the world’s biggest textile and garment corporations, at Hoa Xa IZ. Export of bamboo slice-grafted art articles brought a big income to the local economy.   Processing wooden products at Nam Dinh Forestry Share-holding Company.     Nam Dinh City: - Located 90 km from Hanoi, Nam Dinh City has an area of 4,635 ha with a population of 240,000 people. It is a land with cultural, physical and spiritual values of thousands of years, the native land of the Tran royal dynasty, which lasted 175 years (1225-1400) through the reigns of 14 kings, and is considered one of the most brilliant dynasties in the Vietnamese feudal history. - Before 1975, Nam Dinh City was the third biggest in North Vietnam (after Hanoi and Hai Phong) and served as an economic, political and cultural centre of Nam Dinh Province in general, and the southern area in the Red River plain in particular.   With advantages in natural conditions and environment, Nam Dinh City, known as Thanh Nam by many people, has become a busy city in the Red River delta. The bustle and hustle of the business streets and craft guilds has constituted an important basis for the city to become one of the three biggest industrial centres in Northern Vietnam. Nam Dinh has a hectic and hustle atmosphere of an industrial city. The streets and the Dao River are busy with vehicles and boats carrying goods and cargo. In recent years, although facing many difficulties and challenges due to its small economy, the City has reached notable achievements. Tran Minh Oanh, Chairman of Nam Dinh Provincial People’s Committee said: “The City’s average economic growth in the 2001-2003 period was 12%; the economic structural shift changed persistently; the industrial and construction share accounted for 50% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the service share accounted for more than 45%, that made up more than two-thirds of the industrial value and more than 90% of the export value of the whole Province”. The establishment of Hoa Xa and My Trung Industrial Zones as well as Thanh An, Bao Minh and Hong Tien Industrial Zones in the future, together with the infrastructure upgrading, will bring about a great turning-point to the City’s economic development. The year 2002 constituted a great landmark in the economic development of Nam Dinh City. Hoa Xa Industrial Zone was established and it attracted investment from 62 domestic and foreign corporations and businesses. Nguyen Van Thuyen, Director of Nam Dinh Forestry Share-holding Company said: “Since the establishment of Hoa Xa Industrial Zone, the Company has invested more than VND 20 billion in building a wooden furniture manufacturing plant. Previously, it was very difficult for the Company to find a place to stabilize its production, so we lost a no small number of customers. Now our plant specializing in manufacturing and processing forestry products has exported its first products to the United States.”  Approaching near Truong Thanh Cast Mechanical Engineering Company Ltd. we heard the sound of the running machines and saw the welding glows. The main products of the Company include rocking chairs, stainless steel stoves and ovens of different categories and designs, all looking shiny and being exported to the United States, Taiwan, Japan and Germany, that brings a total turnover of tens of millions of US dollar a year. The Company’s Director, Tran Manh Luu said: “The establishment of Hoa Xa Industrial Zone has contributed to solving the problem of expanding the production facilities and providing jobs to hundreds of workers.” These achievements prove that building the industrial zones is a great success that makes a considerable contribution to the City’s economic development. Nam Dinh City is considered a cradle of the textile industry. More than 100 years ago, the French had a textile plant, the biggest one in Indochina, built in this city. Although the textile industry is not an economic strength of the City now, it plays an important role in creating jobs for the people. Apart from the two old weaving and spinning plants, since the national renovation stage started in 1986, hundreds of textile and garment facilities, big and small, have been established, including the Song Hong (Red River) Textile and Garment Company and Ha Nam Garment Export Company. From being small production facilities, these companies have developed into strong manufacturers with thousands of workers and exported their products to the European and US markets. Ta Hoang Giang, Deputy Director of the Song Hong Textile and Garment Company, one of the five leading textile and garment exporters of the country, said: “From the year 2005, the textile and garment sector of Nam Dinh City will face great challenges caused by the lift of the quotas for textile and garment products. However, the businesses in this sector still have advantages including production facilities, a diligent and assiduous workforce and a correct development strategy.” The Company has paid special attention to the reformation of its structure and production lines to meet the requirements of the orders for high quality products placed by the EU and US customers. The Company also attaches special importance to the working regulations, productivity and quality of the products, considering them the dignity of the workers and the trademark of the Company. In recent years, the urbanization in Nam Dinh City has been carried out speedily. Many modern construction works as well as new streets and urban areas have been built and developed. Numerous projects of reforming and developing the technical infrastructure in conformity with the plans from now to 2010 and 2020 are being implemented. In addition to the current the Do Quan Bridge across the Dao River, four bridges will be built to facilitate the travel of the residents. All these plans will bring a new image to Nam Dinh City that bears both modern and traditional features astonishing all people who return to the City. In the near future, Nam Dinh City will become a centre of the textile and garment, information technology, education and training and sport and culture sectors of the whole economic zone in the Red River plain. Story: Tuan Long Nam Dinh Province: - Area: 1,666,36 sq. km. - Population: About 2,000,000 people. - Administrative units: Nam Dinh City and nine districts including Vu Ban, My Loc, Y Yen, Nam Truc, Truc Ninh, Xuan Truong, Giao Thuy, Nghia Hung and Hai Hau. - Ethnic groups: The Viet (Kinh), Tay, Hoa and others. - Geography: The Province borders Thai Binh and Ha Nam Provinces in the North, Ninh Binh Province in the West and Southwest, and the East Sea in the East and the South. - Natural conditions: It lies in the tropical area and has two seasons: the dry season from November to April and the rainy season from May to October. Average temperature:  23oC.