Bắc Ninh 7.1

Bắc Ninh is a city in the northern part of Vietnam and is the capital of Bắc Ninh Province. The city is the cultural, administrative and commercial center of the province. The city area is 80.82 square km, with a population of 272,634 (2013). In January 2006, the town (thị xã) of Bắc Ninh was upgraded to city (thành phố).HistoryThe city's name is derived from Sino-Vietnamese. In March 1884, Bac Ninh was the site of the decisive Bắc Ninh Campaign in the wars between France and assorted Black Flag Army forces. The town fell to the French in March 1884. Thereafter under French rule, the town was confirmed as the centre of all political, economic, cultural offices of colonial administration in the province. The land of the Bắc Ninh Citadel, within Yen, Niem and Do Villages, was occupied by French troops. At this time Bắc Ninh became known in Europe for its lacquer work and mother-of-pearl inlaid black-wood screens, cabinets, trays, and boxes. Bắc Ninh Railway Station opened after 1904. An ambush of French troops by the Viet Minh occurred at Bắc Ninh while the 1946 Fontainebleau Conference was ongoing.BuildingsThe city is home to the Banking Academy of Vietnam, Bắc Ninh campus, the Kinh Bac International School, and the Military Academy of Politics main campus, and Bắc Ninh Railway Station. There is a shrine to Bà Chúa Kho.Administrative subdivisionsThe city is administratively divided into 19 units, including 16 urban wards - Đáp Cầu, Hap Linh, Khắc Niệm,Phong Khê, Khúc Xuyên, Thị Cầu, Vũ Ninh, Suối Hoa, Tiền An, Ninh Xá, Vân dương, Vạn An, Vệ An, Kinh Bắc, Đại Phúc, and Võ Cường - and 3 rural communes - Hoà Long, Kim chân and Nam Sơn.