Ninh Bình 6.76

Ninh Bình city is a small city in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam; it is the capital of Ninh Bình Province.GeographyNinh Bình City is located in northern Vietnam comprising 48 square kilometres; the 2007 city population was 130,517.French colonial periodDuring the period of undeclared hostilities in Tonkin that preceded the outbreak of the Sino-French War in August 1884, the allegiance of Ninh Bình was of considerable importance to the French, as artillery mounted in its lofty citadel controlled river traffic to the Gulf of Tonkin. Although the Vietnamese authorities in Ninh Bình made no attempt to hinder the passage of an expedition launched by Henri Rivière in March 1883 to capture Nam Dinh, they were known to be hostile towards the French. In November 1883, on the eve of the Sơn Tây Campaign, the French occupied the citadel of Ninh Bình without resistance and installed a garrison.Economic - TourismTourism: Ninh Bình province is a tourist center with many attractions:Ancient capital of Hoa Lư, witnessed the crowd of King Dinh Tien Hoang, a hero who settled Twelve Warlords. Dinh Bo Linh was from Hoa Lu village. When he was a boy, he often used reed wool to hold field maneuver with other shepherds and practiced martial arts. Now King Dinh Tien Hoang Square is being built in the city in memorial of him, becoming a stunning tourist attraction.Phát Diệm Cathedral, ranked as one of the most beautiful churches in Vietnam, with a mixing Western-Eastern architecture. The church is a prominent historical object witnessing an important movement in Vietnam religion. It took 24 years to build this church from 1875 to 1898. And as its name suggests, it was completely built of stone and wood that are readily available in the mountain area of Ninh Binh.