Phú Tân District 2.73

Phú Tân is a rural district (huyện) of An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 237,965. The district covers an area of 307 km². The district capital lies at Phú Mỹ.Phú Tân is the homeland of the Hòa Hảo Buddhism religion.GeographyThe terrain is flat and the elevation is between 1 and 2 m. The population is mainly ethnic Vietnamese (98%) with Khmer people, some Cham and Hoa Chinese.It is bordered to the north by Tân Châu, the west by Châu Đốc and Châu Phú District, the southeast by Chợ Mới, and the east by Đồng Tháp Province. All four sides of Phú Tân are surrounded by waterways and rivers, effectively making it an island. These are the Tiền River in the east, Vinh An canal (linking the river with Hau River) in the north and northwest, Vàm Nao River in the south and southwest, which flows into the Bassac River.AdministrationTân Phú was established on 12 May 1968, by adding together portions of the old districts of Tân Châu and Châu Phú. In September 1974, Tân Phú and some communes of Đồng Tháp Province were split into two districts in Phú Tân, Tân Phú A and B. In 1976, these two districts were merged to form the current Tân Phú. Phú Tân derives its name from Châu Phú and Tân Châu.