# Long An province

Long An is a province in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. The provincial capital is Tân An city, and other major districts and town include Kiến Tường, Bến Lức, Cần Giuộc and Đức Hòa. There are 15 districts within the province (included 1 provincial capital city and 1 district-level town).
The region is between Ho Chi Minh City and Southeast region in the north and the Mekong Delta. Because of its low lying geography, it is susceptible to sea level rise caused by climate change.

## Geography

Long An is situated in an advantageous position in the Southern Key Economic Region of Vietnam. It serves as a bridge between Ho Chi Minh City in the north and 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta in the south. The province also has Cambodia to its west and the South China Sea to its east.
Long An is a low-lying coastal region, and therefore some areas of it are subject to flooding during the rainy season, which lasts from the beginning of August until November.
The province has numerous rivers. Two of the main ones are the Vàm Cỏ Đông and Vàm Cỏ Tay, which connect with the Tiền to form a larger river system. Another important river in the region is the Soài Rạp.

## History

Archaeological sites show that, since ancient times, Long An has been an important territory of the Funan-Zhenla kingdom. When Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh came to explore the South, Long An belonged to Gia Định prefecture. During the reign of Minh Mạng, Long An belonged to Gia Định province and partly to Định Tường province. In the early days of French colonization, Nam Kỳ was divided into 21 provinces, and Long An was located within the two provinces of Tân An and Chợ Lớn.

## Administrative divisions

Long An is subdivided into 15 district-level sub-divisions:
* 13 districts:
** Bến Lức
** Cần Đước
** Cần Giuộc
** Châu Thành
** Đức Hòa
** Đức Huệ
** Mộc Hóa
** Tân Hưng
** Tân Thạnh
** Tân Trụ
** Thạnh Hóa
** Thủ Thừa
** Vĩnh Hưng
* 1 district-level town:
** Kiến Tường
* 1 provincial city:
** Tân An (capital)
They are further subdivided into 14 commune-level towns (or townlets), 166 communes, and 12 wards.

## Business environment

On Vietnam's Provincial Competitiveness Index 2023, a key tool for evaluating the business environment in Vietnam’s provinces, Long An received a score of 70.94. This was an improvement from 2022 in which the province received a score of 68.45. In 2023, the province received its highest scores on the 'Law & Order' and 'Informal Charges' criterion and lowest on 'Business Support Policy' and 'Access To Land'.

## Climate change concerns

Being a low-lying coastal region, Long An is particularly susceptible to floods resulting from rises in sea level due to climate change. The Climate Change Research Institute at Can Tho University (Trường Đại học Cần Thơ), in studying the possible consequences of climate change, has predicted that 49% of Long An province is expected to be flooded if sea levels rise by one meter.

## Universities

Long An is home to two large universities:
* Long An University of Economics and Industry (Trường Đại Học Kinh Tế Công Nghiệp Long An)
* Tan Tao University (Trường Đại Học Tân Tạo)

## Hospitals

* TWG Hospital Long An (Bệnh viện TWG Long An)
136C ĐT827, P7, Tân An, Long An 82100, Vietnam