Bình Định was formerly a northern coastal province in the South Central Coast region, the Central of Vietnam. It borders Quảng Ngãi to the north, Phú Yên to the south, Gia Lai to the west and the South China Sea to the east.
Bình Định province has an area of , comprising 11 district-level sub-divisions, with a population of over 1.8 million people as of 2025. The province is known for its scenery and beaches. There are also a number of Cham structures. Majority of the province is covered by mountains or hills. Its capital Quy Nhon served as the capital of the historic Tây Sơn dynasty. Economically the province has the most productive primary sector in the South Central Coast region, mostly because of its large output of rice, coconuts and its strong livestock, forestry and fishing sectors.
On June 12, 2025, Bình Định was incorporated into Gia Lai province.
History Champa
Bình Định was probably one of the places where the Cham first arrived in what is now Vietnam.Vickery 2009, 47 Its favourable geography led to the rise of the Cham Port of Thị Nại where Quy Nhơn is now located. The city-state of Vijaya was located around this port and the main city, which was further inland. Its centre was in the southern lowland of Bình Định. However, its architecture implies that it did not become important until the eleventh or twelfth century.
Vijaya's architecture also distinguishes it from other Champa centers, since it used a combination of stone and brick elements,Vickery 2009, 48 while most other Cham structures only used bricks. This suggests some influence from Cambodian Angkor. It also points to the relative abundance of labour in Vijaya compared to other Champa centres of power, because processing stones for construction was more labour-intensive than the production of bricks.Tran 2009, 173
Vijaya was involved in various wars with neighbouring countries. Major wars were fought with Angkor (now Cambodia) in the 12th and 13th centuries. Around this time Vijaya seems to have been associated with, and at times even dominated by, the Khmer King Jayavarman VII.Vickery 2009, 54 Major wars with Vietnam were fought in 1069 and again in the 15th century, which eventually led to the defeat of Vijaya and the demise of Champa in 1471.Vickery 2009, 69
Tây Sơn Dynasty The Tây Sơn dynasty originated from Binh Dinh, being named after Tây Sơn district where the rulers had come from.Kim, Tran Trong (n.d). Việt Nam sử lược. p.359 The capital of Quy Nhon served as their capital until the Vietnamese Civil War of 1789–1802, when the province was wracked by warfare and the dynasty collapsed.
Its Sino-Vietnamese name (chữ Hán: 平定) translates as "pacified" or "subjugated".
Nguyễn dynasty
Modern era In February 1976, Bình Định and Quảng Ngãi provinces were merged into one new province called Nghĩa Bình. It was re-partitioned on 30 June 1989 into its previous components.
On 12 June 2025, as part of major nationwide reforms, Bình Định province was dissolved and merged with Gia Lai province.
Geography Topography
The majority of Bình Định province is covered by mountains or hills. Elevations range from 0 at the coast to around 1200 meters above sea level in An Lão district in the north-west of the province.Viet Nam Administrative Atlas. Cartographic Publishing House, Hanoi 2010 While most of the mountains as well as the highest peaks are in the west, there are mountains throughout the province, even near the coast. Most districts of Bình Định have a topography that is a mix of mountains or hills and lowlands. The districts of An Lão in the north-west, Vĩnh Thạnh in the west, and Vân Canh in the south-west are mostly mountainous. All other districts have some lowlands.
The largest lowland area is located in the south of the province along the lower Côn River. It encompasses much of Quy Nhon, the districts of Tuy Phước, An Nhơn, the western part of Phù Cát, and the eastern part of Tây Sơn. Given its size, and the access to a major port as well as Bình Định's major river, it has long been the place where most of Bình Định's people and economic activities concentrate. It was the site of Vijaya, one of the major city-states of Champa. The majority of Bình Định's population lives in the districts around this plain.
Other lowland areas are located in the coastal districts of Hoài Nhơn, Phù Mỹ, Phù Cát, as well as the inland district of Hoài Ân. There are some hills or mountains near the coast in all of the coastal provinces, with the highest peak in Phù Cát at 874m (Ba mountain, núi Bà) and in Phù Mỹ at 602m.
Mountains form natural borders to the neighbouring provinces. Cù Mông pass (đèo Cù Mông) is the main border crossing to Phú Yên province. National Route 1 passes through this pass, while there is another road (1D) along the coast. The border to Gia Lai province is the most mountainous, with the only road connection at An Khê pass (đèo An Khê) between the towns of Phú Phong in Tây Sơn district and An Khê in Gia Lai. The border to Quảng Ngãi province is also very mountainous, with the major road and railway passing through Bình Đê Pass (đèo Bình Đê) near Tam Quan.
Hydrography The Côn River is the largest and most important river in Bình Định. It forms a small delta north of Quy Nhon. Most of it can be used as an inland waterway for transportation. This is probably one of the reasons why a major centre of power of Champa emerged along this river. Other rivers are Lại Giang River at the centre of the lowland areas of Hoài Nhơn and Hoài Ân in northern Bình Định, Mỹ Cát River in central Bình Định, and Hà Thanh River along the valley in Vân Canh district in southern Bình Định.
The largest lake is Định Bình Lake, an artificial lake mainly used for irrigation in the highlands of western Bình Định. Also in western Bình Định is Vĩnh Sơn Lake (hồ Vĩnh Sơn) at Vĩnh Sơn Hydropower Station. Other major lakes include Núi Một Lake (hồ Núi Một) in the south and Hội Sơn Lake (hồ Hội Sơn) in the centre of the province.
Mineral resources Ilmenite reserves in Phù Cát and graphite reserves in northern Bình Định are substantial and support significant local export industries. There is also some gold in western Bình Định.Atlat Dia li Viet Nam (Geographical Atlas of Vietnam). NXB Giao Duc, Hanoi: 2010
Administrative divisions
Bình Định is subdivided into 11 district-level sub-divisions:
8 districts:
An Lão Hoài Ân Phù Cát Phù Mỹ Tuy Phước Tây Sơn Vân Canh Vĩnh Thạnh
2 district-level town: An Nhơn Hoài Nhơn 1 provincial city: Quy Nhon (capital)
They are further subdivided into 12 commune-level towns (or townlets), 115 communes, and 28 wards.
Economy With a gross domestic product per capita of 9.57 million đồngs in 2007, Bình Định is ranked fourth out of eight provinces and cities in the South Central Coast. While being significantly behind the main success stories of the region, namely Da Nang and Khánh Hòa province, it is more developed than most other provinces in the region. It has been benefiting from its strategic position as one of the main gateways to the Central Highlands and its port. It is the region's third-largest industrial center (mainly based on furniture manufacturing) and also has strong agricultural, forestry, livestock, and fishing sectors.
In 2007 Bình Định exported goods worth US$327.3 million, while importing goods worth US$141.6 million. Most of the province's exports are furniture.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing
Bình Định has the most productive primary sector (agriculture, fishery, forestry) in the South Central Coast region, mostly because of its large output of rice, coconuts and its strong livestock, forestry and fishing sectors. It contributes roughly 23% of sector 1 GDP and rice output of the South Central Coast (while it has 17.7% of the region's population).General Statistics Office (2009): Socio-economic Statistical Data of 63 Provinces and Cities, Vietnam. Statistical Publishing House, Hanoi The rice harvest is the largest of the South Central Coast region but accounts only for a modest 1.62% of the national output. It has been fluctuating around 600,000t over the last few years. The average yield is 53.1t/ha as of 2009 with the highest yields around the lower Côn River.
The province's output of coconuts (95,040t) accounts for 9% of the national total as of 2007. Other significant crops include peanuts (13.7kt, 2.71%), cashew nuts (4.2kt, 1.39%), and sugar cane (185.7kt, 1.07%). Coconuts are planted mostly in the districts of Hoài Nhơn (30kt in 2009), Phù Mỹ (27kt), Phù Cát (16.4kt), and Hoài Ân (15.7kt).
The livestock sector makes up 35% of the agricultural gross output, a relatively high value compared to other provinces. Bình Định is by far the largest producer of pork, both in terms of total output and per capita output (over 50 kg per capita). As of 2009, there were 684,300 pigs, 288,400 cows, 18,900 buffaloes, 3 million chickens and 2 million other poultry.
Bình Định has a large fishing sector. Its gross output contributes one fifth of the South Central Coast's total, ranking second after Khánh Hòa province (as of 2007).calculations based on General Statistics Office (2009): Socio-economical Statistical Data of 63 Provinces and Cities. Statistical Publishing House, Hanoi In 2009 gross output was 3.97 trillion VND or 137,466t. In contrast to Khánh Hòa, the vast majority of this was contributed by sea fishing, with only a small share (11.1%) from aquaculture. As of 2009, 61,900 people were employed in fishing, compared to 481,200 in agriculture and forestry.
Industry Bình Định has transformed itself into a regional center of furniture manufacturing. The industry has been successful in creating large numbers of jobs, with furniture manufacturing enterprises employing around 40,000 workers and manufacturing in total around 107,000, making Bình Định leading in the South Central Coast in terms of industrial employment. More than two thirds of the province's gross industrial output is produced in Quy Nhơn, which is the region's third-largest industrial center after Da Nang and Nha Trang. Phu Tai Industrial Park is central to Bình Định's industry in general and the furniture industry in particular. Several chemical enterprises that supply the furniture and wood processing industry have been set up in the vicinity of the industrial park.People's Committee Bình Định (2007): Yearbook of Information on Enterprises in Bình Định Province. Labour Publishing House, Hanoi: 162-165
The largest industries after furniture manufacturing (5290.8 billion VND in 2009) in terms of gross output are food products and beverages (2770.5 billion), non-metallic mineral products (938.4 billion), wood processing (843.6 billion), and chemical products (755.1 billion). The latter includes not only companies supporting the furniture industry, but also a pharmaceutical industry, the most significant company of which is Bidiphar, a local state-owned enterprise. Smaller manufacturing sectors include garments, paper, leather, plastics and rubber products.
Nhơn Hội Economic Zone is under construction, but behind schedule (as of September 2010).
Infrastructure and transport
Transport infrastructure Bình Định's infrastructure has been significant for its economic development. It has traditionally been the site of a major port and the intersection of two national roads has further increased Bình Định's role as a gateway to the Central Highlands and access to the latter's resources. As a result, the province has received one of the highest infrastructure scores in the Provincial Competitiveness Index 2009, second only to Da Nang in central Vietnam.
Roads