Hai Phong Portal

   
Do Son district was established on September 12, 2007 on the basis of the entire area of the former Do Son town (including all the natural land and population of Ngoc Hai, Van Son, Van Huong, Ngoc Xuyen wards and Bang La commune) and 1,095.40 ha of natural area with 15,856 inhabitants of Hop Duc commune, Kien Thuy district, according to Decree 145/2007/ND-CP of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Administrative division

Do Son district is located on 4,237.29 hectares of natural land with 51,417 people residing in seven administrative units which are so-called wards including Ngoc Hai, Van Son, Van Huong, Ngoc Xuyen, Bang La, Minh Duc and Hop Duc.
Topography
Do Son is a small peninsula founded by a mountain chain of dozens of hill tops from 25 to 130 m in height to form a dragon shape of 5 km in length heading to the open sea.   

Administrative boundaries: Tonkin Gulf to the East and the South, Kien Thuy district to the West and Duong Kinh district to the North.

Due to the two estuaries Lach Tray and Van Uc with a great silt density of Thai Binh river in the north and the south, the sea water of Do Son is rather turbid.

Economic Structure

• Tourism and Services: 70%.

• Fishing and agriculture: 23%.

• Industry and Construction: 7%.

GDP per capita in 2005 was estimated at approximately USD 1,100

Tourism
• Do Son beach is quite smooth, with different sorts of tree such as casuarinas, Malabar almond trees and coconuts. Behind the beach is mountains and hills of pine trees. Previously, Do Son was a common destination for holidays of feudal kings and ministers. Currently also octagonal concrete house of Bao Dai - the last king of feudal Vietnam.

• Do Son beach is divided into three main zones: zone 1 is adjacent to Do Son town; zone 2 has many modern hotels, zone 3 is quiet and discreet. In summer, domestic tourists as well as international visitors come to the beach for relaxing and hiking and sightseeing, especially at stunning sunsets.

• In Do Son, there is famous Ba De (Lady De) Temple, which annually attracts many visitors.

• There is also Do Son Casino which is the only one gambling center in northern Vietnam, merely serving international travelers.

• It is convenient to visit Cat Ba or Halong Bay by high-speed boats from Do Son.

Festivals

• Buffalo Fighting Festival is held two rounds annually: Qualifying round on 8^th of 6^th lunar month, the final round on 9th of 8^th lunar month.

 • Dao Dau island festival: Every year, on this day, Do Son residents as well as ubiquitous merchants take a boat to the island to worship with incenses wishing good luck in business along with peace and good health.

Do Son district is an important strategic locality in terms of security and national defense. According to many ancient bibliographic records, Do Son used to be considered as a feudal defensive military point of national importance.

Thus, the people and the land of Do Son has been well-known with the typical and excellent individuals of indomitable and resilient spirits in insurrection movements such as Nguyen Huu Cau (1741) fighting against Trinh - Le feudal dynasties. Many major battles taking place in Do Son, KienThuy had shaken imperial courts at the time. The uprising led by Phan Ba Vanh shocking a historical period (1821 - 1827) is an eloquent proof for this historical period.

Later, in the wars for national defense, Do Son was always a frontier of primary defensive importance, ready to fight all the sea, air attacks for safety of Haiphong port city, the Red River Delta and Hanoi capital. During the war against the French colonialist, Do Son military and civilian forces had made outstanding achievements. In particular, in the battle fighting Do Son airport and fuel station (31-01-1954), the spirit of the people and the army made the enemy suffer heavy losses (millions of tons of gasoline on fire, 9 aircrafts destroyed, destroying all the French commanders of the airport).

In addition, together with the whole nation, the people here also contributed to defeat the two destructive wars of U.S. imperialism by preventing and blocking torpedoes for the national liberation, reunification. By tenacious fighting spirit, O Son people had shot down seven aircrafts, four warships, and captured an American pilot. Regardless of dangers, while maintaining stable agricultural production, the people were still to fight at sea, on air, on land for national integrity, deserving an honour of a frontline fighting against the American destructive war in the north and a rear solid support for the southern battlefield.

Bringing into full play the national revolutionary tradition, in those years of socialism development course, especially over 15 years of innovation, Do Son district has well-maintained the national political security along with social safety to be a real attractive and safe destination for tourists domestically and internationally.

With its outstanding achievements in the two wars, in 2000, the military and civilians of Do Son district were honored with the title of people’s heroic armed forces as well as many other noble decorations and medals by the State President.