An Phú District

History

The district is one of the most remote places in Vietnam. An Phu was a part of the Tam Phong Long region that had links with former Funan kingdom and was given to the Nguyễn lords in 1757 by Chenla king Outey II.

Thanks to favorable conditions for agricultural cultivation and transport by water the Vietnamese settled in the district area. Chinese traders came along the Mekong and Hau River from Chaozhou and Guangdong and elsewhere along the route to Phnom Penh. The region was an important route in the trade, business strategy, and also strategically.

In May 1833 during the Siam Viet war, the Siemese soldiers across the district on the river to attack Dai Nam.

In 1841, many Chams people in Cambodia went to the district to avoid the war in Cambodia.

In the Daniel Marvin's book Expendable Elite – One Soldier's Journey Into Covert Warfare, he talked about the time he worked there in the Special Forces in 1965-1966. Their camp Dan Nam camped in An Phu town and they organized a group of militant Hao Hao forces to support them. He said: "An Phu is the safest place all Vietnam".

There was military invasion from 1977–78 by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge army. Almost all of the people in An Phu had to be evacuated (mainly to the Cho Moi, Phu Tan district). The resultant damage was non-significant.

Geography

The district borders with Cambodia to the north and west. The eastern border of the district borders with Tân Châu. The southern border is the Hau Chau Doc River.

Most of An Phu district is plain. Every year, An Phu is affected by the flooding season in summer. Between 6 months each year, rising levels in the Mekong River from high rainfall means an average rise from 2–3 metres. The time of flooding is typically very prolonged, usually about 6 months, having a major impact on practices and production of people.

However, the location of An Phu District is quite favorable, it is an important location from Cambodia into Vietnam, connected by river and on the road and connecting the provinces of western coastal Hau River region in Vietnam with the capital Phnom Penh of Cambodia via the National Road 21.

There's a large lake named Bung Binh Thien in the north of An Phu district. It's one of the largest fresh lake in Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

Administrative divisions

The district is divided into two urban municipalities, An Phú and Long Bình and 12 rural communes. These are:

Before 1975 An Phú was a part of Long Chau Tien, but An Phu district then separated, following the 1975 merger with Tân Châu District of Phu Chau. By the year 1992 it was fully separated into the An Phú district today.

People

Most of the people in An Phu district are Viet. Some of them are Chinese descendants.

There're about 12,000 Chams people in An Phu. Most of them are Muslim. The Chams live in 5 villages in Da Phuoc, Vinh Truong, Nhon Hoi, Khanh Binh, Quoc Thai.

Monsoonal flooding

Located near Châu Đốc, An Phú District is famous for its rice and fish during the monsoonal flood season. The food comes in the seventh lunar month, roughly in August. The local government organises the Flood Season Festival annually. When the monsoonal season comes, many villages are inundated by water. Many houses were built on stilts to protect themselves against flooding. Many ricefields are inundated. Although produce cannot be grown in this season, the fishing catch is plentiful, and boats are the dominant mode of transport during this season.

Economy

Residents of An Phú District are mainly farmers, most of the area is under rice cultivation with alluvium soil and freshwater which also allows much fishing. Every year, when all the communes are affected by water the fields become indundated. On the Cambodian border on the other side, opposite the town of Long Binh is a market area of Cambodia known as Chrey Thum (Koh Thum).

As the road from An Phú to the capital Phnom Penh is Cambodia's most recent road from Vietnam it has created good conditions for trade in the region.

Education

All communes and towns have schools from kindergarten to middle school.