Bien Hoa
Encyclopedia
Biên Hòa is a city in Dong Nai province, Vietnam
, about 20 miles (32.2 km) east of Ho Chi Minh City
(formerly Saigon), to which Bien Hoa is linked by Vietnam Highway 1.
grew. Following the First Indochina War
, tens of thousands of refugees from the northern and central regions of Vietnam—a large portion of them Roman Catholics—resettled in Biên Hòa as part of Operation Passage to Freedom
.
During the Vietnam War
, the United States Air Force
operated Bien Hoa Air Base
near the city. Mortar
attacks on U.S. and ARVN
targets were frequently staged from residential districts in Bien Hoa.
Like most other areas of Vietnam, post-war Bien Hoa suffered a period of severe economic decline between 1975 and the second half of the 1980s (see also the Fall of Saigon
). In part, because of its high concentration of former refugees and their descendants who had fled the Communist government of North Vietnam
in the mid-1950s, Biên Hòa was the site of small-scale resistance to the Communist government in the months immediately following the fall of the Republic of Vietnam.
In the 1980s, the Vietnamese government initiated the policy of Doi Moi and Bien Hoa experienced an economic resurgence. Bien Hoa and the surrounding areas received large amounts of foreign investment capital, and the area rapidly industrialized.
is located near the city.
With regard to entertainment, the city includes several amusement parks, nightclub
s and restaurants lining the Đồng Nai River. Construction has increased rapidly (with many Western-style houses and villas under development), and the real estate market has experienced a series of boom cycles since the mid-1990s.
The retail market still includes the many ad hoc bazaar-type markets and shop-fronts common to most of Vietnam, but now also includes air-conditioned, enclosed shopping mall
s, one of which, a Big C branch, includes a KFC
restaurant, a Western-style grocery store
, a bowling alley and video arcade
, among others.
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, about 20 miles (32.2 km) east of Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
(formerly Saigon), to which Bien Hoa is linked by Vietnam Highway 1.
Demographics
In 1989 the estimated population was over 300,000. In 2005, the population wss 541,495. Some estimates show that the city has 604,548 people in 2007.History
Bien Hoa grew into a major suburb of Saigon as the capital city of South VietnamSouth Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
grew. Following the First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
, tens of thousands of refugees from the northern and central regions of Vietnam—a large portion of them Roman Catholics—resettled in Biên Hòa as part of Operation Passage to Freedom
Operation Passage to Freedom
Operation Passage to Freedom was the term used by the United States Navy to describe its transportation in 1954–55 of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam...
.
During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
operated Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
near the city. Mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
attacks on U.S. and ARVN
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
targets were frequently staged from residential districts in Bien Hoa.
Like most other areas of Vietnam, post-war Bien Hoa suffered a period of severe economic decline between 1975 and the second half of the 1980s (see also the Fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
). In part, because of its high concentration of former refugees and their descendants who had fled the Communist government of North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
in the mid-1950s, Biên Hòa was the site of small-scale resistance to the Communist government in the months immediately following the fall of the Republic of Vietnam.
In the 1980s, the Vietnamese government initiated the policy of Doi Moi and Bien Hoa experienced an economic resurgence. Bien Hoa and the surrounding areas received large amounts of foreign investment capital, and the area rapidly industrialized.
Present-day
As of 2005, Bien Hoa is now an industrial center of southern Vietnam, and many factories and warehouses (often funded in collaboration with Japanese, Singaporean, American, Swiss and other foreign investors) operate in the area surrounding the city. Bien Hoa SugarBien Hoa Sugar
Bien Hoa Sugar Joint Stock Company is a sugar company of Vietnam, located in Bien Hoa City of Dong Nai Province. The company was founded as the "400 Tons Sugar Factory" in 1969 and received its current name in 1994. The company was equitized in 2001 as a joint stock company...
is located near the city.
With regard to entertainment, the city includes several amusement parks, nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s and restaurants lining the Đồng Nai River. Construction has increased rapidly (with many Western-style houses and villas under development), and the real estate market has experienced a series of boom cycles since the mid-1990s.
The retail market still includes the many ad hoc bazaar-type markets and shop-fronts common to most of Vietnam, but now also includes air-conditioned, enclosed shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
s, one of which, a Big C branch, includes a KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
restaurant, a Western-style grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
, a bowling alley and video arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
, among others.
See also
- Long Binh JailLong Binh JailLong Binh Jail was a U.S. military serviceman's prison located at Long Bình, in the province of Dong Nai, South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The prison was established in 1966 and turned over to the South Vietnamese in 1973...