The ideal region for both cultivating rice and exporting it
Location of the Red River Delta
Every region and landform will always be beneficial for a specific business activity, so as the Vietnam's Red River Delta.This is a region located in the North East of Vietnam,bordering the East Sea,which includes eight provinces and two municipalities. After looking at various characteristics, naturally and manually, this region is a perfect place for developing the rice-exporting industry.
The general map of the Red River Delta
Firstly, considering the natural characteristics and resources of the Red River Delta, there are several factors that are beneficial for rice cultivation. As mentioned by its name, this region is a delta, which is a flat, low-elevation landform (about 0-50m above sea level) with a wide and dense system of rivers and tributaries.
Looking at the map of the physical conditions of the Red River Delta, taking the Red River (sông Hồng) as the center, spread all over the delta are numerous rivers, such as Thai Binh river, Duong river, Day river, etc. Water is always a vital factor contributing to the growth of plants, and it is even more important while wet rice is commonly planted specifically in this region and all over Vietnam in general.
Beside the matter of fact that it is a delta, the Red River Delta has a rich-mineral type of soil,alluvium, which will help crops be healthier and more nutritious.
If compared to the Mekong Delta in the south, which is the biggest rice-exporting region for its similar natural conditions, the Red River Delta region even has more favorable conditions with less area with acid sulfate soil (so called cat-clays), which is not an ideal type of soil for cultivation due to the metal contamination that blocks nutrients from being absorbed by crops.
Beside soil and water, climate is also essentially important for wet rice cultivation. Looking at the maps of annual temperature and precipitation all over Vietnam, the Red River delta has an equal amount of rainfall from 1600 to 2000mm per year; and the average temperature from 20-24 degree Celsius makes it ideal for rice-growing; neither too hot nor cold, neither too dry nor wet.
Secondly, not only physical conditions but human activities also create numerous advantages for this region.
To begin with, from this map of population density of Vietnam, it can be seen that the Red River Delta has the highest population density among the other regions in Vietnam, at 1,000 people or over per square kilometer. Thanks to this factor, the region has an abundant human resource for farming activities, with approximately 70% of the population working as farmers.
In addition, the Red River Delta's geographic location is also considered ideal for export. Located in the North East of Vietnam, close to China, our grand rice importer facilitates easy rice transportation by road or railway to China or other neighboring countries via the Silk Road.
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Moreover, taking the widely-spread river system as an advantage, a great deal of money and effort has been put into developing nearby harbors like Hai Phong, Ninh Phúc and Chinfon, which allow big cargo vessels to many grand ports all over South East Asia, Asia, Oceania, North America, etc, which facilitate rice export activities.
Another fact is that, from 2016, Cat Bi airport had changed into Cat Bi International Airport, opening numerous flights and continuously growing, creating more business opportunities to export rice all round the world, reaching remote countries such as the United States, Canada, Europe, etc.
In conclusion, combining with the physical conditions and the sources that humans developed, the Red River Delta is an ideal region for both cultivating rice and exporting to foreign countries.
Image resource: Atlas Vietnam