A photo of Gia Nghia town

1. Geographical characteristics

Gia Nghia town is the capital and the centre for the politics, socio-economic development of Dak Nong province, which is located  in the Southern part of the province, at the intersection  of the two national highways No. 14 and No.28.  Along the national highway No. 14, Gia Nghia town is 253 kilometres away from Ho Chi Minh city, 200 kilometres from Binh Duong province and 110 kilometres from Binh Phuoc province (to the South) and 120 kilometres away (to the North) from Buon Ma Thuot city (Dak Lak province); following No.28 national highway, it is 160 kilometres away from Da Lat city to the East, 170 kilometres to the Southeast from Phan Thiet city; and 40 kilometres to the West from the border lines with the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The town has 8 administrative units of 5 wards and 3 communes, which are divided into 61 smaller units including hamlets, villages and resident groups. Gia Nghia town covers a natural area  of 28,384 ha (expected to be expanded to more than 75,458 ha by 2020) with medium-height 580 to 620 metres above sea level. The town has an evenly distributed system of streams, lakes and ponds. Such water bodies not only provide local people with water needed to serve their daily living activities and production, they also establish  beautiful landscapes which are the very potentials for tourism and hydroelectricity development such as Lieng Nung fall, 3-storey fall, Centre lake, Dak R'tih hydroelectricity dam…

The climate here is characteristic of the tropical monsoon highlands of Dak Nong -  Lam Vien – Bao Loc, which is all year round cool and milder compared with other zones in the Central Highlands.  Annual temperature averages at 22.4^oC but it seems to be lower toward  the first three months of year. Annual rainfall averages at 2,496.9 mm, humidity at 85%, sunlight at 2,283.8 hours. Being under the influence of monsoon wind gives the town's climate two distinct seasons including the rainy one lasting from April to October, and the dry one from November to the next April .

People of Gia Nghia town

2. Population and religion

The population of the town is estimated at 60,000, of which the Kinh goup makes up 87.07%, while indigenous ethnic minority groups 3.84 % and the remaining non-indigenous groups 9.09%. There are 21 different ethnic groups living here, of which, the people of M'nong and Ma are long-standing inhabitants while the remaining groups have been coming from all  ways of the country, maily from the North.

There are 3 main religions existing in the town including Buddism, Catholicism and Protestant with the number of followers of more than 11,700.

 

 

A view of Gia Nghia	Festival in Gia Nghia
Cultural park of Lieng Nung (Gia Nghia)	Gia Nghia at night