Geographical location

Binh Duong Province is located in the East of the South of Vietnam. Its natural area is 2,681.01sq.km (0.83% of total area of our country and takes place 42 of 61 by natural area). Geographical co-ordinates are as follows:

North latitude: 11052' - 12018', East longitude: 106045' - 107067'30"

The Province borders Binh Phuoc Province to the North; Ho Chi Minh City to the South; Dong Nai Province to the East and Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City to the West.

There are 01 town, 06 districts with 05 wards, 8 township and 66 hamlets in Binh Duong Province. The township is Thu Dau Mot – the administrative, economic and cultural center of the Province.

The area, population, numbers of hamlets, wards and towns of Binh Duong Province are shown as follows:

Weather

The weather is tropical with monsoon. It is hot and moisture with remarkable seasons: raining season from May to November and dry season from December to April.

Average rainfall is about 1,800-2,000mm with number of rainy days app. 120. The rainiest month is September with average rainfall 355mm, in some year it reaches 500mm. The less one is January with less than 500mm, sometimes without rain.

Annual average temperature is 27.3⁰C, the highest temperature is 29⁰C (April) and lowest 24⁰C (January). Annual working temperature is about 9,500-10,000 0C, average sun time is 2,400 hours, in some years it reaches 2,700 hours.

Wind regime is relatively stable and not directly affected by storms and tropical low atmosphere. In dry season the major is wind from East and North-East, meanwhile in rainy season the major is West and Southwest. Average wind speed is about 0.7m/s, the fastest speed recognized is 12m/s, usually from West and Southwest.

The air has relatively high humidity, in average 80-90% and changes by seasons. The humidity comes mainly from season Southwest winds in rainy season, so lowest humidity happens in mid of dry season and the highest is in mid of rainy season. Like air temperature, annual humidity changes very little.

The weather in Binh Duong is relatively mild and there is little of natural calamities such as storms, flood ... due to subequatorial weather conditions, high annual temperatures and plentiful sunlight that are very favorable for developing agriculture, particularly for planting short and long-term industrial crops.

Natural resources

Binh Duong has relatively diversified natural resources, especially non-metallic minerals of magma origin, sediment and particular weathered minerals. These are supplying sources for traditional and strong industries of the Province such as pottery, construction materials, mine ores.

Results of geological investigation of 82 different mines show that Binh Duong has 9 types of minerals including kaolin, clay, construction rocks (including eruptive andezite rocks, granite and sandstone); construction sand, conglomerate, laterite, and peat.

Land resources

By history of geological structure, change of height of terrain and alluvial consolidation of rivers and springs system, Binh Duong Province has quite plentiful range of land suitable for many types of short and long-term industrial crops

There are 6 main land groups:

• Alkaline land: 3,304 ha, occupying 1,22% natural area
• Alluvial land: 15,725 ha - 5,79%
• Gray land: 142,445 ha - 52,41%
• Red yellow soil: 65,243 ha - 24%
• Consolidated sloped soil: 32,848 ha - 12,09%
• Eroded soil: 91 ha - 0,03%
• Rivers, lakes: 12,135 ha - 4,46%

Binh Duong’s soil in majority has light mechanical composition with high ratio of sand, especially land created on the foundation of ancient alluviums (gray and red yellow soils) that weakly detains water and easy to be washed by horizon as well as by vertical. Particularly, alluviums have mechanical composition of light and average heavy soils. The clay ratio of alkaline and consolidated soils is about 44-51%. These are good soils suitable for growing rice or rotational rice-crops.

Binh Duong’s soils are poor of nutrients (N, P, K), however, among soils, alluviums and potential alkaline soils (with deep alkaline layers) have high ratio of humus - 2.1-8.5%, protein - 0.17-0.28%, phosphorus - 0.098-0.120%, potassium - 0.98-1.65%. Content of phosphorus and potassium is poor in gray and red yellow soils (0.06-0.08%).