Hoa Binh, 75 kilometres from Hanoi, is an excellent
base for visiting villages inhabited by the
Muong and Tai minorities. The architecture of the guest
house reflects that found in the hill
villages. The French
regarded Hoa Binh as a strategic stronghold during the war of
liberation
and it was the site of bloody fighting with the Viet
Minh. Ironically, Hoa Binh means "peace."
Muong village near Hoa Binh.
Southeast Asia's largest hydro-electric project, built
near Hoa Binh on the Song Da (Black River),
was built over a period of ten years with assistance
from the Soviet Union. Through the national
electric grid it provides electricity to locations
as far south as the Mekong Delta.
© Grose Educational Media, 2000
