Bắc Ninh
Bắc Ninh (
listen) is a city in the northern part of Vietnam and is the capital of Bắc Ninh Province. The city is the cultural, administrative, and commercial center of the province. The city area is 80.82 square km, with a population of 272,634 (2013). In January, 2006, the town (thị xã) of Bắc Ninh was upgraded to city (thành phố).
History
The city's name (北寧 "northern serenity") is derived from Sino-Vietnamese. In March 1884, Bac Ninh was the site of the decisive Bắc Ninh Campaign in the wars between France and assorted Black Flag Army forces. The town fell to the French in March 1884. Thereafter under French rule, the town of was confirmed as the centre of all political, economic, cultural offices of colonial administration in the province. The land of the Bắc Ninh Citadel, within Yen, Niem and Do Villages, was occupied by French troops. At this time Bắc Ninh became known in Europe for its lacquer work and mother-of-pearl inlaid black-wood screens, cabinets, trays, and boxes.Bắc Ninh Railway Station opened after 1904. An ambush of French troops by the Viet Minh occurred at Bắc Ninh while the 1946 Fontainebleau Conference was ongoing.