1. Geographical location
Thong Nhat Ward, east of Bien Hoa
City, is a riverside land, next to Cai River, a tributary of Dong Nai River. It
had a magnanimous heroic and revolutionary tradition, located on the axis of
Binh Da - An Hao - Ba Lang bases, with the relic of the Green House (where the
first US soldiers killed in Vietnam), the indomitable spirit and bravery of Go
Me people and the exploits of BIF sawmill workers in the resistance wars against
the French and Americans. Down the road it will be the Administrative - Cultural
- Commercial - Services Center of Bien Hoa city.
In the east it borders Tan Mai
Ward.
In the west it borders Cai River.
In the north it borders the
North-South railway and National Highway 15.
In the south it borders Cai
River.
Total natural land measures
342.54 hectares, accounting for 2.21 percent of the total natural land of Bien
Hoa city.
2. Hamlets and quarters
Thong Nhat ward includes 7
quarters, as follows:
Quarter 1 with 12 groups;
Quarter 2 with 12 groups;
Quarter 3 with 12 groups;
Quarter 4 with 5 groups;
Quarter 5 with 12 groups;
Quarter 6 with 9 groups;
Quarter 7 with 8 groups.
3. Topography
The ward has slightly lower
terrain toward the rivers, not totally flat, the river bank with cliffs
convenient for wharf construction but vulnerable to erosion. In the ward there
are two large canals as a means for drainage. There are also the Dong Tram canal
at the San Mau stream part adjacent to the river, and Truong Tau canal and the
drainage system from Bien Hung Park to Bien Hoa Station through Thong Nhat ward.
4. Climate and Hydrology
The climate is mild in the
Southeastern region.
- Average annual temperatures of
25.4 0C-29 0C;
- Absolutely low temperature of
20.5 0C;
- Average annual humidity at 83.5
percent during rainy season;
- Lowest humidity in dry season
at less than 70 percent at times.
- Average rainfall of 1,800 mm
per year, unevenly distributed, accounting for 90 percent of annual rainfall
during 6 months of the rainy season.
- Main wind directions are
west-southwest and east-northeast. Southwest wind blows
in rainy season with an average speed of 3.5m/s. North-northeast wind blows from
November to March. The ward hardly has windstorms.
5. Brief history of the ward
The ward was formerly comprised
of hamlets of Tan Mai, Lan Thanh, Vinh Thi and Go Me which used to belong to
Binh Tru village, Chau Thanh district, Bien Hoa province.
The ward has a BIF sawmill, an
industrial facility built by French capitalists in late 19th century and
operating since 1912. This is where there was an early movement of workers and
the first communist Party Committee was established in 1944. The sawmill workers
were an important force to seize power in Bien Hoa in 1945. During the
resistance war against the French colonialists the BIF sawmill provided a lot of
manpower and resources for the struggle.
During the fight against
Americans to save the country the BIF sawmill office was the headquarters of the
US Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG). Here on the evening of July 7,
1959, revolutionary armed forces organized an ambush to kill the first two US
military advisors in the Southern battlefield.
The people of Thong Nhat Ward
acted as a revolutionary base during 21 years of resistance war, contributing to
the overall victory of Bien Hoa city. In 1976 Thong Nhat ward was established.
Today the ward is transforming into an industry-trade-services ward.
The majority of people are
long-standing dwellers, worshiping their ancestors, with some being Buddhists.
There are 4 temples, 9 pagodas and 3 monasteries in the
ward, including some temples with a great number of Buddhists such as Dai Phuoc
Pagoda (Ong Tam Pagoda), Thien Long Co Tu, Thien Quoc Tu, Ngoc Hoa monastery and
Ngoc Hiep monastery, etc. The Green House with the
first battle to kill Americans (on July 7, 1959) was classified as a national
revolutionary monument by the Ministry of Culture and Information.