Topography

Thanh Hoa has various types of terrain and can be divided into three main areas. The mountainous region, with its average height of 600-700m, is located in the west of the province. This area is approximately 839ha (75.44% the total of the entire province). The second one is the plain that alternates with low mountains and hills, and the final coastal region is suitable for developing maritime industries and tourism.

Climate

Thanh Hoa has a tropical monsoon climate with four seasons per year: spring is from February to April, summer is from May to August, autumn is from September to October and winter is from November to January. The summer in Thanh Hoa is very hot, while the winter is often wet and cold. In the summer, Thanh Hoa is often in the region of the Lao wind which is dry and hot which makes the temperatures in the region intolerable sometimes. The average temperature is approximately 24.5ºC.

Tourism

Located 16km from Thanh Hoa City, Sam Son Beach attracts lot of visitors to relax and bath. Beside the beach, Sam Son offers scenic spots such as Trong Mai Rocks, Doc Cuoc Temple and Mount Co Tien. Tourists also like to discover Ben En National Park in Nhu Thanh, Nhu Xuan districts. The park is a complex of tropical forests, hills, mountains, rivers, springs, and Muc Lake. With natural landscapes and diversified flora and fauna, Ben En is suitable to eco-tourism, sightseeing, and scientific studies. Cam Luong Fish Spring is another interesting place in Thanh Hoa, The stream contains thousands of fish that no one dares catch it. Fish in the stream have red mouth and fins, and brown scales, resembling carp. Please come to this place to play with fish, visit beautiful caves and grottos, watch dancing performances of Muong people and enjoy traditional lam rice and can wine. In addition, Thanh Hoa is famous for historical vestiges like Ham Rong Bridge, Ho Dynasty Citadel and Lam Kinh Remains. Lam Kinh is the birthplace of national hero Le Loi and the starting point of the Lam Son revolutionary insurrection. In the last days of June 2011, UNESCO recognized the citadel of Ho Dynasty as the World Cultural Heritage Sites. It is the pride of not only Thanh Hoa People, but also Vietnamese people all over the country. Presently, local authorities are trying their best to protect and preserve this site for its unique stone structure and identify it as an important site on the tourist map of all travelers. Every year, Lam Kinh Festival takes place on the 22nd day of the 8th lunar month (the anniversary day of the death of King Le Thai To) at Lam Kinh in the commemoration of the exploits of the national hero Le Loi, his General Le Lai and many successive Le kings, who recovered national independence from Ming aggressors and built the country stronger and healthier.

Transportation

Thanh Hoa is 153km from Hanoi, 62km from Ninh Binh, and 139km from Vinh (Nghe An). National Highway No.1A and North-South Express Train run through province. There are National Highway No.15 linking to Nghe An and National Highway No.217 connecting to Laos via Na Meo border gate.