Located in the center of the S-shaped country of Vietnam, Quang Ngai Province is most exposed to the East Sea. There are numerous river mouths, estuaries, islands, and the mountains from Truong Son range stretch to the sea. Behind the coast are low-lying coastal floodplains deposited by the major rivers of Tra Bong, Tra Khuc, Ve and Tra Cau. All this creates a diversified coastal ecosystem along 130 kilometers of the coastline. Quang Ngai lies on the National Highway 1A, the Trans-Viet railroad connecting Hanoi and Saigon and is the starting point of National Highway 24 linking to the Central Highlands provinces and crossing into Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

Inhabiting the coastal and low land areas are over one million people of Kinh group, a diligent people fond of learning. About three-quarters of the natural area of Quang Ngai is mountainous, with natural forest and jungles and bisected by rapids and streams. The upland areas accommodate the three other ethnic minorities, the Hre, Cor and Kadong. These minorities, amongst the Mon-Khmer linguistics family with a population of over 200,000. The people have straightforward ideals and are as artistic like their neighbouring communities in the majestic Truong Son - Highlands areas.

The diversified landscape and tropical vegetation and monsoon climate in the province offer a plentiful and diversified ecosystem and picturesque sites, which have been well praised by famous poets throughout history such as Nguyen Cu Trinh, Cao Ba Quat and Bich Khe. Thanks to this rich ecosystem, the assemblage of different ethnic groups, its location on the migration and cultural exchange route between Kinh and other ethnic groups for centuries, Quang Ngai possesses unrivaled cultural characteristics and identities.

Chronologically displayed are traces of mankind of the Paleolithic era as old as 300,000 years found in Tay Tra, Tra Bong, Son Ha and on Ly Son island. Vestiges of Sa Huynh culture have been uncovered in Phu Khuong, Long Thanh, Thanh Duc, Binh Chau, Xom Oc, Suoi Chinh, Binh Dong. Artifacts of Champa culture are revealed in Chanh Lo, Chau Sa, Co Luy, Tinh Tho, Hanh Phuoc. Relics of Chinese culture in can be found at the Thu Xa ancient town-port and in Quang Ngai City, Evidence of the majority Viet culturure is present in all corners of the province.

Due to the various origins of inhabitants and cultural integration from different sources, of which the core is Vietnamese culture, Quang Ngai has its own character, from the qualities of residents to the appearance of villages, from the past to the present, from the arduous wars of yesterday to the development evident in the province today.

M.T