An Phú is a district of An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam and shares the international border with Cambodia. An Phú juts out at the western edge of Vietnam into Cambodia. As of 2003 the district had a population of 178,613. The district covers an area of 226 km². The district capital lies at An Phú town.
History
The district is one of the most remote places in Vietnam. An Phú was a part of the Tầm Phong Long region that had links with former Funan kingdom and was given to the Nguyễn lords in 1757 by Chenla king Outey II. Due to favorable conditions for agricultural cultivation and transport by water, the Vietnamese settled in the district area. The region was an important route in the trade, business strategy, and also strategically. In May 1833 during the Siamese-Vietnamese war, the Siamese soldiers across the district on the river to attack Dai Nam. In 1841, many Chams people in Cambodia went to the district to avoid the war in Cambodia. In the Daniel Marvin's book Expendable Elite – One Soldier's Journey Into Covert Warfare, he talked about the time he worked there in the Special Forces in 1965–1966. Their camp Dan Nam camped in An Phú town and they organized a group of militant Hòa Hảo forces to support them. He said: "An Phú is the safest place all Vietnam". There was military invasion from 1977–78 by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge army. Almost all of the people in An Phú had to be evacuated. The resultant damage was non-significant.
Geography
The district borders with Cambodia to the north and west. The eastern border of the district borders with Tân Châu. The southern border is the Hậu Châu Đốc River. Most of An Phú District is plain. Every year, An Phú is affected by the flooding season in summer. Between 6 months each year, rising levels in the Mekong River from high rainfall means an average rise from 2–3 meters. The time of flooding is typically very prolonged, usually about 6 months, having a major impact on practices and production of people. However, the location of An Phú District is quite favorable: it is an important location from Cambodia into Vietnam, connected by river and on the road and connecting the provinces of western coastal Hậu River region in Vietnam with the capital Phnom Penh of Cambodia via the National Road 21. There's a large lake named Búng Bình Thiên in the north of An Phú District. It's one of the largest fresh lakes in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
Administrative divisions
The district is divided into two urban municipalities, An Phú and Long Bình, and 12 rural communes. These are:
Located near Châu Đốc, An Phú District is famous for its rice and fish during the monsoonal flood season. The food comes in the seventh lunar month, roughly in August. The local government organises the Flood Season Festival annually. When the monsoonal season comes, many villages and ricefields are inundated by water. Many houses were built on stilts to protect themselves against flooding. Although produce cannot be grown during this season, the fishing catch is plentiful, and boats are the dominant mode of transport during this season.
Economy
Residents of An Phú District are mainly farmers; most of the area is under rice cultivation with alluvium soil and freshwater which also allows much fishing. Every year, when all the communes are affected by water the fields become inundated. On the Cambodian border on the other side, opposite the town of Long Bình is a market area of Cambodia known as Chrey Thum. As the road from An Phú to the capital Phnom Penh is Cambodia's most recent road from Vietnam, it has created good conditions for trade in the region.
Education
All communes and towns have schools from kindergarten to middle school.
