History of Quang Tri Province

During the Hung Kings and An Duong Vuong eras, the Quang Tri region was part of the Viet Thuong province, and when it came under Han rule, it was located in Nhat Nam district.

From the 4th to the 10th centuries, this entire area consisted of the districts of Ma Linh, Dia Ly, O, and Ly. In the 11th century, Dia Ly was renamed Lam Binh, and Ma Linh was renamed Minh Linh. In 1307, O and Ly were merged to form the two districts of Thuan Hoa. In 1375, Tran Due Tong ordered Lam Binh to be renamed Tan Binh prefecture. In 1400, Ho Quy Ly changed Tan Binh to Tay Binh. In 1411, during the Ming occupation, Tay Binh was renamed Tan Binh, comprising 37 communes, 2,132 households, and 4,738 people, while Thuan Hoa prefecture had 79 communes, 1,470 households, and 5,662 people. During the reign of Le Thanh Tong, in the 7th year of the Quang Thuan era (1466), the locality was located in the Thuan Hoa province. In the 21st year of the Hong Duc era (1490), when the map of the country was established, the Thuan Hoa province had two prefectures: Tan Binh prefecture consisting of 2 districts and 2 sub-districts (including Minh Linh sub-district with 8 communes and 63 villages), and Trieu Phong prefecture consisting of 6 districts and 2 sub-districts (including Hai Lang district with 7 communes and 75 villages, Vu Xuong district with 8 communes and 53 villages, Sa Boi sub-district with 10 communes and 68 villages, and Thuan Binh sub-district with 6 communes and 26 villages).

In 1558, Nguyen Hoang was appointed governor of Thuan Hoa, establishing his residence at Go Phu Sa in Ai Tu commune, Vu Xuong district. From then on, the Thuan Hoa region belonged to the Dang Trong territory of the Nguyen lords. The Trinh-Nguyen conflict throughout the 17th and 18th centuries divided this area into Dang Trong. In order to quickly consolidate and expand their power, the Nguyen lords implemented more proactive socio -economic policies compared to the feudal regime in Dang Ngoai. They allowed many foreigners to immigrate to Dang Trong, especially the Chinese after the Manchu unified China (1644). Numerous settlements of Chinese people, with their lifestyles and business practices, enriched and diversified the cultural and economic activities of Dang Trong. In 1801, after regaining power, Nguyen Anh established the Quang Tri province, encompassing the districts of Hai Lang, Dang Xuong (formerly Vu Xuong), Minh Linh, and the newly established Cam Lo district. In 1806, Quang Tri became a directly subordinate administrative unit under the imperial capital of Hue. In 1822, Huong Hoa district was placed under the jurisdiction of Cam Lo province. In 1827, Quang Tri was renamed a garrison, no longer under direct jurisdiction, and nine districts were established within Cam Lo province. In 1830, the district of Trieu Phong was assigned to manage Minh Linh, overseeing Dang Xuong and Hai Lang. In 1832, Quang Tri garrison was renamed a province, Cam Lo province was renamed a prefecture, and the prefect there was assigned to manage Huong Hoa district and oversee nine districts. In 1836, Dia Linh district was established and assigned to Trieu Phong prefecture to manage Dang Xuong, overseeing three districts: Dia Linh, Minh Linh, and Hai Lang. In 1850, Huong Hoa was renamed Thanh Hoa. In 1853, Quang Tri province was merged with Thua Thien prefecture to form Quang Tri province. In 1876, Quang Tri province was re-established, comprising two prefectures, Trieu Phong and Cam Lo, and four districts. Dang Xuong district was renamed Thuan Xuong, and Dia Linh district was renamed Gio Linh. Minh Linh district was renamed Chieu Linh, while Hai Lang district retained its old name. On May 3, 1890, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree merging Quang Tri with Quang Binh province to form Binh Tri province, under the authority of the Resident Commissioner of Dong Hoi. On January 23, 1896, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree removing Quang Tri from the jurisdiction of the Resident Commissioner of Dong Hoi, placing it together with Thua Thien under the authority of the Resident Commissioner of Central Vietnam, and appointing a deputy Resident Commissioner to represent the Resident Commissioner in Quang Tri. In 1900, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree separating Quang Tri from Thua Thien, establishing it as a separate province comprising four prefectures: Trieu Phong (formerly Thuan Xuong district), Hai Lang prefecture, Vinh Linh prefecture (formerly Chieu Linh district), Cam Lo prefecture, and Gio Linh district. On February 17, 1906, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree establishing Quang Tri town, allowing it to collect certain taxes within the district and deposit them into the provincial budget. In 1908, Cam Lo Prefecture separated three Kinh (Vietnamese) communes to form Cam Lo District and nine ethnic minority communes to form Huong Hoa District. On March 11, 1914, King Duy Tan issued a decree, and on February 18, 1916, the Governor-General of Indochina issued a decree approving the establishment of Quang Tri town with its own revenue and budget. On September 5, 1929, the Resident Commissioner of Central Vietnam issued a decree establishing Dong Ha town under Trieu Phong Prefecture.

Following the success of the August Revolution in 1945, administrative units at the prefecture level were changed to district level, abolishing the commune level and establishing the village level. At the end of July 1954, according to the Geneva Accords, the Hien Luong River was chosen as the temporary military demarcation line dividing Quang Tri province in two. The majority of districts, towns, and some villages and communes of Vinh Linh, located south of the demarcation line, belonged to Quang Tri province and were under the administration of the South Vietnamese government. More than three-quarters of Vinh Linh district, located north of the demarcation line, was under the administration of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, which decided to establish the Vinh Linh Special Zone directly under the central government.

After the reunification of the country, in 1976, the four administrative units of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien and the Vinh Linh area were merged to form Binh Tri Thien province, merging the districts (the old Quang Tri province had 4 districts and towns: Trieu Hai, Ben Hai, Huong Hoa and Dong Ha town).

In July 1989, Quang Tri province was re-established, with its provincial capital in Dong Ha town. The entire province comprises 2 towns, 6 districts, and 136 communes, wards, and townships.

Quang Tri has undergone many changes in its administrative geography, but place names like Trieu Phong, Hai Lang, Vinh Linh, Gio Linh, Cam Lo, Huong Hoa, Dong Ha… still live on, their echoes resonating for generations to come.

Source: Excerpt from the History of the Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee, Volume 1 (1930-1954)

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