My Tho

For a definition of the word "mytho", see the Wiktionary entry mytho.

My Tho Thành phố Mỹ Tho
My Tho Location in Vietnam
Coordinates: 10°21′N 106°21′E
Country	Vietnam
Province	Tien Giang
Area
• Total	30.8 sq mi (79.8 km2)
Population
• Total	215,000
Website	Thành phố Mỹ Tho

Mỹ Tho ( listen) is the capital city and municipality of Tien Giang province, located in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. It has a population of approximately 160,000.

History

My Tho was founded in the 1680s by Chinese refugees fleeing Taiwan when the general of the Qing Dynasty Shi Lang defeated the remnants of Southern Ming Dynasty in 1683. The area, at the time, was once part of the Khmer kingdom and it was annexed to Vietnam in the 18th century. The city is named after the River My Tho, which means Beautiful (My) Reed (Tho) .

Due to its proximity to Saigon, My Tho was the traditional gateway to the Mekong Delta. In the 17th century, the city had become one of the biggest commercial hubs in today's Southern Vietnam.

In 1860s, My Tho, along with Saigon, was a major strategic city during the French colonial campaign towards Vietnam. In 1862, French's capture of My Tho is regarded as a conclusion to the establishment of the French colony of Cochinchina, a development that inaugurated nearly a century of French colonial dominance in Vietnam.

During the colonization period, the economy continued to prosper, attracting more immigrants, mainly from Teochew and Minnan. In 1876, My Tho Province was established as one of 6 provinces in the southeast of Vietnam.

Economy

Today the economy is based on tourism, fishing, and agricultural products such as coconuts, bananas, longans. During World War II The French Vichy Government interned foreign nationals in My Tho. In May, 1945, the Japanese seized control of the camps fearing an allied attack. The foreign nationals were confined throughout the war but their treatment was benign compared to other camps in Southeast Asia.

Culture

Mỹ Tho is famous for its noodle soup Hu Tieu My Tho, (more common in South Vietnam is Hu Tieu Nam Vang - literally Hu Tieu Phnom Penh Style). Hu Tieu My Tho is typically a clear pork broth with rice vermicelli and wheat flour noodles (mi) combined. Sliced pork, meaty pork bones, offal such as intestines, liver, and heart and fresh shrimp, and possibly deep fried wonton. The soup is then garnished by the diner to the individual taste with salad leaves, garlic chives, beans sprouts, lime, fresh chili, soy sauce, and vinegar. The noodles can be served dry with the soup on the side, or as a noodle soup.

Also famous in My Tho is Bo Vien or beef balls. There are very busy stalls near the My Tho market that serve only Bo Vien in beef broth or with Hu Tieu noodle. It is eaten with very hot chili sauce (tuong ot).

As the regional capital My Tho is the main market dealing in all the produce from the region as well as fish and seafood from My Tho's large ocean-going fishing fleet. The very large and exuberant market is one of South Vietnam's biggest sources for dried fish and other dried seafood products such as Kho Muc (dried squid). At night the market is dedicated to the dealing and sorting of Mekong River fish, particularly catfish for Ho Chi Minh City's wholesale markets. Produce, especially fruit and vegetables, is delivered by boat directly to the market.

It is a popular starting point for tourists to take a boat trip on the Mekong River.

My Tho is the subject of "The Lesson", a chapter in a memoir of the Vietnam War by Tobias Woolf, In Pharoah's Army: Memories of the Lost War, describing the events of the 1968 Tet Offensive there.

Notable people from My Tho

• Nguyễn Thị Thập - Chairman of the Women's Federation of Vietnam (Hội liên hiệp phụ nữ Việt Nam) from 1956–1974
• General Nguyen Khanh - former Prime Minister, General and Ambassador of South Vietnam.
• Thach Thi Ngoc - former member of the South Vietnamese Olympic Team from 1966-1968.
• Madame Nguyen Van Thieu, the last serving First Lady of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975 and wife of the President of South Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu.

References

The downtown of My Tho.

The center of My Tho with Nguyen Huu Huan statue

The waterfront houses in My Tho.

The waterfront shops.