Weather & Climate
Climate conditions
Located within the belt of tropical monsoons of Asia and adjoining the Eastern sea, Hai Phong is under monsoon influence. The cold and dry north-east monsoons (during winter time) from November to April. The cool and fresh south-eastern monsoons (during summer time) causing a lot of rain from May to October.
The average annual rainfall varies from 1,600mm to 1,800mm. There is often storm from June to September.
Hai Phong climate can be divided into two distinct seasons, winter and summer. The temperate is moderate. Because of its location on the edge of the sea, Hai Phong is 1oC warmer in winter and 1oC cooler in summer than Ha Noi.
The monthly average temperature is ranging from 20o C to 23o C, sometimes it reaches to the highest temperature of 40oC or drops to the lowest of under 5oC.
The annual average humidity rate is from 80% to 85%. The highest rate is 100% in July, August, December and the lowest rate is in September and January. There are 1.692,4 sun shinning hours in a year. The average earth radiation is 117 kcal cm2/ minute.
Natural and Mineral Resources
In term of metal resources, there is an iron mine in Duong Chinh (Thuy Nguyen); coastal mineral sand can be found (at Cat Hai and Tien Lang).
In respect of non-metal resources: there are kaolin mines at Doan Lai (Thuy Nguyen), clay mine at Tien Hoi, Chien Thang (Tien Lang), several clay points at Kien Thiet (Tien Lang), Tan Phong (Kien Thuy), Dong Thai (An Hai). Limestone is distributed mainly in Cat Ba, Trang Kenh, Phi Liet, Dun terry; quartzite and tectonics can be found in some hills of Do Son area; phosphate at Bach Long Vi, mineral water is available at Bach Dang Commune (Tien Lang). Salt and sand are two important resources of Hai Phong, which are concentrated mainly at river islets and on the sea side of Cat Hai, Tieng Lang, Vinh Bao, Kien Thuy, Do Son districts. In Bach Long Vi island there is asphalt stone, a product of oiled oxidation showing some perspectives of oil and natural gas availability because the continental shelf of Hai Phong occupies one forth of sediment of Third Epoch of the Gulf of Tonkin with the thickness of up to 3,000m.
Sea resources are one of the most important ones of Hai Phong with about 1,000 species of shrimp, fish and tens of kinds of sea weeds of high economic value, such as dragon shrimp, prawn, sea crab, sea tortoise, sea oyster, dolphin, pearl shell, virgin shell, abalone... which are widely popular in the international market. The salinity of seawater is high and stable at Cat Hai and Do Son areas which are suitable for salt production to serve needs of local and central chemical industry and also the need of daily life of people. In Hai Phong seawaters, there are many large fishing grounds and the biggest one is surrounding Bach Long Vi island with more than 10,000 square miles of abundant and stable yield. The tidal flats of coastal areas, islands and river mouths of more than 12,000 hectares are suitable not only for exploitation but also for salty and brackish water aquaculture of high value products.
Land resources of Hai Phong with more than 57,000 hectares of arable land. This land was formed mainly by alluvia transported and deposited by system of Thai Binh river. Due to the location next to the sea, most of the soil is of alum and saline alum nature and the terrain is a mixture of low and high land alternated with many low-lying paddies. The variation of climate negatively affects the soil, land and plants causing additional difficulties for agriculture production, especially plantation.
