Hà Tĩnh () is a province on the North Central Coast of Vietnam. Together with neighbouring Nghệ An province the two provinces are together called "Nghệ Tĩnh", and the locals are known for speaking Vietnamese with a very noticeable regional accent. Geography Hà Tĩnh province is located in the northern part of central Vietnam, about 340 km (211 miles) south of Hanoi, bordered by Nghệ An province to the north, Quảng Bình province to the south, Laos to the west, and the Eastern Sea to the east. Climate The climate is sub-tropical, with cooler temperatures in winter; Vietnam's highest ever temperature, 43.4 degrees Celsius (110 Fahrenheit), was recorded in the province in 2019. Administrative divisions Hà Tĩnh is subdivided into 13 district-level sub-divisions: 10 districts: Cẩm Xuyên Can Lộc Đức Thọ Hương Khê Hương Sơn Kỳ Anh Lộc Hà Nghi Xuân Thạch Hà Vũ Quang 2 district-level towns: Hồng Lĩnh Kỳ Anh (newly created as of 2015) 1 provincial city: Hà Tĩnh (capital) They are further subdivided into 12 commune-level towns (or townlets), 235 communes, and 15 wards. Tourism and notables Hà Tĩnh has many locations of historical and cultural interest that are popular with tourists. It is home to national figures such as Lê Hữu Trác, Nguyễn Du (the author of the epic poem Kim Vân Kiều), Nguyễn Công Trứ, Phan Đình Phùng, Trần Phú, Ngô Đức Kế, Nguyễn Phan Chánh, Hoàng Ngọc Phách, Xuân Diệu, Huy Cận, Hoàng Xuân Hãn, Nguyễn Khắc Viện, Lê Văn Thiêm, Điềm Phùng Thị and Nguyen Do. Notable scenic areas include La River, Vũ Môn Falls, Vũ Quang Garden, Kẻ Gỗ Lake, Sơn Kim hot springs, Đèo Ngang pass, Hương Tích Pagoda, and beaches in places such as Thiên Cầm, Ðèo Con, Xuân Thành and Chân Tiên. Most of them are along Highways 1A and 8. Transport Hà Tĩnh has 130 km (82 miles) of Highway 1A stretching from Bến Thủy Bridge (Vinh City) to Đèo Ngang Pass linking Hà Tĩnh and Quảng Bình. The Ho Chi Minh Route is the second most important route of the province. Hà Tĩnh also contains Road 8 which runs from Hồng Lĩnh town to Laos and the Viet-Lao highway from Vũng Áng Harbour (Kỳ Anh District) to Laos. In 2007, a railway link to Laos was proposed from Hà Tĩnh province. Economy Hà Tĩnh is among the poorest provinces of Vietnam with a GDP in 2008