Bình Thuận () is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the country's South Central Coast. It is sometimes seen as part of the Southeast region. The province is known for its scenery and beaches. There are also a number of sites of archaeological significance. History Much of what is now Bình Thuận province was part of the Cham principality of Panduranga, which had its political centre in neighbouring Ninh Thuận province. It was the last independent principality after the fall of Vijaya in 1471. Bình Thuận was later incorporated into Vietnam, while Ninh Thuận remained independent longer, until 1832. Before 1976, Bình Thuận province was much smaller because much of the west was in the separate Bình Tuy province). Bình Tuy, Bình Thuận and Ninh Thuận were merged in 1976 to form Thuận Hải province. It was divided again into Ninh Thuận and Binh Thuận in 1991, while Bình Tuy remained part of Bình Thuận Province. Geography Bình Thuận borders Lâm Đồng province in the north, Ninh Thuận province in the northeast, and Đồng Nai and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu provinces in the west. Much of the borders with Lâm Đồng and Ninh Thuận are mountainous, while much of the rest of the province is relatively flat. However, there are several hills with a height of at least 200 m along the coast of the province. The highest peak in the province (1548m) is in northwestern Tánh Linh District, near Lâm Đồng. Phú Quý island is located around 120 km south-east of Phan Thiết. It is a separate district. There are several much smaller islands off the coast of Bình Thuận, including Câu Island (cù lao Câu) in the east, Lao Island (hòn Lao) at Mũi Né, and Bà Island (hòn Bà) in the west. Bình Thuận has several rivers mostly originating in the province itself or in the highlands of neighboring Lâm Đồng Province. Most flow into the East Vietnam Sea. Some of the major rivers are the Luỹ River (Sông Luỹ) in the east, the Cái River (Sông Cái) in the centre, and the Dinh River (Sông Dinh) in the west. La Ngà River (Sông La Ngà) flows through four districts in the northwest of the province and is a major tributary of the Đồng Nai River. The largest lake is Sông Quán Lake (hồ Sông Quán) in the centre of the province around 30 km north