Hà Tây () was a former province of Vietnam, in the Red River Delta, now part of Hanoi. On May 29, 2008 the decision was made to subsume the province into the city of Hanoi. The merger took place on August 1, 2008. The name of the province was a name blending of two former provinces, Hà Đông and Sơn Tây. Geography Hà Tây province was located in the Red River Delta bordering Hanoi municipality, Hưng Yên, Hà Nam, Hòa Bình, and Phú Thọ provinces. The Kinh account for 99% of the province's population; the remaining population is of the Muong and Dao ethnic groups. The tropical monsoon climate is divided into three geographic microclimates: the plains, with a hot and humid climate dominated by marine winds; the foothills, with a continental climate affected by western winds; and the montane centering on the peaks of Ba Vì, with a cool climate and an average temperature of 18 °C. Famous sites include Chùa Hương (Perfume Pagoda), Tay Phuong Pagoda, and hundreds of caves, which were used as homes. Most festivals and activities in Hà Tây take place during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd months after Tết. The most famous are the pilgrimage to Hương Pagoda, along with the Thầy Pagoda and Tay Phuong Pagoda Festivals Hà Tây province lay to the southwest of the entrance to the capital city of Hanoi. For this reason all the tourist attractions of province are around 50 km from the centre of Hanoi and easily accessible by land. Administrative divisions Before being merged into Hanoi City on August 1, 2008, Hà Tây was subdivided into 14 district-level sub-divisions: 12 districts: Ba Vì Chương Mỹ Đan Phượng Hoài Đức Mỹ Đức Phú Xuyên Phúc Thọ Quốc Oai Thạch Thất Thanh Oai Thường Tín Ứng Hòa 2 provincial cities: Hà Đông (former capital, and currently an urban district within Hanoi) Sơn Tây (currently a district-level town within Hanoi) At the time, those were further subdivided into 22 commune-level towns (or townlets), 405 communes, and 26 wards. Festivals In Hà Tây, it is worthy to mention festival tour first because it lasts all the year round. All the festivals bear typical characteristics of traditional festivals of North delta (Red River) which show the religious belief or respect of the inhabitants for different gods and heroes. Each festival can be considered as a living museum containing culture, traditions of