Cồn Cỏ district

Although its name Cồn Cỏ means "the grass bund", but actually it originates from a wrong way of Hòn Hổ (Tigris Insula), what is the Annamese translation of Palao Harimao in Middle Ages Champa language. But anyway, no one has explained the exact cause of this name.

Cồn Cỏ is an island and is located 27 km to the east of Mũi Lay, what is the farthest place in the east of Quảng Trị mainland.

;Middle Ages

By recent archaeological work, in the Bến Nghè area of the island, there are rock artefacts believed to date to the Stone Age, tens of thousands of years ago.Nguyễn Hương Mai. Đảo thép Cồn Cỏ. NXB Tài nguyên môi trường và Bản đồ Việt Nam. Hà Nội.2019. Bài 1: "Những cái nhất của Cồn Cỏ và những cư dân dân sự đầu tiên" In the first few centuries CE, Areca Tribes inhabited the island.

According to local legends, the last Cham residents left the island in the 18th century to yield Kinh groups settling down. There were no conflicts that occurred, because the water source and survival conditions in this island are inherently limited. Excavations undertaken in 1994 show that during the 17th and 18th centuries, the island was a stopover point for Vietnamese sea merchants.

During the time of the Nguyễn dynasty, the island was used to imprison convicts, and some objects such as chains and metal clasps have been found there.

;XX century

Due to its proximity to the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone, during the Vietnam War, Tigris Insula was used as a base for North Vietnamese military forces.{{cite book|last=Kelley|first=Michael|title=Where we were in Vietnam|publisher=Hellgate Press|year=2002|isbn=978-1555716257|page=513}}

On 14 March 1965 the island was attacked by Republic of Vietnam Air Force A-1 Skyraiders.

On 27 June 1972, North Vietnamese coastal artillery on Cồn Cỏ Island fired on US warships, including {{USS|Blue Ridge|LCC-19|6}}, supporting a landing of South Vietnamese Marines near the Cửa Việt River.{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/blue-ridge-iii.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120055128/http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/blue-ridge-iii.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 20, 2016|title=Blue Ridge III (LCC-19)|publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command|accessdate=27 September 2016}}

After Vietnam reunited (July 2, 1976), Cồn Cỏ Island was part of Vĩnh Quang commune, Vĩnh Linh rural district, Quảng Trị province. Because this area has a special defense and security, it has not had any level of civil government. Instead, it was the direct management of a command of a naval battalion ("bộ tư lịnh hải quân Cồn Cỏ", then "ban chỉ huy quân sự hải đảo Cồn Cỏ"). Besides, Cồn Cỏ Airport (phi cảng Cồn Cỏ) and aviation activities are under the control of the air force.

;XXI century

According to Decree No. 174/2004/ND-CP of the Government of Vietnam, which was issued on October 1, 2004, Vĩnh Quang commune was renamed Cửa Tùng township, but Cồn Cỏ Island was separated from Vĩnh Linh area to become into Cồn Cỏ Island District.

Since November 2015, Cồn Cỏ has been converted from the regulation of military island to civil island. This has allowed the normalization of commercial and tourism activities.

According to the orientation of the Provincial People's Committee, what was proposed in an interdisciplinary meeting in November 2024, Cồn Cỏ and the surrounding waters will be a key economic zone (mô hình kinh tế trọng điểm) of the whole Quảng Trị in the period from 2025 to 2035. Accordingly, the provincial authorities will deduct and invite investment to bring Cồn Cỏ Island into a port, which enjoys the regulations as a city : The Project of the Cồn-cỏ Super-port (Đề án Siêu cảng Cồn Cỏ).[https://diendandoanhnghiep.vn/huyen-con-co-moi-goi-dau-tu-phat-trien-kinh-te-bien-10132002.html Huyện Cồn Cỏ mời gọi đầu tư phát triển kinh tế biển][https://baoquangtri.vn/huyen-dao-con-co-khai-thac-the-manh-de-phat-trien-kinh-te-185170.htm Huyện đảo Cồn Cỏ khai thác thế mạnh để phát triển kinh tế][https://cand.com.vn/su-kien-binh-luan-thoi-su/xay-dung-dao-con-co-thanh-trung-tam-du-lich-dich-vu-va-tien-don-o-bien-dong-i747352/ Xây dựng đảo Cồn Cỏ thành trung tâm dịch vụ và tiền đồn ở biển Đông] Also according to this resolution, the future of the inhabitants on the island must face a challenge : Both they want to develop a multi-service economy and to protect the ecological environment. In particular, the problem of electricity and soft drinks has not yet been properly solved.

File:Con Co Island map.svg

Cồn Cỏ Island has an area of {{convert|2.3|km2|abbr=on}}, the isometric form of hills, the highest peak of 63m. This is a young volcanic island, composed of basalt and basalt tuff stones of Neogene – Quaternary age.{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258698786 |doi=10.13140/RG.2.1.3586.8403|year=2012 |author1=Trần Đức Thạnh |author2=Lê Đức An |author3=Nguyễn Hữu Cử |author4=Trần Đình Lân |author5=Tạ Hoà Phương |author6=Nguyễn Văn Quân |title=Biển đảo Việt Nam - Tài nguyên vị thế và những kỳ quan địa chất, sinh thái tiêu biểu (Vietnamese sea and islands – position resources, and typical geological and ecological wonders) |publisher=Khoa học Tự nhiên và Công nghệ. Hà Nội }}

Before it became its own district, the island was in the commune of Vĩnh Quang, in Vĩnh Linh district of Quảng Trị Province. The island became a district through Decree 174/2004 NĐ-CP of October 1, 2004. Province officials held a ceremony to create the district on April 18, 2005.

As of 2023 the district had a population of 400.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-02 |title=Tìm hướng phát triển phù hợp cho Cồn Cỏ |url=https://nhandan.vn/tim-huong-phat-trien-phu-hop-cho-con-co-post750760.html |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Báo Nhân Dân điện tử |language=vi}} The district covers an area of 2.3 km², making one of the smallest districts in Vietnam. The district capital lies at Đảo Cồn Cỏ.{{cite web |title=Districts of Vietnam |url=http://www.statoids.com/yvn.html |accessdate=March 20, 2009 |publisher=Statoids}}

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Cồn Cỏ

|Jan high C = 23.0

|Feb high C = 23.2

|Mar high C = 24.8

|Apr high C = 27.7

|May high C = 31.1

|Jun high C = 33.0

|Jul high C = 33.1

|Aug high C = 32.7

|Sep high C = 30.8

|Oct high C = 28.9

|Nov high C = 26.7

|Dec high C = 24.0

|year high C = 28.3

|Jan mean C = 20.7

|Feb mean C = 20.9

|Mar mean C = 22.2

|Apr mean C = 24.8

|May mean C = 27.8

|Jun mean C = 29.5

|Jul mean C = 29.6

|Aug mean C = 29.4

|Sep mean C = 28.1

|Oct mean C = 26.6

|Nov mean C = 24.6

|Dec mean C = 22.0

|year mean C = 25.5

|Jan low C = 18.9

|Feb low C = 19.2

|Mar low C = 20.4

|Apr low C = 22.8

|May low C = 25.4

|Jun low C = 27.2

|Jul low C = 27.2

|Aug low C = 27.1

|Sep low C = 25.8

|Oct low C = 24.5

|Nov low C = 22.9

|Dec low C = 20.4

|year low C = 23.5

|Jan record high C = 31.6 |Jan record low C = 10.7

|Feb record high C = 34.2 |Feb record low C = 13.3

|Mar record high C = 34.2 |Mar record low C = 12.4

|Apr record high C = 35.8 |Apr record low C = 17.1

|May record high C = 38.6 |May record low C = 19.3

|Jun record high C = 37.8 |Jun record low C = 22.7

|Jul record high C = 37.8 |Jul record low C = 22.6

|Aug record high C = 38.1 |Aug record low C = 23.5

|Sep record high C = 37.5 |Sep record low C = 21.0

|Oct record high C = 34.2 |Oct record low C = 18.7

|Nov record high C = 31.6 |Nov record low C = 14.2

|Dec record high C = 30.7 |Dec record low C = 11.1

|year record high C = |year record low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 147.9

|Feb precipitation mm = 69.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 62.7

|Apr precipitation mm = 58.6

|May precipitation mm = 81.0

|Jun precipitation mm = 72.9

|Jul precipitation mm = 65.9

|Aug precipitation mm = 172.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 426.5

|Oct precipitation mm = 512.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 317.0

|Dec precipitation mm = 237.5

|year precipitation mm = 2223.8

|Jan rain days = 15.8

|Feb rain days = 13.0

|Mar rain days = 11.5

|Apr rain days = 8.3

|May rain days = 7.8

|Jun rain days = 4.7

|Jul rain days = 4.7

|Aug rain days = 8.2

|Sep rain days = 14.9

|Oct rain days = 19.2

|Nov rain days = 17.8

|Dec rain days = 18.4

|year rain days = 144.7

|Jan humidity = 89.6

|Feb humidity = 92.2

|Mar humidity = 92.6

|Apr humidity = 91.2

|May humidity = 86.0

|Jun humidity = 78.9

|Jul humidity = 76.9

|Aug humidity = 78.1

|Sep humidity = 82.7

|Oct humidity = 85.0

|Nov humidity = 84.4

|Dec humidity = 86.0

|year humidity = 85.4

|Jan sun = 89.6

|Feb sun = 107.6

|Mar sun = 148.0

|Apr sun = 142.2

|May sun = 248.7

|Jun sun = 259.9

|Jul sun = 277.8

|Aug sun = 215.0

|Sep sun = 173.9

|Oct sun = 95.1

|Nov sun = 82.3

|Dec sun = 91.6

|year sun = 1931.4

|source 1 = Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology{{cite web|title=Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology|url=https://datafiles.chinhphu.vn/cpp/files/vbpq/2022/10/02-bxd.pdf | access-date =16 August 2023}}

}}

Because Cồn Cỏ area was quite high in defense, it was less known for decades. Starting in the 2000s, only one service is called Cồn Cỏ Tourism with the function of bringing visitors to Cồn Cỏ and promoting its beauty to the outside.

Every year, every April is the beginning of the Cồn Cỏ tourist season. Tourists are taken to the island to attend the memorial service for those who are still alive (lễ truy-điệu sống),[https://tinhuyquangtri.vn/o-dao-con-co-nho-ve-nhung-le-%E2%80%9Ctruy-dieu-song%E2%80%9D Ở Cồn Cỏ nhớ về những buổi truy điệu sống] a custom that is thought to have been existed for a long time. These are the people who are going to board a fishing boat in the ocean or are about to go to the battle. Their fate is considered to be very scary but also full of glory. Therefore, the memorial service is the way that relatives text them that they will never be forgotten.

Until the time of Covid-19 pandemic, the most typical cultural work on Cồn Cỏ Island was just Hoa Phong Ba Kindergarten and Primary School ("the stormy flower"), what was built all 5 billion Vietnam dongs by the Petroleum Drilling and Drilling Corporation from 2011 to 2015. This was also known as one of the rare areas in Vietnam almost no infection from Covid-19.

{{commons category|Con Co Island}}

• Palao Campa
• Lý Sơn
• Phú Quý

{{reflist|2}}

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}

• {{cite book

|last= Crawfurd |first= John |title= Journal of an Embassy from the Governor-general of India to the Courts of Siam and Cochin China

|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=sAUPAAAAYAAJ |volume= 2

|date= 21 August 2006

|edition= 2nd

|orig-year= originally published 1828

|publisher= H. Colburn and R. Bentley

|location= London |oclc= 03452414

}}

• {{cite magazine|last=Dyhouse|first=Janie|date=August 2018|title=Searching for Sunday|magazine=VFW Magazine|volume=105|number=10|location=Kansas City, Mo.|publisher=Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States|pages=26–27|issn=0161-8598|quote=Nearly 50 years ago, a U.S. soldier in Vietnam saved a baby's life. Now he hopes to reconnect with her.}}
• Murfin, Gary D., A. Terry Rambo, Le-Thi-Que, Why They Fled: Refugee Movement during the Spring 1975 Communist Offensive in South Vietnam Asian Survey, Vol. 16, No. 9. (Sep., 1976): 855–863
• Pearson, Lieutenant General Willard. The War in the Northern Provinces: 1966–1968, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, (1975).
• Schulzinger, Robert D. A Time for War: The United States and Vietnam, 1941–1975 (1997).

{{Div col end}}

• [http://tapchiqptd.vn/vi/bien-dao-viet-nam/lich-su-dieu-kien-tu-nhien-va-tiem-nang-phat-trien-cua-dao-con-co/19264.html Lịch sử, điều kiện tự nhiên và tiềm năng phát triển của đảo Cồn Cỏ]
• [https://moitruongdulich.vn/index.php/item/17289 Hải đảo tiền tiêu của Tổ quốc]

{{Districts of North Central Coast}}

{{coord|17|10|N|107|21|E|source:kolossus-viwiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Con Co District}}

Category:Districts of Quảng Trị province

Category:Islands of Vietnam

Category:Landforms of Quảng Trị province

Category:Islands of the Gulf of Tonkin