Hà Nam
/haː˧˩ naːm˧˧/noun
Hà Nam is a province in northern Vietnam and the name of its provincial capital, Phủ Lý.
Did you know?Hà Nam is written 河南 in Hán-Nôm, the same Chinese characters used for China’s Henan Province, though the two names refer to different modern regions.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese period
Chinese
河南
“A compound meaning “south of the river”; 河 meant “river” and 南 meant “south.””
Medieval Vietnam
Sino-Vietnamese
Hà Nam
“The Chinese-character compound 河南 entered Vietnamese administrative and geographical vocabulary as Hà Nam.”
1890
Vietnamese
Hà Nam
“The name was used for a French colonial administrative province created in northern Vietnam.”
20th Century
Vietnamese
Hà Nam
“Hà Nam continued as a regional and administrative place-name through changing provincial boundaries.”
Modern English
English
Hà Nam
“A Vietnamese proper noun referring chiefly to Hà Nam Province and, by extension, its capital area.”