Bakdep

Bakdep (Kuehongese: 北叶 Bắc Đẹp) is the federal capital of Kuehong and the seat of government of the Bakdep Federal District. It was founded in 1999 and was made the capital of Kuehong in a ceremony in the same year, shifting the seat of government from the overcrowded and densely-populated Namthinhvuong. It has an area of 904 km2 and has a population of around five million. It borders Chien Linh to the north and west, Loi Xo to the southeast and Trac Khe to the southwest.

Plans were announced by then Chairman Tran Tu Tin in his 1985 Chairman speech to move the capital from Namthinhvuong to a more central location within Kuehong. Designs for the capital were submitted in a competition held in 1987 and was won by a team led by Throwspencil Deseykhasibeniheltsi and Văn Đỉnh Xương from a renowned architectural firm. The design incorporated the shape of the country's national flower, the Prunus mume, for the central area of the capital, with the country's symbol, the eight-point sun, at the city core. Various names of the districts in the city were named after pioneers of Kuehong, the various values upheld by the military regime and other notable places in Kuehong. During the construction, a lottery was launched throughout Kuehong to award households around the country to move into the capital. About 1 million households, or about 3 to 4 million people, were selected. The capital was completed in 1997 and officially opened in 1998.

As the seat of the government of Kuehong, Bakdep hosts the National Assembly Complex, the National Supreme Court, the National Stability and Security Council Office, the official residence of the Chairman and the headquarters of various government departments. The city also hosted the 2019 International Expo.

Pre-capital era
According to old maps created by the Que Kingdom, the area of what will be Bakdep already contained a few local villages and a small town Hop Luu. Hop Luu (which means "Confluence") is believed to have been established in the 13th or 14th centuries, and due to its location, it briefly became a successful trading outpost in the area. However, the town was largely destroyed by Bai forces during the Mui Campaign, and the town was forgotten for some time as the Bai favoured Namsheng (today's Namthinhvuong) as the administrative capital of Bai Muinon.

The Bai (and later the Ulethans) started exploration in the more remote central area of the peninsula in the 1800s. Due to the fertile ground and its strategic location, several rich families managed to control and own the lands in the area, including the Li and Wen Families and the Ulethan __ family. Population growth in the area remained slow, and by the end of the 19th century, the population was barely more than 5000.

Upon the establishment of the communist regime under So Mot in 1942, the landowners' rights over the area were revoked and the government then took over ownership of the land. Ambitious plans to develop the area, however, were never achieved due to the stagnating economy.

Capital plans
Upon the unification of Kuehong in 1960, it was decided to build a new capital somewhere close to the country's centre. The plans were briefly suspended when the military regime came to power in 1967, although the military has promised to carry on with the plans. In the 80s, the government conducted a land survey across several sites in Trac Khe to access the possible location of a new capital to replace the increasingly crowded capital of Namthinhvuong. Phong Thinh was initially decided to be the new capital, as fewer costs were needed to build up new government facilities there. However, due to the capital's controversial ties with the former communist regime, and the relative distance to the other areas, the government decided to change plans and decided on Hop Luu. The announcement of the confirmed location was broadcast in the 1985 Chairman speech by then Chairman Tran Tu Tin. The Seat of Government Act 667 was then unanimously passed in the General Assembly in December that year.

An international competition for the proposed designs for the capital was launched in January 1987 by the National Council for National Development and Infrastructure. Several architectural firms, however, boycotted the competition as the Chairman insisted that he will make the final decision of the plans instead of the team of urban planners overseeing the competition. On 23 April, the competition was closed and the design by a team led by Throwspencil Deseykhasibeniheltsi and Văn Đỉnh Xương from a renowned architectural firm was picked. The design incorporated the shape of the country's national flower, the Prunus mume, for the central area of the capital, with the country's symbol, the eight-point sun, at the capital core. The plan was eventually officially approved in the Assembly in July of that year.