[5] The province had become a center for religious activity, in particular with the construction of a mountain-top monastery, the Thien An Mountain Pagoda in 1695.

The province produced famous war literature on both sides of the conflict including the wartime diary of Viet Cong medic Đặng Thùy Trâm was written here, and from the US perspective, the setting of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried.

[7] The economy of the province has historically relied on agriculture and fishing, but in recent years has seen significant industrialization with special trade rules applying.

The economy of Quang Ngai and surrounding regions is designated for the development of heavy industries, in particular, trade-oriented export and special economic rules apply to parts of the province.

The Dung Quat Economic Zone located within the province has a separate visa regime for foreigners seeking to work within the country.

[8] Industrial output within the province has seen growth rates of 15-20% annually, far outstripping most other regions in central Vietnam.

[13] Around 40% is concentrated in Quảng Ngãi City and the two districts just north and south of it (Sơn Tịnh and Tư Nghĩa), where population density ranges from over 500 to 3600/km2).

[12] Quảng Ngãi is the least urbanized province of the South Central Coast, with only 14.4% of the population living in cities and towns.

Quảng Ngãi's GDP per capita was 7.82 million VND in 2007, making it the second poorest province in the South Central Coast (after Ninh Thuận), due to weaknesses in all major sectors of the economy (agriculture, industry, services).

[14] However, Quảng Ngãi's economy has been booming since then, due to a spectacular increase in industrial GDP from the Dung Quat Economic Zone.

It grew by 21% in 2009, increasing GDP per capita to 15.2 million VND, higher than that of its neighbours, Quảng Nam and Bình Định provinces.

[17] However, in contrast to the rest of the region, there is a lack of rich fishing grounds off the coast of Quảng Ngãi province.

Industry has grown even faster since then, due in large part to the Dung Quat Economic Zone.

Vinatex bought Đại Cát Tường, a formerly bankrupt textile manufacturer, in 2011 and plans to expand its production in Quảng Ngãi significantly.

It has its starting point at Thach Tru on National Route 1 28 km south of Quảng Ngãi City and passes through Ba Tơ district.

It serves as a fishing and small cargo port and has regular ferry connections to Lý Sơn island.

In April 2012, there have been multiple reports of an outbreak of an unknown fatal disease in the area around Ba Tơ.