# Provinces of Vietnam

Vietnam is divided into 63 first-level subdivisions, comprising fifty-seven provinces (tỉnh) and six municipalities under the command of the central government (Vietnamese: thành phố trực thuộc trung ương). Municipalities are the highest-ranked cities in Vietnam. Municipalities are centrally-controlled cities and have special status equal to that of the provinces.
The provinces are divided into provincial cities (thành phố thuộc tỉnh), municipal cities (thành phố trực thuộc thành phố trung ương), towns/borough (thị xã), urban district (quận), and rural districts (huyện) as the second-tier units. At the third tier, a provincial city or town is divided into wards (phường), communes (xã), and townships (thị trấn).

## Governance
### Provincial Committee of the Communist Party

Provincial Committee of the Communist Party (Đảng bộ Đảng Cộng sản cấp tỉnh or Tỉnh ủy Đảng Cộng sản) is a provincial subordinate of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Since Vietnam is a one party state, the provincial committee of the Communist Party is the most prominent organ of provincial governance.
Each provincial committee of the Communist Party is headed by a Secretary (Bí thư). The Secretary is de facto leader of the province.

### People's Council

The legislative branch of a province is the People's Council (Hội đồng Nhân dân or HDND for short). The People's Council votes on the policy, regulations and orders for development of the province.
Members of the People's Council are called delegates or councillors (đại biểu) and are elected by people living within that province. It is equivalent to the legislative National Assembly of Vietnam. The People's Council is headed by a Chairman (Chủ tịch) and a Vice Chairman (Phó Chủ tịch).
The number of councillors varies from province to province, depending on the population of that province. The People's Council appoints a People's Committee, which acts as the executive arm of the provincial governance. This arrangement is a somewhat simplified version of the situation in Vietnam's national government. Provincial governments are subordinates to the central government.

### People's Committee

The executive branch of a province is the People's Committee (Uỷ ban Nhân dân or UBND for short). The People's Committee is responsible for implementing policy and executing laws and orders. The People's Committee is equivalent to the executive Government of Vietnam. People's Committee also manages the provincial departments (Sở) which are equivalent to the Ministries.
Members of the People's Committee are called commissioners (Ủy viên). The People's Committee is headed by a Chairman (Chủ tịch) and Vice Chairmen (Phó Chủ tịch), and consists of between 4 and 7 commissioners. The number of commissioners depends on the population of the province. The chairman and Vice Chairmen of the People's Committee are also councillors of the People's Council.

### People's Court

The judiciary branch of a province is the People's Court (Tòa án Nhân dân or TAND for short). The People's Court is responsible for judiciary processes and trials. The People's Court is equivalent to the judiciary Supreme People's Court of Vietnam.
The People's Court is headed by a Chief Judge (Chánh án) and consists of a number of judges (thẩm phán).

### Police Department

The provincial police department is under direct command of the Ministry of Public Security.

### Provincial Military Command
## List and statistics

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* Bạch Long Vĩ Island
* Phú Quý
* Côn Đảo
* Phú Quốc
* Thổ Chu
* Islands
* Paracel
* Islands  →
* Spratly Islands  →
* Provinces of Vietnam
* Island areas:
* -Bạch Long Vĩ Island (Haiphong Municipality [3])
* -Paracel Islands (Hoàng Sa district, Đà Nẵng Municipality [4])
* -Phú Quý Islands (Phú Quý district, Bình Thuận province [46])
* -Phú Quốc Island (Phú Quốc City, Kiên Giang province [58])
* -Thổ Chu Islands (Phú Quốc City, Kiên Giang province [58])
* -Côn Đảo Islands (Côn Đảo district, Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province [51])
* -Spratly Islands (Trường Sa district, Khánh Hòa province [43])
According to the census results of April 1, 2019, the population of Vietnam was 96,208,984. The most populous top-level administrative unit is Hồ Chí Minh City, one of the five centrally governed cities, having 9,125,000 people living within its official boundary. The second most populous administrative unit is the recently expanded Hà Nội with 8,146,000 people. Prior to the expansion of the capital city, this rank belonged to Thanh Hóa with 3,689,000 people. The least populous is Bắc Kạn, a mountainous province in the remote northeast with 338,000 people.
In land area, the largest province is Nghệ An, which runs from the city of Vinh up the wide Sông Cả valley. The smallest is Bắc Ninh, located in the populous Red River Delta region.
The following is a table of Vietnam's provinces broken down by population and area, according to the 2023 Census and the 2018 area data from Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Municipalities are written in bold.
| Province/city | Number on map | Administrative center | Area (in km$^2$) | Population | Density (/km$^2$) | % Urban | HDI (2012) | GDP per capita (2011 PPP US$) | Region |
| Bắc Giang province | 21 | Bắc Giang | 3,895.59 | 1,884,000 | 463 | 11.4 | 0.711 | 1,909.44 | Northeast |
| Bắc Kạn province | 15 | Bắc Kạn | 4,859.96 | 338,000 | 65 | 20.7 | 0.685 | 1,766.68 | Northeast |
| Cao Bằng province | 11 | Cao Bằng | 6,700.26 | 576,000 | 79 | 23.3 | 0.653 | 1,564.27 | Northeast |
| Hà Giang province | 10 | Hà Giang | 7,929.48 | 910,000 | 108 | 15.9 | 0.586 | 1,083.72 | Northeast |
| Lạng Sơn province | 12 | Lạng Sơn | 8,310.09 | 828,000 | 94 | 20.4 | 0.707 | 2,201.98 | Northeast |
| Phú Thọ province | 18 | Việt Trì | 3,534.56 | 1,515,000 | 414 | 18.1 | 0.715 | 1,916.23 | Northeast |
| Quảng Ninh province | 22 | Hạ Long | 6,178.21 | 1,387,000 | 214 | 64.1 | 0.784 | 7,834.55 | Northeast |
| Thái Nguyên province | 16 | Thái Nguyên | 3,526.64 | 1,356,000 | 365 | 31.9 | 0.741 | 2,547.11 | Northeast |
| Tuyên Quang province | 14 | Tuyên Quang | 5,867.90 | 1,056,000 | 134 | 13.8 | 0.699 | 1,948.18 | Northeast |
| Lào Cai province | 9 | Lào Cai | 6,364.03 | 898,000 | 115 | 23.5 | 0.670 | 2,767.55 | Northwest |
| Yên Bái province | 13 | Yên Bái | 6,887.46 | 950,000 | 119 | 19.8 | 0.657 | 1,845.51 | Northwest |
| Điện Biên province | 7 | Điện Biên Phủ | 9,541.25 | 705,000 | 63 | 14.4 | 0.611 | 1,589.03 | Northwest |
| Hòa Bình province | 23 | Hòa Bình | 4,590.57 | 979,000 | 186 | 15.7 | 0.715 | 2,343.13 | Northwest |
| Lai Châu province | 8 | Lai Châu | 9,068.79 | 527,000 | 51 | 17.8 | 0.560 | 1,081.84 | Northwest |
| Sơn La province | 17 | Sơn La | 14,123.49 | 1,356,000 | 88 | 13.8 | 0.634 | 1,773.90 | Northwest |
| Bắc Ninh province | 20 | Bắc Ninh | 822.71 | 1,447,000 | 1,664 | 27.5 | 0.771 | 4,451.41 | Red River Delta |
| Hà Nam province | 27 | Phủ Lý | 861.93 | 945,000 | 989 | 16.7 | 0.724 | 2,131.93 | Red River Delta |
| Hải Dương province | 25 | Hải Dương | 1,668.24 | 2,003,000 | 1,134 | 25.2 | 0.746 | 2,513.92 | Red River Delta |
| Hưng Yên province | 24 | Hưng Yên | 930.22 | 1,340,000 | 1,347 | 12.2 | 0.743 | 2,503.79 | Red River Delta |
| Nam Định province | 28 | Nam Định | 1,668.57 | 1,852,000 | 1,067 | 18.2 | 0.726 | 1,904.97 | Red River Delta |
| Ninh Bình province | 29 | Hoa Lư | 1,386.79 | 1,102,000 | 708 | 21 | 0.733 | 2,478.79 | Red River Delta |
| Thái Bình province | 26 | Thái Bình | 1,586.35 | 1,934,000 | 1,173 | 10.6 | 0.738 | 2,090.86 | Red River Delta |
| Vĩnh Phúc province | 19 | Vĩnh Yên | 1,235.87 | 1,296,000 | 932 | 25.6 | 0.764 | 3,990.61 | Red River Delta |
| Hanoi | 1 | Hoàn Kiếm district | 3,358.60 | 8,146,000 | 2,398 | 49.2 | 0.794 | 3,923.21 | Red River Delta |
| Haiphong | 3 | Hồng Bàng district | 1,561.76 | 2,138,000 | 1,299 | 45.6 | 0.773 | 3,849.18 | Red River Delta |
| Hà Tĩnh province | 32 | Hà Tĩnh | 5,990.67 | 1,402,000 | 215 | 19.5 | 0.725 | 2,117.32 | North Central Coast |
| Nghệ An province | 31 | Vinh | 16,481.41 | 3,399,000 | 202 | 14.7 | 0.715 | 2,379.59 | North Central Coast |
| Quảng Bình province | 33 | Đồng Hới | 8,065.3 | 992,000 | 112 | 21 | 0.716 | 2,203.01 | North Central Coast |
| Quảng Trị province | 34 | Đông Hà | 4,621.72 | 687,000 | 137 | 30.9 | 0.696 | 2,672.10 | North Central Coast |
| Thanh Hóa province | 30 | Thanh Hóa | 11,114.65 | 3,689,000 | 328 | 14.9 | 0.716 | 2,434.69 | North Central Coast |
| Huế | 6 | Thuận Hóa district | 4,902.44 | 1,257,000 | 230 | 49.5 | 0.735 | 3,072.58 | North Central Coast |
| Đắk Lắk province | 41 | Buôn Ma Thuột | 13,030.50 | 2,016,000 | 143 | 24.7 | 0.708 | 2,555.78 | Central Highlands |
| Đăk Nông province | 42 | Gia Nghĩa | 6,509.27 | 670,000 | 96 | 15.2 | 0.710 | 3,000.70 | Central Highlands |
| Gia Lai province | 38 | Pleiku | 15,510.99 | 1,586,000 | 98 | 29 | 0.689 | 3,023.20 | Central Highlands |
| Kon Tum province | 37 | Kon Tum | 9,674.18 | 589,000 | 56 | 32 | 0.656 | 2,075.42 | Central Highlands |
| Lâm Đồng province | 44 | Đà Lạt | 9,783.34 | 1,390,000 | 133 | 39.2 | 0.735 | 3,331.80 | Central Highlands |
| Bình Định province | 39 | Quy Nhon | 6,066.21 | 1,679,000 | 245 | 31.9 | 0.742 | 3,089.10 | South Central Coast |
| Bình Thuận province | 46 | Phan Thiết | 7,943.93 | 1,498,000 | 155 | 38.1 | 0.732 | 3,090.17 | South Central Coast |
| Khánh Hòa province | 43 | Nha Trang | 5,137.79 | 1,371,000 | 240 | 42.2 | 0.752 | 4,180.68 | South Central Coast |
| Ninh Thuận province | 45 | Phan Rang–Tháp Chàm | 3,355.34 | 720,000 | 176 | 35.8 | 0.695 | 2,402.34 | South Central Coast |
| Phú Yên province | 40 | Tuy Hòa | 5,023.42 | 1,056,000 | 174 | 28.7 | 0.728 | 2,541.80 | South Central Coast |
| Quảng Nam province | 35 | Tam Kỳ | 10,574.86 | 1,697,000 | 141 | 25.4 | 0.745 | 3,192.34 | South Central Coast |
| Quảng Ngãi province | 36 | Quảng Ngãi | 5,155.78 | 1,355,000 | 239 | 16.3 | 0.718 | 3,516.44 | South Central Coast |
| Da Nang | 4 | Hải Châu district | 1,284.88 | 1,294,000 | 883 | 87.2 | 0.803 | 4,811.58 | South Central Coast |
| Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province | 51 | Bà Rịa | 1,980.98 | 1,303,000 | 580 | 58.4 | 0.901 | 36,786.39 | Southeast |
| Bình Dương province | 49 | Thủ Dầu Một | 2,694.64 | 2,564,000 | 901 | 80 | 0.751 | 3,663.54 | Southeast |
| Bình Phước province | 47 | Đồng Xoài | 6,876.76 | 1,313,000 | 145 | 23.7 | 0.734 | 3,606.56 | Southeast |
| Đồng Nai province | 50 | Biên Hòa | 5,863.60 | 3,227,000 | 528 | 32.9 | 0.763 | 3,485.16 | Southeast |
| Tây Ninh province | 48 | Tây Ninh | 4,041.25 | 1,207,000 | 289 | 17.7 | 0.744 | 4,058.65 | Southeast |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 2 | District 1 | 2,061.41 | 9,125,000 | 4,363 | 79.2 | 0.820 | 7,147.09 | Southeast |
| An Giang province | 56 | Long Xuyên | 3,536.68 | 2,057,000 | 540 | 31.6 | 0.730 | 3,791.46 | Mekong Delta |
| Bạc Liêu province | 62 | Bạc Liêu | 2,669.01 | 1,105,000 | 340 | 27.7 | 0.742 | 3,701.98 | Mekong Delta |
| Bến Tre province | 55 | Bến Tre | 2,394.81 | 1,331,000 | 538 | 9.8 | 0.750 | 2,978.48 | Mekong Delta |
| Cà Mau province | 63 | Cà Mau | 5,221.19 | 1,369,000 | 229 | 22.7 | 0.743 | 3,121.66 | Mekong Delta |
| Đồng Tháp province | 53 | Cao Lãnh | 3,383.85 | 1,838,000 | 473 | 19.1 | 0.718 | 2,240.56 | Mekong Delta |
| Hậu Giang province | 59 | Vị Thanh | 1,621.70 | 853,000 | 452 | 25.4 | 0.743 | 2,943.84 | Mekong Delta |
| Kiên Giang province | 58 | Rạch Giá | 6,348.78 | 1,789,000 | 271 | 28.3 | 0.750 | 4,336.43 | Mekong Delta |
| Long An province | 52 | Tân An | 4,494.94 | 1,730,000 | 376 | 16.1 | 0.764 | 4,012.39 | Mekong Delta |
| Sóc Trăng province | 61 | Sóc Trăng | 3,311.88 | 1,256,000 | 362 | 32.4 | 0.715 | 2,835.46 | Mekong Delta |
| Tiền Giang province | 54 | Mỹ Tho | 2,510.61 | 1,898,000 | 703 | 14 | 0.770 | 3,781.77 | Mekong Delta |
| Trà Vinh province | 60 | Trà Vinh | 2,358.26 | 1,067,000 | 428 | 17.2 | 0.717 | 2,662.89 | Mekong Delta |
| Vĩnh Long province | 57 | Vĩnh Long | 1,525.73 | 1,100,000 | 670 | 16.6 | 0.757 | 3,360.01 | Mekong Delta |
| Cần Thơ | 5 | Ninh Kiều district | 1,438.96 | 1,456,000 | 858 | 69.7 | 0.788 | 6,260.52 | Mekong Delta |

## Regions

The Vietnamese government often groups the various provinces into eight regions, which are often grouped into three macro-regions: Northern, Central and Southern. These regions are not always used, and alternative classifications are possible. The regions include:
Regions of Vietnam :
| Macro-region | Region | provinces included | Area (km$^2$) | Population (April 1, 2023) | Population density (people /km$^2$) | Notes |
| Northern Vietnam (Bắc Bộ, Miền Bắc) | Northwest (Tây Bắc Bộ) | Điện Biên Hòa Bình Lai Châu Lào Cai Sơn La Yên Bái | 44,301.1 | 5,415,000 | 100.37 | Contains inland provinces in the west of Vietnam's northern region. Two of them are along Vietnam's border with Laos, and three border China (Dien Bien borders both China and Laos). |
| Northern Vietnam (Bắc Bộ, Miền Bắc) | Northeast (Đông Bắc Bộ) | Bắc Giang Bắc Kạn Cao Bằng Hà Giang Lạng Sơn Phú Thọ Quảng Ninh Thái Nguyên Tuyên Quang | 50,684.1 | 9,850,000 | 169.05 | Contains most of the mountainous provinces that lie to north of the highly populated Red River lowlands. Four of them are along Vietnam's border with China. |
| Northern Vietnam (Bắc Bộ, Miền Bắc) | Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng Sông Hồng) | Bắc Ninh Hà Nam Hanoi Hải Dương Haiphong Hưng Yên Nam Định Ninh Bình Thái Bình Vĩnh Phúc | 14,957.7 | 22,203,000 | 1,318.00 | Contains the small but populous provinces along the mouth of the Red River. The Red River Delta has the smallest area but highest population and population density of all regions. It is also the only region without any land borders with neighbouring countries. |
| Central Vietnam (Trung Bộ, Miền Trung) | North Central (Bắc Trung Bộ) | Hà Tĩnh Nghệ An Quảng Bình Quảng Trị Thanh Hóa Huế | 51,455.6 | 11,426,000 | 203.53 | Contains the coastal provinces in the northern half of Vietnam's narrow central part. They all stretch from the coast in the east to Laos in the west. |
| Central Vietnam (Trung Bộ, Miền Trung) | South Central Coast (Duyên hải Nam Trung Bộ) | Bình Định Bình Thuận Da Nang Khánh Hòa Ninh Thuận Phú Yên Quảng Nam Quảng Ngãi | 44,376.8 | 10,670,000 | 206.98 | Contains the coastal provinces in the southern half of Vietnam's central part. One province borders Laos. |
| Central Vietnam (Trung Bộ, Miền Trung) | Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên) | Đắk Lắk Đắk Nông Gia Lai Kon Tum Lâm Đồng | 54,641.0 | 6,251,000 | 102.63 | Contains the mountainous provinces to the west of south-central Vietnam. There are a significant number of ethnic minorities in the region. One province is along Vietnam's border with Laos, and four border Cambodia (Kon Tum borders both Laos and Cambodia). |
| Southern Vietnam (Nam Bộ, Miền Nam) | Southeast (Đông Nam Bộ, Miền Đông) | Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Bình Dương Bình Phước Đồng Nai Ho Chi Minh City  Tây Ninh | 23,590.7 | 18,739,000 | 683.65 | Contains those parts of lowland southern Vietnam which are north of the Mekong delta. Two provinces border Cambodia. |
| Southern Vietnam (Nam Bộ, Miền Nam) | Mekong River Delta (Đồng Bằng Sông Cửu Long) or Southwest (Tây Nam Bộ, Miền Tây) | An Giang Bến Tre Bạc Liêu Cà Mau Cần Thơ Đồng Tháp Hậu Giang Kiên Giang Long An Sóc Trăng Tiền Giang Trà Vinh Vĩnh Long | 40,576.0 | 18,849,000 | 434.00 | Vietnam's southernmost region, mostly containing small but populous provinces in the delta of the Mekong. It is sometimes referred to as the Southwest region (Tây Nam Bộ). Four provinces border Cambodia. |
^† Municipality (thành phố trực thuộc trung ương)

## Historical provinces of Vietnam

* Ái Châu – existed during the third Chinese domination.
* An Xuyên – existed from 1956 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Bắc Thái – administrative grouping of Bắc Kạn and Thái Nguyên provinces between 1965 and 1996.
* Biên Hòa – existed from 1832 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Bình Trị Thiên – administrative grouping of Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên – Huế provinces between 1976 and 1992.
* Bình Tuy – existed from 1956 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Chợ Lớn – existed from 1900 until 1957.
* Chương Thiện – existed from 1961 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Cửu Long – administrative grouping of Vĩnh Long and Vĩnh Bình provinces between 1976 and 1992.
* Định Tường – existed from 1832 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Gia Định – existed from 1832, became Hồ Chí Minh City following the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Gia Lai – Kon Tum – administrative grouping of Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces between 1975 and 1991.
* Gò Công – existed from 1900 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Hà Bắc – administrative grouping of Bắc Giang and Bắc Ninh provinces between 1962 and 1996.
* Hà Đông – existed from 1904 until 1965.
* Hà Sơn Binh – administrative grouping of Hà Tây (old) and Hòa Bình provinces between 1975 and 1991.
* Hà Tây – existed from 1965 to 1975 and 1991 until 2008, when it was merged into Hà Nội.
* Hải Hưng – administrative grouping of Hải Dương and Hưng Yên provinces between 1968 and 1996.
* Hậu Nghĩa – existed from 1963 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Hoàng Liên Sơn – administrative grouping of Lào Cai and Yên Bái provinces between 1975 and 1991.
* Hưng Hóa – existed from 1831 until 1903.
* Long Khánh – existed from 1956, became Đồng Nai province following the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Minh Hải – administrative grouping of Cà Mau and Bạc Liêu provinces between 1976 and 1996.
* Nghệ Tĩnh – administrative grouping of Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh provinces between 1976 and 1991.
* Nghĩa Bình – administrative grouping of Quảng Ngãi and Bình Định provinces between 1975 and 1989.
* Phú Bổn – in 1962 split from Pleiku province until 1976.
* Phú Khánh – administrative grouping of Phú Yên and Khánh Hòa provinces between 1975 and 1989.
* Phước Long – existed from 1956 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Phước Thành – existed from 1959 until 1965.
* Phước Tuy – existed from 1956 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Quảng Đức – existed from 1959 until 1976.
* Quảng Nam–Đà Nẵng/Quảng Đà – administrative grouping of Quảng Nam provinces and Đà Nẵng city, between 1975 and 1996.
* Quảng Tín – existed from 1962 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Sa Đéc – existed from 1900 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Sông Bé – administrative grouping of Bình Dương and Bình Phước provinces between 1976 and 1997.
* Tân An – existed from 1900 until 1956.
* Thừa Thiên Huế, the southernmost province of Vietnam's North Central Coast region, existed until 2025 of which the whole province is now direct-controlled as a municipality.
* Thuận Hải – administrative grouping of Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận provinces between 1975 and 1991.
* Tuyên Đức – existed from 1958 until 1976.
* Vĩnh Bình – existed from 1956 until the Vietnamese reunification of 1976.
* Vĩnh Phú – administrative grouping of Vĩnh Phúc and Phú Thọ provinces between 1968 and 1996.