Vietnam is divided into 58 provinces and 5 municipalities. It is a unitary state, so there is no such thing as a state or self-governing provinces.
Officially, Vietnam is divided into three administrative levels: provincial, municipal, and sub-municipal. Different types of administrative unit are designated to each level:
A fourth, unofficial tier also exists, including hamlets (xóm, ấp), villages (làng, thôn, bản) and neighborhoods (tổ dân phố, khu phố).
| + Administrative hierarchy | |||
| Level | Provincial level | Municipal level | Sub-municipal level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Autonomous municipality (Thành phố trực thuộc trung ương) | Satellite city (Vietnamese: Thành phố thuộc thành phố trực thuộc trung ương) | Ward (Phường) |
| Urban district/borough (Vietnamese: Quận) | Ward (Phường) | ||
| Satellite town (Vietnamese: Thị xã) | Ward (Phường) | ||
| Commune (Xã) | |||
| Rural district/county (Vietnamese: Huyện) | Sub-municipal town/township (Thị trấn) | ||
| Commune (Xã) | |||
| Province (Tỉnh) | Municipal city (Vietnamese: Thành phố thuộc tỉnh) | Ward (Phường) | |
| Commune (Xã) | |||
| Municipal town (Vietnamese: Thị xã) | Ward (Phường) | ||
| Commune (Xã) | |||
| Rural district/county (Vietnamese: Huyện) | Sub-municipal town/township (Thị trấn) | ||
| Commune (Xã) |
See also: Municipalities of Vietnam and Provinces of Vietnam. On the First Tier, there are 5 municipalities and 58 provinces
See also: List of district-level subdivisions in Vietnam. Municipalities are subdivided into: District-level city (Municipal city), Urban District (Borough), District-level town (Town) and District (County). There is no official capital of the municipality but usually the seat of the local authority is located at the central urban district.
Provinces are subdivided into: District-level city (City), District-level town (Town) and District (County). Normally, the Provincial City or Town is the capital of that province.
Based on latest sources of General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO), there are 707 Second Tier units.[2]
The Rural District can be upgraded to Town, which can be upgraded to Provincial City.
See also: Commune-level subdivisions (Vietnam). Urban Districts are subdivided into: Ward, while Towns are subdivided into: Ward and Commune. Rural Districts are subdivided into: Township and Commune.
There is no designated capital for Urban District and Rural District, but usually the seat of the local authority is located at the central ward or township. Similarly, there is no designated capital for Provincial City or Town, but usually the seat of the local authority is located at the central ward.
As of 2020, GSO indicated that there are 10,614 Third Tier units with 1,712 wards, 605 townships and 8,297 communes.[2]
Townships are known as thị trấn in Vietnamese, but less common type of townships are farm townships (thị trấn nông trường).[3]
The Commune can be upgraded to Township or Ward.
Vietnam is also divided into electoral divisions and military regions.
See main article: Regions of Vietnam. Geographically, Socialist Republic of Vietnam is divided into 3 regions but, the Vietnamese government often divides it into 8 administrative regions:
| Geographical Region | Administrative Region |
|---|---|
| Northern Vietnam (Bắc Bộ, Miền Bắc) | Northeast (Đông Bắc Bộ) |
| Northwest (Tây Bắc Bộ) | |
| Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng Sông Hồng) | |
| Central Vietnam (Trung Bộ, Miền Trung) | North Central Coast (Bắc Trung Bộ) |
| South Central Coast (Duyên hải Nam Trung Bộ) | |
| Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên) | |
| Southern Vietnam (Nam Bộ, Miền Nam) | Southeast (Đông Nam Bộ, Miền Đông) |
| Mekong River Delta (Đồng Bằng Sông Cửu Long) or Southwest (Tây Nam Bộ, Miền Tây) |
Within each administrative region, they comprises the various First Tier administrative units.
See main article: Electoral divisions of Vietnam. For electoral purpose, each province or municipality is divided into electoral units (đơn vị bầu cử) which are further divided into voting zones (khu vực bỏ phiếu). The number of electoral divisions varies from election to election and depends on the population of that province or municipality.
Since the parliamentary election in 2011, there are 183 electoral units and 89,960 voting zones.
Vietnam People's Army is organised into 8 military regions: