Subdivisions of Vietnam


is divided into 28 provinces and 6 cities. It is a unitary state.

Administrative units (from 1 July 2025)

Pursuant to the constitution, there are two levels of administrative divisions in Vietnam: provinces and communes. Depending on the level of urbanisation, each level of administrative division comprises multiple types of administrative units:

First level

On the first level, there are 6 cities/municipalities and 28 provinces as of 12 June 2025.

Second level

Both municipalities and provinces are subdivided into wards, communes and special administrative regions. As of July 1, 2025, there are 3,321 second-level units with 687 wards, 2,621 communes and 13 special administrative regions.

Before 1 July 2025

Second level

Municipalities are subdivided into district-level cities, urban districts of Vietnam|urban districts], towns, and rural districts. There is no official capital or seat of the municipality but local authority headquarters are usually located in one or more central urban districts.
Provinces are subdivided into district-level cities, towns, and rural districts. Currently, all provinces have their capitals in a district-level city, although some were previously towns.
As of 1 September 2024, there are 704 second-tier units.
As urbanisation progresses, rural districts may be reclassified as towns, then to provincial cities. Note that the term
From 1 July 2025, as a result of a constitutional amendment and related legislation, all district-level administrative subdivisions ceased to exist.

Third level

Urban districts are subdivided into wards, while cities and towns are subdivided into wards and communes. Rural districts are subdivided into townships and communes. Only rural districts have designated capitals, usually in a township.
As of 1 September 2024, there are 10,542 third-level units with 1,775 wards, 618 townships and 8,149 communes.
Townships are known as thị trấn in Vietnamese, but less common type of townships are farm townships. These were formerly more common during the planned economy era.
A fourth, unofficial tier also exists, with categories translated as hamlets, villages and neighbourhoods.

Geographic regions

For various administrative, planning, and statistical purposes, the Vietnamese government often groups its cities and municipalities into 3 geographic regions and 8 geographic sub-regions:
Geographic regionGeographic sub-region
Northern Vietnam Northeast
Northern Vietnam Northwest
Northern Vietnam Red River Delta
Central Vietnam North Central Coast
Central Vietnam South Central Coast
Central Vietnam Central Highlands
Southern Vietnam Southeast
Southern Vietnam Mekong River Delta

Other subdivisions

Vietnam is also divided into electoral divisions and military regions.

Electoral divisions

For electoral purposes, each province or municipality is divided into electoral units which are further divided into voting zones. The number of electoral divisions varies from election to election and depends on the population of that province or municipality.
Since the 2011 National Assembly election, there have been 183 electoral units and 89,960 voting zones.

Military regions

is organised into 8 military regions: