Vietnam Administrative Divisions

Vietnam is divided into 8 regions, which form the top-level administrative units. These are subdivided into 5 municipalities and 58 provinces. At the next level, there are 74 provincial cities, 47 district towns, 49 urban districts, and 546 districts. The smallest administrative level consists of 1,635 wards, 632 commune towns, and 9,236 communes. Major regions include Bac Trung Bo, Dong Bac, and Dong Bang Song Cuu Long.

Vietnam has 4 administrative levels. Level 1: 8 regions. Level 2: 5 municipalities and 58 provinces. Level 3: 74 provincial cities, 47 district towns, 49 urban districts, and 546 districts. Level 4: 1,635 wards, 632 commune towns, and 9,236 communes.

Vietnam operates on a 4‑level system starting with 8 regions, then provinces, after that district towns, 70 districts, 7 provincial cities, and communes, 183 wards, 93 commune towns as the smallest administrative units.

In Vietnam, municipalities and provinces both sit at administrative level 2 but serve different functions. Municipalities — there are 5 — are typically a larger city or urban area that govern itself independently. Provinces — there are 58 — group multiple smaller municipalities under a shared administration.

Administrative boundaries in Vietnam change as governments reorganize regions, merge municipalities, or create new administrative units to reflect population shifts and political decisions. Changes most commonly affect the wards level, where Vietnam currently has 11,503 units. Businesses that rely on Vietnamese administrative data should use a regularly updated reference dataset to avoid mismatches in geocoding, tax jurisdiction mapping, and compliance reporting.