The Vietnamese government often groups the variousprovinces andmunicipalities into three regions:Northern Vietnam,Central Vietnam, andSouthern Vietnam. These regions can be further subdivided into eight subregions:Northeast Vietnam,Northwest Vietnam, theRed River Delta, theNorth Central Coast, theSouth Central Coast, theCentral Highlands,Southeast Vietnam, and theMekong River Delta. These regions are not always used, and alternative classifications are possible. Other classifications used can be: Northern, Central, Southern, and Mekong.
Northern- Hanoi, Hai Phong, Phu Tho, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Hung Yen, Son La, Ninh Binh, Tuyen Quang, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Dien Bien, Cao Bang, Lai Chau
Central- Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Gia Lai, Ha Tinh, Quang Ngai, Da Nang, Hue, Quang Tri
Southern- Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa, Tay Ninh
Mekong- An Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Ca Mau, Vinh Long
| Region | Subregion | Provinces | Area (km2)[1][2] | Population (2022)[1] | Density (people per km2) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Vietnam (Bắc Bộ, Miền Bắc) | Northeast (Đông Bắc Bộ) | 50,826.38 | 9,474,710 | 186.41 | It contains most of the mountainous provinces that lie to north of the Red River lowlands. | |
| Northwest (Tây Bắc Bộ) | 50,565.71 | 4,911,370 | 97.13 | It contains inland provinces in the west of Vietnam's northern part. Two provinces borderLaos, and three borderChina. | ||
| Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng Sông Hồng) | 15,070.70 | 22,091,250 | 1,465.84 | It contains small but populous provinces in theThái Bình river system andRed River system. The Red River Delta has the smallest area but highest population and population density of all regions. | ||
| Central Vietnam (Trung Bộ, Miền Trung) | North Central Coast (Bắc Trung Bộ) | 51,242.75 | 11,190,830 | 218.39 | It contains the coastal provinces in the northern half of Vietnam's narrow central part. They all stretch from the coast in the east toLaos in the west. | |
| South Central Coast (Duyên hải Nam Trung Bộ) | 44,605.12 | 9,470,840 | 212.33 | It contains the coastal provinces in the southern half of Vietnam's central part. | ||
| Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên) | 54,548.31 | 6,092,420 | 111.69 | It contains mountainous inland provinces of south-central Vietnam. The region has a high concentration of ethnic minorities. | ||
| Southern Vietnam (Nam Bộ, Miền Nam) | Southeast (Đông Nam Bộ, Miền Đông) | 23,551.42 | 18,810,780 | 798.71 | It contains the lowland parts of southern Vietnam north of the Mekong delta. | |
| Mekong River Delta (Đồng Bằng Sông Cửu Long) orSouthwest (Tây Nam Bộ, Miền Tây) | 40,922.58 | 17,432,120 | 425.98 | It is Vietnam's southernmost region, mostly containing small but populous provinces in theMekong delta. It is sometimes referred to as the Southwest region (Tây Nam Bộ, Miền Tây). |
| Name | Population (2022)[1] | Area (km2)[1][2] |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Vietnam (Bắc Bộ) | ||
| Northeast Vietnam (Đông Bắc Bộ) | ||
| Cao Bằng | 543,050 | 6,700.39 |
| Lạng Sơn | 802,090 | 8,310.18 |
| Phú Thọ | 1,516,920 | 3,534.56 |
| Quảng Ninh | 1,362,880 | 6,207.93 |
| Thái Nguyên | 1,335,990 | 3,521.97 |
| Tuyên Quang | 805,780 | 5,867.95 |
| Northwest Vietnam (Tây Bắc Bộ) | ||
| Điện Biên | 635,920 | 9,539.93 |
| Lai Châu | 482,100 | 9,068.73 |
| Lào Cai | 770,590 | 6,364.25 |
| Sơn La | 1,300,130 | 14,109.83 |
| Red River Delta (Đồng bằng sông Hồng) | ||
| Bắc Ninh | 1,488,200 | 822.71 |
| Hưng Yên | 1,290,850 | 930.20 |
| Ninh Bình | 1,010,700 | 1,411.78 |
| Hà Nội (municipality) | 8,435,650 | 3,359.84 |
| Hải Phòng (municipality) | 2,088,020 | 1,526.52 |
| Central Vietnam (Trung Bộ) | ||
| North Central Coastal Vietnam (Bắc Trung Bộ) | ||
| Hà Tĩnh | 1,323,750 | 5,994.45 |
| Nghệ An | 3,419,990 | 16,486.49 |
| Quảng Trị | 650,950 | 4,701.23 |
| Thanh Hóa | 3,722,060 | 11,114.71 |
| Huế | 1,160,220 | 4,947.11 |
| South Central Coastal Vietnam (Duyên hải Nam Trung Bộ) | ||
| Khánh Hòa | 1,253,970 | 5,199.62 |
| Quảng Ngãi | 1,245,650 | 5,155.25 |
| Đà Nẵng (municipality) | 1,220,190 | 1,284.73 |
| Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên) | ||
| Đắk Lắk | 1,918,440 | 13,070.41 |
| Gia Lai | 1,590,980 | 15,510.13 |
| Lâm Đồng | 1,332,530 | 9,781.20 |
| Southern Vietnam (Nam Bộ) | ||
| Southeast Vietnam (Đông Nam Bộ) | ||
| Đồng Nai | 3,255,810 | 5,863.62 |
| Tây Ninh | 1,188,760 | 4,041.65 |
| Hồ Chí Minh City (municipality) | 9,389,720 | 2,095.39 |
| Mekong River Delta (Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long)1 | ||
| An Giang | 1,905,520 | 3,536.82 |
| Cà Mau | 1,207,630 | 5,274.51 |
| Đồng Tháp | 1,600,170 | 3,382.28 |
| Vĩnh Long | 1,028,820 | 1,525.73 |
| Cần Thơ (municipality) | 1,252,350 | 1,440.40 |
1 – a.k.a. Southwest Vietnam (Tây Nam Bộ)