Indochine_fran%25C3%25A7aise_bpt6k11001779_67.jpg)
Northern Vietnam (Vietnamese:Bắc Bộ) is one of three geographicalregions inVietnam. It consists of three sub-regions: the Northwest (vùng Tây Bắc), the Northeast (vùng Đông Bắc), and theRed River Delta (Đồng bằng sông Hồng). Unlike tropical Southern Vietnam, Northern Vietnam has asubtropical climate.[1]
The region was historically referred to by various names in Vietnamese:Bắc Kỳ during theNguyễn dynasty,Bắc Bộ from 1945 to the present (encompassing theEmpire of Vietnam and theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam), andBắc Phần, sometimesBắc Việt, during theState of Vietnam.
It has a total area of about 109,942.9 km2. The region's largest city,Hanoi, serves as the country's capital. Among the three geographical regions, the oldest is Northern Vietnam.Vietnamese culture originated in the Red River Delta and theKinh Vietnamese eventually spread south into theMekong Delta.[2]
Northern Vietnam includes three administrativeregions, which in turn comprise 25 First Tier units.
| Administrative Region | First Tier Administrative Units | Area (km2)[3][4] | Population (2022)[3] | Population Density (people/ km2) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast (Đông Bắc Bộ) | Bắc Giang | 50,826.38 | 9,474,710 | 186.41 | 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 withChina. |
| Northwest (Tây Bắc Bộ) | 50,565.71 | 4,911,370 | 97.13 | contains inland provinces in the west of Vietnam's northern part. Three of them are along Vietnam's border withLaos, and two borderChina (Dien Bien borders both China and Laos). | |
| Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng Sông Hồng) | Bắc Ninh | 15,070.70 | 22,091,250 | 1,465.84 | contains the small but populous provinces along the mouth of theRed 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 neighboring countries. |
^†Municipality (thành phố trực thuộc trung ương)
Of all 25 First Tier units, two are municipalities and 23 are provinces.
