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Updates: 

Update 8 to Geopolitical Entities and Codes, the successor to FIPS standard 10-4, is dated 2012-05-01. It deleted the FIPS code for Ha Tay province. ISO 3166-2 deleted its code for Ha Tay on 2014-11-03. In the same update, ISO added diacritics as needed to the province names.

Update 15 to the GEC, the successor to the FIPS standard, is dated 2014-03-31. It changes the spelling of one province from Dac Lak to Dak Lak (with diacritics that I am not currently able to display).

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter II-3 is dated 2011-12-15. For Vietnam, the five municipalities have been given new ISO codes that are alphabetic rather than numeric. Previously, their codes were 48 for Can Tho, 60 for Da Nang, 62 for Haiphong, 64 for Hanoi, and 65 for Ho Chi Minh. This update doesn't reflect the removal of Ha Tay province.

FIPS 10-4 Change Notice 12, dated 2007-06-11, has FIPS codes for the three new provinces. The table has been updated accordingly. The standard also designates Can Tho and Da Nang as municipalities rather than provinces.

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter number I-7 was published on 2005-09-13. It provides codes for the three new provinces created in 2003 (and reported here on 2003-11-27).

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter Number I-2 was published on 2002-05-21. The only change to Vietnamese provinces is a spelling correction, changing "thanh po" to "thanh pho" in the formal name of Ho Chi Minh.

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter Number I-1 was published on 2000-06-21. The original ISO 3166-2 standard had assigned the same code, 24, to both Quang Binh and Quang Ninh provinces. The update changes the code for Quang Ninh to 13 to avoid duplication.

Country overview: 

Short name	VIETNAM
ISO code	VN
FIPS code	VM
Language	Vietnamese (vi)
Time zone	+7
Capital	Hanoi

 

Vietnam was part of French Indo-China in 1900. It attained partial independence in 1949. In 1954, the French, tired of fighting the Communists in the north, but unwilling to abandon the country to them, agreed to partition it along the 17th parallel. The parts were North Vietnam (capital Hanoi) and South Vietnam (Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City). Conflict continued until the two countries were formally united on 1976-07-02.

Other names of country: 

1. Danish: Vietnam
2. Dutch: Vietnam, Socialistische Republiek Vietnam (formal)
3. English: Vietnam, Viet Nam (variant), Socialist Republic of Vietnam (formal)
4. Finnish: Vietnam
5. French: Viêt Nam m
6. German: Vietnam n
7. Icelandic: Víetnam
8. Italian: Vietnam m
9. Norwegian: Den sosialistiske republikk Vietnam (formal) (Bokmål), Den sosialistiske republikken Vietnam (formal) (Nynorsk), Vietnam
10. Portuguese: Vietname, Vietnam, Vietnã m (Brazil), República f Socialista do Vietname m (formal)
11. Russian: Социалистическая Республика Вьетнам (formal)
12. Spanish: Vietnam m, República f Socialista de Viet Nam m (formal)
13. Swedish: Vietnam
14. Turkish: Vietnam, Vietnam Sosyalist Cumhuriyeti (formal)
15. Vietnamese: Công Hòa Xã Hôi Chu Nghia Viêt Nam (formal)

Origin of name: 

Vietnamese viet: foreigner, nam: south, applied by Chinese to foreigners from the south

Primary subdivisions: 

Vietnam is divided into tinh (provinces) and thu do (formerly called thanh pho; municipalities).

Province	HASC	ISO	FIPS	Post	Pop-2009	Pop-1999	Area(km.²)	Area(mi.²)	Capital	Part	1965 Prov.
An Giang	VN.AG	44	VM01	94	2,144,772	2,049,039	3,537	1,366	Long Xuyen	S-C	An Giang
Bac Can	VN.BK	53	VM72	17	294,660	275,250	4,859	1,876	Bac Can	N-T	Bac Can
Bac Giang	VN.BG	54	VM71	21	1,555,720	1,492,191	3,828	1,478	Bac Giang	N-T	Bac Giang
Bac Lieu	VN.BL	55	VM73	99	856,250	736,325	2,502	966	Bac Lieu	S-C	Ba Xuyen
Bac Ninh	VN.BN	56	VM74	16	1,024,151	941,389	823	318	Bac Ninh	N-T	Bac Ninh
Ba Ria-Vung Tau	VN.BV	43	VM45	74	994,837	800,568	1,987	767	Vung Tau	S-C	Phuoc Tuy
Ben Tre	VN.BR	50	VM03	83	1,254,589	1,296,914	2,360	911	Ben Tre	S-C	Kien Hoa
Binh Dinh	VN.BD	31	VM46	53	1,485,943	1,461,046	6,040	2,332	Qui Nhon	S-A	Binh Dinh
Binh Duong	VN.BI	57	VM75	72	1,482,636	716,427	2,695	1,041	Thu Dau Mot	S-C	Binh Duong
Binh Phuoc	VN.BP	58	VM76	77	874,961	653,644	6,875	2,654	Dong Xoai	S-C	Binh Long, Phuoc Long
Binh Thuan	VN.BU	40	VM47	62	1,169,450	1,047,040	7,810	3,015	Phan Thiet	S-A	Binh Thuan, Binh Tuy
Ca Mau	VN.CM	59	VM77	96	1,205,108	1,117,829	5,332	2,059	Ca Mau	S-C	An Xuyen
Can Tho	VN.CN	CT	VM87	92	1,187,089	1,112,000	1,402	541	Can Tho	S-C	Chuong Thien, Phong Dinh
Cao Bang	VN.CB	04	VM05	22	510,884	490,700	6,725	2,597	Cao Bang	N-T	Cao Bang
Dac Lac	VN.DC	33	VM88	55	1,728,380	1,666,800	13,125	5,068	Buon Ma Thuot	S-A	Daklak, Darlac, Quang Duc
Dac Nong	VN.DO	72	VM91	55	489,442	362,110	6,516	2,516	Gia Nghia	S-A	Daklak, Darlac, Quang Duc
Da Nang	VN.DA	DN	VM78	59	887,069	684,131	1,283	495	Da Nang	S-A	Quang Nam
Dien Bien	VN.DB	71	VM92	28	491,046	440,330	9,563	3,692	Dien Bien Phu	N-T	Lai Chau
Dong Nai	VN.DN	39	VM43	71	2,483,211	1,989,541	5,903	2,279	Bien Hoa	S-C	Bien Hoa, Long Khanh, Phuoc Thanh
Dong Thap	VN.DT	45	VM09	93	1,665,420	1,564,977	3,375	1,303	Cao Lanh	S-C	Kien Phong
Gia Lai	VN.GL	30	VM49	54	1,272,792	971,920	15,537	5,999	Pleiku	S-A	Phu Bon, Pleiku
Ha Giang	VN.HG	03	VM50	29	724,353	602,700	7,946	3,068	Ha Giang	N-T	Ha Giang
Hai Duong	VN.HD	61	VM79	34	1,703,492	1,649,779	1,650	637	Hai Duong	N-T	Hai Duong
Haiphong	VN.HP	HP	VM13	35	1,837,302	1,672,992	1,522	588	Haiphong	N-T	Kien An
Ha Nam	VN.HM	63	VM80	30	785,057	791,618	860	332	Phu Ly	N-T	Phu Ly
Hanoi	VN.HI	HN	VM44	10	6,448,837	5,058,892	3,345	1,292	Hanoi	N-T	Hanoi, Ha Dong, Son Tay
Ha Tinh	VN.HT	23	VM52	43	1,227,554	1,269,013	6,026	2,327	Ha Tinh	N-A	Ha Tinh
Hau Giang	VN.HU	73	VM93	92	756,625	766,100	1,601	618	Vi Thanh	S-C	Chuong Thien, Phong Dinh
Hoa Binh	VN.HO	14	VM53	13	786,964	757,637	4,595	1,774	Hoa Binh	N-T	Hoa Binh
Ho Chi Minh	VN.HC	SG	VM20	70	7,123,340	5,037,155	2,096	809	Ho Chi Minh City	S-C	Bien Hoa, Gia Dinh, Hau Nghia
Hung Yen	VN.HY	66	VM81	39	1,128,702	1,068,705	923	356	Hung Yen	N-T	Hung Yen
Khanh Hoa	VN.KH	34	VM54	57	1,156,903	1,031,262	5,218	2,015	Nha Trang	S-A	Khanh Hoa
Kien Giang	VN.KG	47	VM21	95	1,683,149	1,494,433	6,346	2,450	Rach Gia	S-C	Kien Giang
Kon Tum	VN.KT	28	VM55	58	430,037	314,042	9,691	3,742	Kon Tum	S-A	Kontum
Lai Chau	VN.LI	01	VM89	28	370,135	313,510	9,112	3,518	Phong Tho	N-T	Lai Chau
Lam Dong	VN.LD	35	VM23	61	1,186,786	996,219	9,772	3,773	Da Lat	S-A	Lam Dong, Tuyen Duc
Lang Son	VN.LS	09	VM39	20	731,887	704,643	8,324	3,214	Lang Son	N-T	Lang Son
Lao Cai	VN.LO	02	VM90	19	613,075	594,637	6,384	2,465	Lao Cai	N-T	Lao Cai
Long An	VN.LA	41	VM24	81	1,436,914	1,306,202	4,494	1,735	Tan An	S-C	Long An, Hau Nghia, Kien Tuong
Nam Dinh	VN.ND	67	VM82	32	1,825,771	1,888,400	1,653	638	Nam Dinh	N-T	Nam Dinh
Nghe An	VN.NA	22	VM58	42	2,913,055	2,858,265	16,491	6,367	Vinh	N-A	Nghe An
Ninh Binh	VN.NB	18	VM59	40	898,459	884,080	1,389	536	Ninh Binh	N-T	Ninh Binh
Ninh Thuan	VN.NT	36	VM60	63	564,129	503,048	3,358	1,297	Phan Rang-Thap Cham	S-A	Ninh Thuan
Phu Tho	VN.PT	68	VM83	24	1,313,926	1,261,500	3,532	1,364	Viet Tri	N-T	Phu Tho
Phu Yen	VN.PY	32	VM61	56	861,993	786,972	5,061	1,954	Tuy Hoa	S-A	Phu Yen
Quang Binh	VN.QB	24	VM62	45	846,924	793,863	8,065	3,114	Dong Hoi	N-A	Quang Binh
Quang Nam	VN.QM	27	VM84	51	1,419,503	1,372,424	10,438	4,030	Tam Ky	S-A	Quang Nam, Quang Tin
Quang Ngai	VN.QG	29	VM63	52	1,217,159	1,190,006	5,153	1,990	Quang Ngai	S-A	Quang Ngai
Quang Ninh	VN.QN	13	VM30	36	1,144,381	1,004,461	6,099	2,355	Ha Long	N-T	Quang Yen, Hai Ninh
Quang Tri	VN.QT	25	VM64	46	597,985	573,331	4,747	1,833	Dong Ha	S-A	Quang Tri
Soc Trang	VN.ST	52	VM65	97	1,289,441	1,173,820	3,312	1,279	Soc Trang	S-C	Ba Xuyen
Son La	VN.SL	05	VM32	27	1,080,641	881,383	14,174	5,473	Son La	N-T	Son La
Tay Ninh	VN.TN	37	VM33	73	1,066,402	965,240	4,049	1,563	Tay Ninh	S-C	Tay Ninh
Thai Binh	VN.TB	20	VM35	33	1,780,954	1,785,600	1,567	605	Thai Binh	N-T	Thai Binh
Thai Nguyen	VN.TY	69	VM85	23	1,124,786	1,046,163	3,526	1,361	Thai Nguyen	N-T	Thai Nguyen
Thanh Hoa	VN.TH	21	VM34	41	3,400,239	3,467,609	11,133	4,298	Thanh Hoa	N-A	Thanh Hoa
Thua Thien-Hue	VN.TT	26	VM66	47	1,087,579	1,045,134	5,063	1,955	Hué	S-A	Thua Thien
Tien Giang	VN.TG	46	VM37	82	1,670,216	1,605,147	2,484	959	My Tho	S-C	Go Cong, Dinh Tuong
Tra Vinh	VN.TV	51	VM67	90	1,000,933	965,712	2,295	886	Tra Vinh	S-C	Vinh Binh
Tuyen Quang	VN.TQ	07	VM68	25	725,467	675,110	5,870	2,266	Tuyen Quang	N-T	Tuyen Quang
Vinh Long	VN.VL	49	VM69	91	1,028,365	1,010,486	1,479	571	Vinh Long	S-C	Vinh Long
Vinh Phuc	VN.VC	70	VM86	11	1,000,838	1,091,973	1,232	476	Vinh Yen	N-T	Vinh Yen, Phuc Yen
Yen Bai	VN.YB	06	VM70	26	740,905	679,700	6,899	2,664	Yen Bai	N-T	Yen Bai
63 divisions					85,789,573	76,327,900	331,051	127,820
Province: Five of these divisions (Can Tho, Da Nang, Haiphong, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh) are municipalities. HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes. ISO: Province codes from ISO 3166-2. For full identification in a global context, prefix "VN-" to the code (ex: VN-51 represents Tra Vinh). FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4, a U.S. government standard. Post: First two digits of postal code (source [2]). Pop-2009: 2009-04-01 census (source [9]). Pop-1999: 1999-04-01 census (source [7]). Areas: General Statistics Office. Part: Key to division of country in 1960, 1920. First letter in each pair is N for North Vietnam or S for South Vietnam. Second letter is A for Annam, C for Cochin China, T for Tonkin. 1965 Prov.: Province(s) existing in 1965 which occupied approximately the same territory as the modern province.

Postal code: 

Vietnam uses six-digit postal codes, where the first two digits determine a province or city. The codes shown in the table above were valid as of 2002. If no postal codes were changed during subsequent province mergers and splits, some of the codes in Hanoi municipality would begin with 31 from the old Ha Tay province.

Further subdivisions:

See the Districts of Vietnam page.

Various sources, including the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, show the country divided into six to eight regions. There is no consistency to the regional division, even within the GSO. Their purpose seems to be statistical, not administrative. For that reason, I've decided not to list them.

Source [8] shows the number of lower-level subdivisions: cities under provinces, urban districts, towns, rural districts, precincts, towns under districts, and communes. According to it, as of 2004-12-31, Vietnam was divided at the secondary level into 25 cities under provinces, 42 urban districts, 536 rural districts, and 59 towns; at the tertiary level into 1,181 precincts, 583 towns under districts, and 9,012 communes. (The source doesn't make it clear, so the tertiary level may not be exhaustive, or may have additional structure not shown.)

Territorial extent: 

1. Vietnam claims the Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea.
2. Ba Ria-Vung Tau includes the Con Dao islands.
3. Kien Giang includes the islands Phu Quoc, Rai, Tre, and others in the Gulf of Siam.

The UN LOCODE page  for Vietnam lists locations in the country, some of them with their latitudes and longitudes, some with their ISO 3166-2 codes for their subdivisions. This information can be put together to approximate the territorial extent of subdivisions.

Origins of names: 

1. Haiphong: Vietnamese hai: sea, phong: room
2. Hanoi: Vietnamese ha: river, noi: interior
3. Ho Chi Minh City: named for North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh (pseudonym of Nguyen Ai Quoc, 1890-1969)

Change history: 

1. By 1900 the French had established a protectorate (tantamount to a colony) over Indo-China, known as the Indochinese Union or French Indo-China. It was divided into the territories of Anam (French name Annam; capital Hué), Cambodia (Cambodge; Phnom Penh), Cochin China (Cochinchine; Saigon), Laos (Laos; Louang Prabang), and Tongking (Tonkin; Hanoi). Anam, Cochin China, and Tongking were essentially equivalent to present-day Vietnam. The Vietnamese names for them were Trung Bo, Nam Bo, and Bac Bo respectively, meaning Center, South, and North. They were subdivided into provinces.
2. 1954-07-21: Cease-fire agreement signed between France and the Viet Minh rebels, partitioning Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam at the parallel 17° North.
3. 1954-12-29: North and South Vietnam became independent.
4. 1959: South Vietnam consisted of 22 provinces of Cochin China and most of 13 provinces of Annam; North Vietnam consisted of 4 provinces of Annam and 29 provinces of Tonkin (?). Their formal names were Republic of Vietnam and Democratic Republic of Vietnam, respectively.
5. 1976-07-02: North and South Vietnam merged to form Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Name of Saigon changed to Ho Chi Minh City.
6. ~1978: Cao Lang province split into Cao Bang and Lang Son.
7. 1979-05-30: Vung Tau-Con Dao dac khu (special zone) formed by taking the area around Vung Tau (Cape Saint Jacques) from Dong Nai, and the Con Dao islands from Hau Giang. Before this change, the FIPS codes of Dong Nai and Hau Giang were VM08 and VM18, respectively. Name of Gia Lai-Cong Tum province changed to Gia Lai-Kon Tum. At this time, the provinces were as follows:

Province	FIPS	Population	Area(km.²)	Capital
An Giang	VM01	1,980,000	4,140	Long Xuyen
Bac Thai	VM02	980,000	8,615	Thai Nguyen
Ben Tre	VM03	1,275,000	2,400	Ben Tre
Binh Tri Thien	VM04	2,120,000	19,048	Hué
Cao Bang	VM05	595,000	13,731	Cao Bang
Cuu Long	VM06	1,850,000	4,200	Vinh Long
Dac Lac	VM07	735,000	18,300	Buon Me Thuot
Dong Nai	VM40	1,690,000	12,130	Bien Hoa
Dong Thap	VM09	1,430,000	3,120	Cao Lanh
Gia Lai-Kon Tum	VM10	785,000	18,480	Kontum
Ha Bac	VM11	2,110,000	4,708	Bac Giang
Hai Hung	VM12	2,625,000	2,526	Hai Duong
Haiphong	VM13	1,500,000	1,515	Haiphong
Ha Nam Ninh	VM14	3,315,000	3,522	Nam Dinh
Hanoi	VM15	3,170,000	597	Hanoi
Ha Son Binh	VM16	1,850,000	6,860	Hoa Binh
Ha Tuyen	VM17	975,000	13,519	Ha Giang
Hau Giang	VM41	2,735,000	5,100	Can Tho
Hoang Lien Son	VM19	950,000	14,125	Lao Cai
Ho Chi Minh	VM20	3,685,000	1,845	Ho Chi Minh City
Kien Giang	VM21	1,245,000	6,000	Rach Gia
Lai Chau	VM22	432,000	17,408	Lai Chau
Lam Dong	VM23	580,000	10,000	Da Lat
Lang Son	VM39	580,000		Lang Son
Long An	VM24	1,195,000	5,100	Tan An
Minh Hai	VM25	1,900,000	8,000	Bac Lieu
Nghe Tinh	VM26	3,655,000	22,380	Vinh
Nghia Binh	VM27	2,600,000	14,700	Qui Nhon
Phu Khanh	VM28	1,465,000	9,620	Nha Trang
Quang Nam-Da Nang	VM29	1,810,000	11,376	Da Nang
Quang Ninh	VM30	870,000	7,076	Hong Gai
Song Be	VM31	805,000	9,500	Thu Dau Mot
Son La	VM32	635,000	14,656	Son La
Tay Ninh	VM33	830,000	4,100	Tay Ninh
Thai Binh	VM34	1,790,000	1,344	Thai Binh
Thanh Hoa	VM35	3,010,000	11,138	Thanh Hoa
Thuan Hai	VM36	1,220,000	11,000	Phan Thiet
Tien Giang	VM37	1,505,000	2,350	My Tho
Vinh Phu	VM38	1,805,000	5,187	Viet Tri
Vung Tau-Con Dao	VM42	98,000		Vung Tau
40 provinces		64,385,000	329,416
FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4, a U.S. government standard. Population: 1988 estimate.

1. ~1990: Binh Tri Thien province split into Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien. Nghia Binh province split into Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai. Phu Khanh province split into Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen.
2. ~1992: Ha Nam Ninh, Ha Son Binh, and part of Hanoi provinces reorganized to form Ha Tay, Hoa Binh, Nam Ha, and Ninh Binh. Ha Tuyen province split into Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang. Hoang Lien Son province split into Lao Cai and Yen Bai. Nghe Tinh province split into Ha Tinh and Nghe An. Gia Lai-Kon Tum province split into Gia Lai and Kon Tum. Part of Dong Nai province annexed to Vung Tau-Con Dao special zone to form Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. Thuan Hai province split into Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan. Hau Giang province split into Can Tho and Soc Trang. Cuu Long province split into Tra Vinh and Vinh Long. The result was the division shown below.

Province	HASC	ISO	FIPS	Population	Area(km.²)	Capital	Part
An Giang	VN.AG	44	VM43	1,933,800	3,424	Long Xuyen	S-C
Bac Thai	VN.BC	08	VM02	1,144,500	6,503	Thai Nguyen	N-T
Ba Ria-Vung Tau	VN.BV	43	VM53	657,100	1,957	Vung Tau	S-C
Ben Tre	VN.BR	50	VM03	1,309,400	2,247	Ben Tre	S-C
Binh Dinh	VN.BD	31	VM54	1,373,100	6,076	Qui Nhon	S-A
Binh Thuan	VN.BU	40	VM55	858,700	7,992	Phan Thiet	S-A
Can Tho	VN.CT	48	VM56	1,780,600	2,951	Can Tho	S-C
Cao Bang	VN.CB	04	VM05	624,700	8,445	Cao Bang	N-T
Dac Lac	VN.DL	33	VM44	1,173,300	19,800	Buon Ma Thuot	S-A
Dong Nai	VN.DN	39	VM45	1,762,900	5,864	Bien Hoa	S-C
Dong Thap	VN.DT	45	VM46	1,462,900	3,276	Sa Dec	S-C
Gia Lai	VN.GL	30	VM57	737,700	15,662	Pleiku	S-A
Ha Bac	VN.HB	12	VM11	2,262,800	4,614	Bac Giang	N-T
Ha Giang	VN.HG	03	VM58	520,400	7,831	Ha Giang	N-T
Hai Hung	VN.HH	16	VM12	2,658,000	2,551	Hai Duong	N-T
Haiphong	VN.HP	17	VM13	1,583,900	1,504	Haiphong	N-T
Hanoi	VN.HN	11	VM51	2,154,900	921	Hanoi	N-T
Ha Tay	VN.HY	15	VM59	2,217,800	2,147	Ha Dong	N-T
Ha Tinh	VN.HT	23	VM60	1,293,600	6,054	Ha Tinh	N-A
Hoa Binh	VN.HO	14	VM61	712,900	4,612	Hoa Binh	N-T
Ho Chi Minh	VN.HC	42	VM52	4,322,300	2,090	Ho Chi Minh City	S-C
Khanh Hoa	VN.KH	34	VM62	923,700	5,258	Nha Trang	S-A
Kien Giang	VN.KG	47	VM47	1,326,600	6,243	Rach Gia	S-C
Kon Tum	VN.KT	28	VM63	249,600	9,934	Kon Tum	S-A
Lai Chau	VN.LC	01	VM22	501,200	17,131	Lai Chau	N-T
Lam Dong	VN.LD	35	VM23	742,900	10,173	Da Lat	S-A
Lang Son	VN.LS	09	VM39	671,900	8,187	Lang Son	N-T
Lao Cai	VN.LO	02	VM64	535,400	8,050	Lao Cai	N-T
Long An	VN.LA	41	VM24	1,224,800	4,338	Tan An	S-C
Minh Hai	VN.MH	53	VM48	1,719,100	7,689	Ca Mau	S-C
Nam Ha	VN.NH	19	VM65	2,585,900	2,492	Nam Dinh	N-T
Nghe An	VN.NA	22	VM66	2,680,600	16,381	Vinh	N-A
Ninh Binh	VN.NB	18	VM67	839,900	1,388	Ninh Binh	N-T
Ninh Thuan	VN.NT	36	VM68	449,100	3,430	Phan Rang-Thap Cham	S-A
Phu Yen	VN.PY	32	VM69	708,900	5,278	Tuy Hoa	S-A
Quang Binh	VN.QB	24	VM70	736,700	7,984	Dong Hoi	N-A
Quang Nam-Da Nang	VN.QD	27	VM29	1,911,700	11,985	Da Nang	S-A
Quang Ngai	VN.QG	29	VM71	1,149,500	5,856	Quang Ngai	S-A
Quang Ninh	VN.QN	24	VM30	889,600	5,939	Hong Gai	N-T
Quang Tri	VN.QT	25	VM72	520,900	4,592	Dong Ha	S-A
Soc Trang	VN.ST	52	VM73	1,172,600	3,191	Soc Trang	S-C
Song Be	VN.SB	38	VM49	1,081,700	9,519	Thu Dau Mot	S-C
Son La	VN.SL	05	VM32	776,000	14,210	Son La	N-T
Tay Ninh	VN.TN	37	VM33	868,900	4,020	Tay Ninh	S-C
Thai Binh	VN.TB	20	VM35	1,768,400	1,509	Thai Binh	N-T
Thanh Hoa	VN.TH	21	VM34	3,311,900	11,168	Thanh Hoa	N-A
Thua Thien	VN.TT	26	VM74	973,200	5,009	Hué	S-A
Tien Giang	VN.TG	46	VM37	1,622,000	2,339	My Tho	S-C
Tra Vinh	VN.TV	51	VM75	938,500	2,369	Tra Vinh	S-C
Tuyen Quang	VN.TQ	07	VM76	628,500	5,801	Tuyen Quang	N-T
Vinh Long	VN.VL	49	VM77	1,041,300	1,487	Vinh Long	S-C
Vinh Phu	VN.VP	10	VM50	2,203,200	4,835	Viet Tri	N-T
Yen Bai	VN.YB	06	VM78	638,200	6,808	Yen Bai	N-T
53 divisions				69,937,700	331,114
Province: These divisions are tinh (provinces), except for Haiphong, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh, which are thu do (formerly called thanh pho: municipalities). HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes. ISO: District codes from ISO/DIS 3166-2, the 1996 preliminary version of the standard. FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4, a U.S. government standard. Population: Mid-1993 estimates. Part: Key to division of country in 1960, 1920 (see first table).

1. 1993: Capital of Lai Chau province moved from Lai Chau to Dien Bien Phu.
2. 1994: Capital of Quang Ninh province, formerly named Hong Gai, merged with Bai Chay and took the name Ha Long.
3. 1996-11-06: Bac Thai province split into Bac Can and Thai Nguyen; Ha Bac province split into Bac Giang and Bac Ninh; Hai Hung province split into Hai Duong and Hung Yen; Minh Hai province split into Bac Lieu and Ca Mau; Nam Ha province split into Ha Nam and Nam Dinh; Quang Nam-Da Nang province split into Quang Nam province and Da Nang municipality; Song Be province split into Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc; Vinh Phu province split into Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc.
4. 2003-11-25: Can Tho province (former FIPS code VM48) split into Can Tho municipality and Hau Giang province; Dac Nong province split from Dac Lac (formerly VM07); Dien Bien province split from Lai Chau (formerly VM22); Than Uyen district transferred from Lao Cai province (formerly VM56) to Lai Chau province. For the seven divisions affected by these changes, the population, area, and 1965 provinces are probably inaccurate. To restore the main table to its appearance before these changes, delete the rows for Dac Nong, Dien Bien, and Hau Giang; then, change the data for the following three provinces as shown. Can Tho had HASC code VN.CT, 1999 population 1,811,100, area 2,951 km.². Dac Lac had HASC code VN.DL, 1999 population 1,776,331, area 19,800 km.². Lai Chau had HASC code VN.LC, 1999 population 588,666, area 17,131 km.², and Dien Bien Phu was its capital.
5. 2008-08-01: Ha Tay province and parts of Hoa Binh and Vinh Phuc provinces merged with Hanoi municipality. Before this change, Ha Tay had a 1999 population of 2,386,770; approximate area, 2,147 km.²; HASC code, VN.HA; ISO code, 15; FIPS code, VM51; postal code prefix, 31; and corresponded roughly to the territory of Ha Dong and Son Tay provinces in 1965. Its capital was Ha Dong. The corresponding data for Hanoi were 2,672,122, 921, VN.HN, 64, VM44, 10, Hanoi, and Hanoi.

Other names of subdivisions: 

1. Bac Can: Bac Kan (variant)
2. Dac Lac: Dak Lak (variant)
3. Dac Nong: Dak Nong (variant)
4. Hanoi: Hanói (Spanish)
5. Ho Chi Minh: Saigon (obsolete)

Sources: 

1. [1] Library of Congress country study  (retrieved 1999).
2. [2] Ministry of Posts and Telematics (http://www.mpt.gov.vn/details_e.asp?Object=271032875&news_ID=4539827, dead link, retrieved 2006-09-30).
3. [3] The United Nations Development Program website had maps of each of the provinces of Vietnam, and of seven "economic regions" of the country, as followed the creation of new provinces in 1996 (http://www.undp.org.vn/dmu/reference/en/provinces.htm, dead link, retrieved 2000-04-18).
4. [4] The French-language daily Le courrier du Vietnam had a description of the 1996 changes (http://www.refer.edu.vn/vietn_ct/med/courrier/6931219.htm, dead link, retrieved 2000-04-18).
5. [5] Vietnam Web, a Vietnamese ISP, described the post-1996 provinces (http://home.vnn.vn/english/map/, dead link, retrieved 2000-04-18).
6. [6] Viet Nam News described the creation of new provinces in 2003 (http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/2003-11/05/Stories/01.htm, dated 2003-11-06, dead link, retrieved 2003-11-27).
7. [7] Geohive (http://www.geohive.com/cd/link.php?xml=vn&xsl=neo1, dead link, retrieved 2004-10-28; currently the Geohive data can be found here ).
8. [8] General Statistics Office of Vietnam  webpage, retrieved 2005-10-20. The contents of that page have changed since then.
9. [9] 2009 Population and Housing Census , General Statistics Office Of Vietnam: Part III: Tabulated Tables (retrieved 2011-03-28).
10. [10] AsiaOne News  story, dated 2008-08-01, retrieved 2011-03-28.

Galina Miklosic has posted a Belarusian translation  of this page. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the translation, of course.