In 1975 - 1976, 72 provinces and cities across the country were merged into 38 provinces and cities, according to the Resolution of the 5th National Assembly.
After that, the provinces and cities were gradually divided in many stages and stopped at 63 provinces and cities as at present. The names of a land in each stage marked the unique historical and cultural features that cannot be mixed.
1975 - 1976: 72 provinces and cities merged into 38 provinces and cities
During this period, many provinces and cities were merged, reducing from 72 to 38 provinces and cities. In which, there were some cases of merging 3 - 4 provinces into 1 province, such as: Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Vinh Linh area merged into Binh Tri Thien province; Quang Nam, Quang Tin, Da Nang city merged into Quang Nam - Da Nang; Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Binh Tuy merged into Thuan Hai... Many names later entered the history and poetry of the country.
Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City
The merger stretched from the North Central region to the provinces of the Southwest and Central Highlands, notably the merger of Saigon, Gia Dinh province and the two districts of Cu Chi and Phu Hoa into one administrative unit, Saigon - Gia Dinh City in 1975.
Then, on July 2, 1976, the 1st Session of the 6th National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam issued a Resolution to change the name of Saigon - Gia Dinh City to Ho Chi Minh City.
Until now, the name Saigon is still quite popular with those who are attached to this land.
Many scholars have tried to explain the origin of the name Saigon, but so far no answer has been confirmed as completely correct.
Binh Tri Thien
In the North Central region, Binh Tri Thien is also a name associated with many historical events during its 14 years of existence. Binh Tri Thien is the name of a new province after the merger of the three provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Vinh Linh area.
After the merger, Binh Tri Thien province has 23 administrative units including: Hue city, 2 towns of Dong Ha and Dong Hoi and 20 districts.
By 1977, 20 districts of Binh Tri Thien were merged into 11 districts.
In 1989, Binh Tri Thien was divided into three provinces: Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue as before.
Binh Tri Thien is the strip of land connecting the North and South of the country, also the land that witnessed the heroic epics of the nation, a place with majestic mountains and beautiful nature.
This place was also a famous front of hardship, fierceness and stubbornness in the resistance war against French colonialism. That is why "Fire and Smoke Binh Tri Thien" became a familiar name.
Although divided into 3 different provinces, this land always has a unique feature, similarities in geographical location, natural advantages as well as human qualities.
Nghe Tinh
Nghe An and Ha Tinh were originally separated during the reign of King Minh Mang in 1831. King Minh Mang divided Nghe An town into two provinces: Nghe An (north of Lam River) and Ha Tinh (south of Lam River).
Previously, under the Dinh and Tien Le dynasties, the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh were under the same administrative unit called Hoan Chau. During the Ly, Hau Le, Tay Son and Nguyen dynasties, the name of this land was changed in turn.
At the end of 1975, Nghe An and Ha Tinh were merged into Nghe Tinh province with 27 administrative units. In August 1991, Nghe Tinh province was split into Nghe An and Ha Tinh as before.
These two provinces share a cultural region called Lam Hong culture, with the same symbol of Hong mountain - Lam river. This is also one of the regions with many unique cultural nuances, contributing to enriching the national cultural identity.
Referring to this land, someone wrote: “No other part of Vietnam has left such deep traces as this area. That disadvantaged land has produced people who made history, from Mai Hac De to Phan Dinh Phung. And also people who created literature like Nguyen Du...”.
President Ho Chi Minh was born in Kim Lien (Nam Dan, Nghe An), a typical son with a strong “Nghe Tinh character”. This land rich in historical, cultural and revolutionary traditions nurtured Ho Chi Minh’s soul, will and personality from his childhood.
Ha Nam Ninh
In the North, Ha Nam Ninh was a familiar name to many people in the 1970s - 1990s. Ha Nam Ninh was the name of a new province after the merger of Nam Ha and Ninh Binh provinces.
In 1991, Ha Nam Ninh was split into two provinces as before. Then, in 1996, Nam Ha province was split into two provinces, Ha Nam and Nam Dinh, as they are today.
Thus, Ha Nam Ninh in the past was the collection of 3 provinces: Ha Nam, Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh today.
Ha Nam Ninh was actually established on the basis of Son Nam town - an ancient land with rich cultural traditions in the South of the ancient Thang Long citadel; equivalent to other typical cultural regions such as: Thanh land, Nghe land, Kinh Bac land, Doai land, Dong land.
Although Ha Nam Ninh province no longer exists, its name is still associated with many historical events, many organizations and many active businesses.
This is also a famous land of studiousness, the birthplace of many famous scholars and writers.
Hoang Lien Son
Hoang Lien Son is known to many people today as the name of a mountain range, but it is also the name of an old province in the Northwest region.
Hoang Lien Son is the name of a new province after merging 3 provinces: Lao Cai, Yen Bai and some districts of Nghia Lo province.
When merged, Hoang Lien Son province had 4 towns and 16 districts. The provincial capital was initially located in Lao Cai town, then moved to Yen Bai town.
In 1991, Hoang Lien Son province was split into two provinces, Lao Cai and Yen Bai (including the part belonging to the old Nghia Lo province).
Perhaps the origin of the name Hoang Lien Son province also comes from the mountain range located along the border between Lao Cai and Lai Chau. The Hoang Lien Son range is called by this name because on the mountain range there are many coptis trees - a rare medicinal herb, usually growing at an altitude of over 1,000 m.
1978: Split into 39 provinces and cities
1979: Establishment of Vung Tau - Con Dao Special Zone, equivalent to provincial level
1989: Split into 44 provinces and cities
In 1978, some central provinces split into 2-3 different provinces, bringing the total number of provinces and cities in Vietnam to 44.
1991: Split into 53 provinces and cities
Some provinces established in the period of 1975 - 1976 continued to be divided into different provinces and cities, bringing the total number to 53 provinces and cities nationwide. Some provinces and cities that are notable in terms of history and culture include Nghe An and Ha Tinh (separated from Nghe Tinh province), Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang (separated from Ha Tuyen province), Can Tho and Soc Trang (separated from Hau Giang province)...
1996 - 1997: Split into 61 provinces and cities
Some remaining provinces and cities continued to be split, bringing the total to 61 provinces and cities nationwide. Some old province names may be unfamiliar to today’s young generation such as: Bac Thai, Vinh Phu, Song Be, Minh Hai…
2004: Split into 64 provinces and cities
The last time provinces and cities were split was in 2004, with Lai Chau splitting into Lai Chau and Dien Bien, Dak Lak splitting into Dak Lak and Dak Nong, and Can Tho splitting into Can Tho City and Hau Giang province.
2008: Merged Ha Tay province into Hanoi city - 63 provinces and cities left
2008 was the year of the historic merger when the entire Ha Tay province (including 2 cities and 12 districts) was merged into Hanoi City. Specifically, the entire natural area of more than 219,341 hectares and 2.568 million people of Ha Tay at that time were merged into Hanoi City.
Along with that, Hanoi also received an additional 14,164 hectares and 187,255 people from Me Linh district (Vinh Phuc province); the area and population of 4 communes in Luong Son district (Hoa Binh province).
After adjusting administrative boundaries, Hanoi City had a natural area of 334,470.02 hectares and a population of 6,232,940 people at that time.
2025: 63 provinces and cities from 2008 are still maintained to the present time, including 57 provinces and 6 centrally-run cities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Hue City, Can Tho).
Currently, the Politburo and the Secretariat have basically agreed on the policy on the project to rearrange and reorganize administrative units at all levels and build a two-level local government model; including merging some provinces, abolishing the district level, and continuing to merge the commune level.
It is expected that this content will be presented by the Politburo to the 11th Central Conference in mid-April, according to which it is possible to reduce about 50% of provincial-level administrative units. This means that the names of some provinces and cities will be changed.
VN (according to Vietnamnet)Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/dau-an-nhung-cai-ten-qua-nhieu-lan-tach-nhap-tinh-407629.html
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