District-level town

{{short description|Type of second-tier subdivision of Vietnam}}

{{Administrative divisions of Vietnam}}

{{Cities of Vietnam location map}}

A district-level town ({{langx|vi|{{linktext|thị xã}}}}) is a former type of second tier subdivision of Vietnam. District-level towns along with urban districts, districts, municipal cities, and provincial cites have equal status.{{cite web |url=http://www.gso.gov.vn/dmhc2015/TongHop.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113211824/http://www.gso.gov.vn/dmhc2015/TongHop.aspx |archive-date=2015-11-13 |title=Đơn vị hành chính}} Also by virtue of Decree No. 42/2009/ND-CP, towns are officially classified into Class-3 or Class-4.{{cite web |url=http://vietnamlawmagazine.vn/decree-no-42-2009-nd-cp-more-specific-definitions-for-urban-centers-2395.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219031231/http://vietnamlawmagazine.vn/decree-no-42-2009-nd-cp-more-specific-definitions-for-urban-centers-2395.html |archive-date=2018-02-19 |title=DECREE No. 42/2009/ND-CP: More specific definitions for urban centers}}

The towns may only be a capital of a province, but not of a municipality as the second tier subdivision. At the third tier, towns are divided into wards and communes.

Most provincial capitals were once towns, but now most of them have become provincial cities.

District level

In Vietnam, there are other kinds of district-level urban subdivision: urban districts ({{langx|vi|quận}}), districts (huyện), municipal city (thành phố thuộc thành phố trực thuộc trung ương) and provincial cities (thành phố thuộc tỉnh). The urban districts is within urban and only consists of wards, but provincial cities and towns can consist of the wards (within urban) and communes (within suburban). Towns are similar with provincial cities, but towns are smaller than provincial cities in population density. Moreover, municipality can includes towns (Sơn Tây (Hanoi)), even municipal cities.

The type town is categorized as urban and its residents is classified as urban population, although there may still be a part of residents living in agriculture. Main economical activities in town included industry, services and business.

Upgrade and downgrade

Regularly, a commune-level town or township ({{langx|vi|thị trấn}}) can be upgraded to a district-level town or town ({{langx|vi|thị xã}}), and district-level towns can develop into provincial cities.

But the district-level town can also be downgraded to a district capitals, especially when there is a merger of the provinces. That are the cases of the An Lộc (provincial capital of former Bình Long Province), Sông Cầu (formerly the provincial capital of Phú Yên Province) ...

Some district-level towns were downgraded into commune-level towns for some time and then be re-established, as Nghĩa Lộ, Bắc Cạn, Đồ Sơn (from 2007, became urban district of Đồ Sơn), Phúc Yên, Hà Tiên, Vị Thanh, Gia Nghĩa.

When a district-level town is downgraded, the urban become a commune-level town, and the suburban is merged into other districts or established rural communes. Some district-level towns have become commune-level towns and not re-established, so far as: Đô Lương, Tiên Yên, Ninh Giang, Cát Bà, Vĩnh An of Đồng Nai Province.

There is a rare case: Phan Rang as district-level town is divided into two commune-level towns, Phan Rang and Tháp Chàm in 1977. Each commune-level town belonged to a county (Ninh Hải and An Sơn), and in 1981 the two commune-level towns was merged and re-established as county-level town named Phan Rang–Tháp Chàm (now as provincial city).

Kiến An, a former district-level town, located in a municipality in Hải Phòng from 1962 to 1980, later downgraded into a commune-level town and was recovered between from 1988 to 1994 and is now an urban district of Hải Phòng.

Đồ Sơn ever (after 1994) was the only district-level town within a municipality (Hải Phòng), until September 12, 2007 it became the new urban district of Hải Phòng.

Sơn Tây is a district-level town governed under Hanoi in the period 1978 to 1991, then merged into Hà Tây Province. August 2007 this district-level town was upgraded into provincial city. In 2008 Hà Tây Province was merged into Hanoi, Sơn Tây was moved back into district-level town.

List of district-level towns

= Municipal district-level towns =

class="wikitable sortable"

! Name !! Municipality !! Population (person) !! Area (km2) !! Established !! Class

Sơn TâyHà Nội230,577113.501884, re-established 2009align="center" | {{rn|III}}
Hương ThủyHuế95,299426.962010align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Hương TràHuế72,677392.322011align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Phong ĐiềnHuế105,597945.662025align=center | {{rn|IV}}

= Provincial district-level towns =

class="wikitable sortable"

! Name !! Province !! Population (person) !! Area (km2) !! Established !! Class

An KhêGia Lai67,711200.652003align=center | {{rn|IV}}
An NhơnBình Định178,709242.702011align=center | {{rn|III}}
Ayun PaGia Lai41,160287.002007align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Ba ĐồnQuảng Bình106,413162.302013align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Bỉm SơnThanh Hóa69,82663.861981align=center | {{rn|III}}
Bình LongBình Phước105,520126.282009align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Bình MinhVĩnh Long95,63993.632012align=center | {{rn|III}}
Buôn HồĐắk Lắk100,357282.612008align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Cai LậyTiền Giang143,050140.202008align=center | {{rn|III}}
Chơn ThànhBình Phước121,083390.342020align=center | {{rn|IV}}
ChũBắc Giang127,881251.552025align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Duy TiênHà Nam177,150120.922019align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Duyên HảiTrà Vinh77,006193.402015align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Điện BànQuảng Nam226,564214.282015align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Đông HòaPhú Yên119,991265.622020align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Đức PhổQuảng Ngãi155,743371.672020align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Giá RaiBạc Liêu166,324353.992015align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Hòa ThànhTây Ninh139,85382.922020align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Hoài NhơnBình Định259,287420.872020align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Hoàng MaiNghệ An113,360169.752013align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Hồng LĩnhHà Tĩnh36,94058.951992align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Kiến TườngLong An51,620204.362013align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Kim BảngHà Nam145,744175.402025align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Kinh MônHải Dương215,637165.332019align=center | {{rn|III}}
Kỳ AnhHà Tĩnh82,955280.252015align=center | {{rn|III}}
La GiBình Thuận108,519185.372005align=center | {{rn|III}}
Long MỹHậu Giang61,986149.272015align=center | {{rn|III}}
Mộc ChâuSơn La148,2591,072.092025align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Mường LayĐiện Biên11,618112.671971align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Mỹ HàoHưng Yên115,60879.372019align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Ngã NămSóc Trăng108,995241.932013align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Nghi SơnThanh Hoá302,210455.612020align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Nghĩa LộYên Bái68,206107.781995align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Ninh HòaKhánh Hòa230,5661,197.502010align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Phú ThọPhú Thọ70,65364.601903align="center" | {{rn|III}}
Phước LongBình Phước81,200119.382009align="center" | {{rn|IV}}
Quảng TrịQuảng Trị23,35674.001989align="center" | {{rn|IV}}
Quảng YênQuảng Ninh180,028333.702011align="center" | {{rn|III}}
Quế VõBắc Ninh223,964155.112023align="center" | {{rn|IV}}
Sa PaLào Cai81,857681.372019align="center" | {{rn|IV}}
Sông CầuPhú Yên120,780492.802009align="center" | {{rn|III}}
Tân ChâuAn Giang141,342176.72009align="center" | {{rn|III}}
Thái HòaNghệ An66,127135.142007align="center" | {{rn|IV}}
Thuận ThànhBắc Ninh199,577117.832023align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Tịnh BiênAn Giang143,098354.592023align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Trảng BàngTây Ninh235,352340.142020align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Vĩnh ChâuSóc Trăng211,418471.002011align=center | {{rn|IV}}
Việt YênBắc Giang229,162171.012024align=center | {{rn|IV}}

See also

References