Municipalities of Vietnam

On the first tier, Vietnam is divided into 28 provinces (Vietnamese: tỉnh) and 6 cities (centrally-run cities or municipalities; Vietnamese: thành phố trực thuộc trung ương, lit. 'city under direct central control', abbreviated TPTTTƯ or TPTTTW in Vietnamese context). Cities are the highest-ranked classification of subdivisions in Vietnam and are mechanically at the same level as provinces, but are more populous and developed in nature. The cities are largely divided into wards (phường) and communes (xã), with the former being urban areas while the latter being rural.