This is the second update to our original 2017 comprehensive guide to Ho Chi Minh City’s (HCMC) districts this year, prompted by major administrative restructuring of Vietnam’s provinces which took effect on 1 July 2025.
That “once-in-a-century” overhaul has had the effect of re-drawing Vietnam’s map by streamlining the number of unit boundaries down from 63 localities to 34 provinces and centrally-governed cities nationwide.
At the local level, the abolition of the district system means that familiar names and places in HCMC – think bustling central “District 1” and “District 3” – no longer exist on paper.
Why does this matter?
Because many hotels, travel guides and blogs may still refer to the old district naming convention, while the reality of what’s unfolding on the ground in HCMC is closer to a patchwork of old and new. While it’s unclear how uniform the approach and timeline will be for requiring citizens and businesses to update their details, it’s worth understanding – because a change this major is simultaneously a narrative shift reminiscent of older times, an administrative change designed to improve bureaucratic efficiency and unlock investment for the city with ambitions of becoming Southeast Asia’s next megacity.
No more districts in Ho Chi Minh City – just wards and communes
After the implementation of Resolution No. 60, HCMC has geographically tripled in size to include both Vung Tau–Ba Ria and Binh Duong Provinces, bringing the city’s population from 9.9 million to more than 14 million and making it the most highly populated city in Vietnam.
Before the merger, HCMC was divided into 24 districts comprising 19 inner city districts and five suburban areas. After the merger, the new designation of “Ho Chi Minh City” now comprises 168 commune-level units, 102 of which sit within the frame of old HCMC.
Key takeaways – before the merger, districts were broken down into smaller wards, within which were trendy neighborhoods you might recall the names of: Đa Kao, Thảo Điền, Phú Mỹ Hưng.
Those trendy neighborhoods retain their name, character and location. It’s the broader frame they sit within which has changed.
An overview of central Ho Chi Minh City
The dissolution of HCMC’s districts returns some of old Saigon’s storied and affectionate pre-1975 place names to paper. Old icons such as “Sài Gòn” and Bến Thành Market become wards of their own within the old District 1 frame, while famed “Chợ Lớn” (Chinatown; literally “big market”) is restored to its former glory with name recognition.
Here’s a quick walkthrough of how HCMC’s districts have changed under the merger.
District 1 – now dissolved into four separate wards
At the heart of HCMC, the city’s business hub and commercial core is now divided into four sections: the Sài Gòn, Bến Thành, Tân Định and Cầu Ông Lãnh Wards.
If these names sound familiar, it’s because they’re each associated with distinct landmarks – Ben Thanh Market; the Instagram-worthy pink Tan Dinh Church; and the Ong Lanh Bridge which served as the southern gateway into former District 1. Đa Kao neighbourhood, home to Saigon’s distinctive French colonial-era buildings and historic streets, finds a home within Sai Gon Ward.
District 2 (Thảo Điền & Thủ Thiêm) – now merged into An Khánh Ward
If you live in Thảo Điền and Thủ Thiêm, you’re now a part of An Khánh Ward – the District 2 replacement comprising seven communes and one ward.
Thảo Điền and Thủ Thiêm, neighborhoods rather than districts, quickly became synonymous with the former District 2 following a swampy-riverside-to-new-money-development transformation which now attracts many families looking to raise families in the cleanliness and amenity of a foreigner-friendly neighborhood. Hoodmaps has the lowdown.
Think wider sidewalks, diverse Western food options, and clusters of international schools such as the International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC), Australian International School (AIS), American School, and European International School.
District 3 – now dissolved into three separate wards
Neighboring D1 as HCMC’s modern heartbeat and city center, the former residential-commercial-blend District 3 is now divided into three sections: Bàn Cờ, Xuân Hòa, and Nhiêu Lộc Wards.
Bàn Cờ Ward recalls the iconic rooftops and hanging laundry of District 3’s apartment blocks; Xuân Hòa the elegance of old French villas and streets; and Nhiêu Lộc the breezy walks of the Nhiêu Lộc – Thị Nghè Channel. You’ll find the War Remnants Museum in Bàn Cờ Ward, alongside a plethora of colonial architecture, temples, parks, restaurants and street food vendors.
District 4 – now dissolved into three separate wards
Street food-central District 4 remains your go-to for all things seafood, snails, and nightlife eats. It’s now been divided into three sections: Vĩnh Hội, Khánh Hội and Xóm Chiếu Wards.
A vibrant pocket of HCMC tucked between former D1, D7 and the Saigon River, the former District 4 was one of the city’s most densely populated localities – and it reflects in the feel and character of the area. Vĩnh Khánh Food Street and its gritty, streetside drinking culture abounds in Vĩnh Hội Ward; while affordable housing and endless cheap eats find home in Xóm Chiếu Ward.
District 5 – now dissolved into three separate wards
The site of Vietnam’s historic Chinatown, the old District 5 now regains the names of its former icons with its dissolution into three sections: the Chợ Lớn, An Đông, and Chợ Quán Wards.
Sitting southwest of HCMC’s inner city core, the Chợ Lớn Market area retains its historical and cultural significance as the home of many Vietnamese-Chinese residents. Find your tailors and seamstresses in An Đông Ward, and your timeworn temples in Chợ Quán Ward.
Bình Thạnh District – now distributed across five separate wards
The previously expansive Bình Thạnh District now connotes a smaller ward within its old frame, comprising five areas: Bình Thạnh, Gia Định, Bình Lợi Trung, Thạnh Mỹ Tây and Bình Quới Wards.
Bordering the northern border of HCMC’s former D1 and straddling the section of the Saigon River separating it from hit neighborhoods Thảo Điền and Thủ Thiêm, Bình Thạnh retains its indie, rough-around-the-edges and foreigner-friendly charm with an abundance of international and local cuisines, trendy bars, and nightlife.
District 7 (Phú Mỹ Hưng)– now dissolved across five separate wards
Mostly associated with the flashy, high-end development of the Phú Mỹ Hưng neighborhood (referred to as ‘Little Seoul’ by locals for its large Korean population), District 7 is now dispersed across the five Tân Hưng, Tân Thuận, Phú Thuận, Tân Mỹ and Nhà Bè Wards.
Young and self-sustaining, this area of HCMC proposes a different vibe from the rest of the city: life moves slower, street vendors make way for Japanese and Korean food establishments, and sidewalks run cleaner and wider than other parts of the city. It’s 6.5 kilometers (20 minutes) south of the city center, but if you’re craving Korean or Japanese food, you’ll find it here.
