Central Vietnam
Central Vietnam or Central (Vietnamese: Miền Trung), formerly also known as Trung phần by Republic of Vietnam, Trung kỳ and Annam under French Indochina) is one of the three regions of Vietnam (Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam). Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên} are often included in the Central. Sometimes the Central and the Highlands are collectively referred to as Central-Highlands. Name of Trung Bộ was used by the king Bảo Đại when he established administrative level higher than the province in 1945, instead of the Trung Kỳ which recalled the French occupation. This name was officially used by government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and is popularly used today.
Location
According to the economic zoning by the government of Vietnam, Trung Bộ borders provinces Ninh Bình, Hòa Bình and Sơn La of Northern Vietnam to the north, provinces of Bình Phước, Đồng Nai and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu of Southern Vietnam to the south. To the east it borders South China Sea (Biển Đông), to the west it borders Cambodia, Laos.
Administrations
This region is divided into two main subregions: North Central Coast and South Central which, in turn, includes South Central Coast and Central Highlands (see the map). The North Central Coast and South Central Coast sometimes are known as Central Coast. The largest city in the Central is Đà Nẵng.
The North Central Coast includes six provinces: Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên–Huế. In Nguyễn dynasty, this area, except Thừa Thiên, was known as Hữu Trực Kỳ (the area located in the left of Thừa Thiên).
The South Central Coast includes 8 provinces, in order from the north to the south: Đà Nẵng, Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Phú Yên, Khánh Hòa, Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận. In Nguyễn dynasty, this area was known as Tả Trực Kỳ (the area located in the right of Thừa Thiên). Central Highlands includes 5 provinces: Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Đắc Lắc, Đắk Nông and Lâm Đồng.