List of cities proper by Population - wikipedia List of cities proper by Population Jump to : navigation , search It has been suggested that this article be merged with List of largest cities . ( Discuss ) Proposed since June 2017 . This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( September 2017 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) Population tables of world cities World 's largest cities World 's largest cities proper World 's largest conurbations World 's largest agglomerations World 's largest urban areas World megacities World megalopolises This article lists the most populous cities in the world defined according to a concept of city proper . A city proper is a locality defined according to legal or political boundaries and an administratively recognised urban status that is usually characterised by some form of local government . Cities proper and their boundaries and population data may not include suburbs . World Urbanization Prospects , a UN publication , defines population of a city proper as `` the population living within the administrative boundaries of a city or controlled directly from the city by a single authority . '' The book continues to say that `` city proper as defined by administrative boundaries may not include suburban areas where an important proportion of the population working or studying in the city lives . '' This definition does not give an accurate picture of the urban area or metropolitan area of cities . Using this strictly administrative definition , many cities will be included on this list that are smaller than their urban area . However , many Chinese cities included govern territories that extend well beyond the traditional `` city proper '' into suburban and rural areas . Contents ( hide ) 1 Cities proper by population 2 Notes 3 References 4 See also 5 External links Cities proper by Population ( edit ) This is an incomplete list , which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness . You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries . Please observe the definition of the list when adding or editing entries . Rank City Image Population Definition Total area ( km2 ) Population density ( / km2 ) Country Shanghai 7007242568000000000 ♠ 24,256,800 Municipality 7003634050000000000 ♠ 6,340.5 3,826 China Beijing 7007215160000000000 ♠ 21,516,000 Municipality 7004164105400000000 ♠ 16,410.54 1,311 China Delhi 7007167879410000000 ♠ 16,787,941 Union territory 7003148400000000000 ♠ 1,484 11,313 India Lagos 7007160603030000000 ♠ 16,060,303 Metropolitan City 7003117128000000000 ♠ 1,171.28 13,712 Nigeria 5 Tianjin 7007152000000000000 ♠ 15,200,000 Municipality 7004117600000000000 ♠ 11,760 1,293 China 6 Karachi 7007149103520000000 ♠ 14,910,352 Metropolitan Corporation 7003352700000000000 ♠ 3,527 4,572 Pakistan 7 Chengdu 7007144275000000000 ♠ 14,427,500 Sub-provincial City 7004143120000000000 ♠ 14,312 11,263 China 8 Istanbul 7007141604670000000 ♠ 14,160,467 Metropolitan Municipality 7003546100000000000 ♠ 5,461 2,593 Turkey 9 Tokyo 7007135137340000000 ♠ 13,513,734 Metropolis 7003219100000000000 ♠ 2,191 6,168 Japan 10 Guangzhou 7007130805000000000 ♠ 13,080,500 Sub-provincial City 7003743440000000000 ♠ 7,434.4 1,759 China 11 Mumbai 7007124423730000000 ♠ 12,442,373 Municipal Corporation 7002603400000000000 ♠ 603.4 20,680 India 12 Moscow 7007123806640000000 ♠ 12,380,664 Federal City 7003251012000000000 ♠ 2,510.12 4,859 Russia 13 São Paulo 7007120381750000000 ♠ 12,038,175 Municipality City 7003152111000000000 ♠ 1,521.11 7,914 Brazil 14 Lahore 7007111262850000000 ♠ 11,126,285 City District 7003177200000000000 ♠ 1,772 5,673 Pakistan 15 Shenzhen 7007104674000000000 ♠ 10,467,400 Sub-provincial City 7003199164000000000 ♠ 1,991.64 5,256 China 16 Jakarta 7007100753100000000 ♠ 10,075,310 DKI Jakarta 7002664120000000000 ♠ 664.12 15,171 Indonesia 17 Seoul 7006999578400000000 ♠ 9,995,784 Special City 7002605210000000000 ♠ 605.21 17,134 South Korea 18 Wuhan 7006978539200000000 ♠ 9,785,392 Sub-provincial City 7003132761000099999 ♠ 1,327.61 5,187 China 19 Kinshasa 7006973500000000000 ♠ 9,735,000 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7003111762000099999 ♠ 1,117.62 8,710 Democratic Republic of the Congo 20 Cairo 7006927844100000000 ♠ 9,278,441 Governorate 7003308510000000000 ♠ 3,085.1 3,008 Egypt 21 Dhaka 7006890603900000000 ♠ 8,906,039 City Corporation 7002300000000000000 ♠ 300 29,687 Bangladesh 22 Mexico City 7006887472400000000 ♠ 8,874,724 Federal District 7003148549000000000 ♠ 1,485.49 5,974 Mexico 23 London 7006878789200000000 ♠ 8,787,892 Greater London Authority 7003157215000000000 ♠ 1,572.15 5,590 United Kingdom 24 Xi'an 7006870560000000000 ♠ 8,705,600 Sub-provincial City 7002832170000000000 ♠ 832.17 5,369 China 25 Tehran 7006869370600000000 ♠ 8,693,706 City Municipality 7002450930000000000 ♠ 450.93 18,083 Iran 26 Lima 7006869338700000000 ♠ 8,693,387 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7003267230000000000 ♠ 2,672.3 3,253 Peru 27 New York City 7006853767300000000 ♠ 8,537,673 City 7002783840000000000 ♠ 783.84 10,892 United States 28 Bengaluru 7006844367500000000 ♠ 8,443,675 Municipal Corporation 7002741000000000000 ♠ 741.00 11,876 India 29 Bangkok 7006828092500000000 ♠ 8,280,925 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7003156874000000000 ♠ 1,568.74 5,279 Thailand 30 Ho Chi Minh City 7006822440000000000 ♠ 8,224,400 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7003209550000000000 ♠ 2,095.5 3,925 Vietnam 31 Dongguan 7006822020700000000 ♠ 8,220,207 Prefecture - level City 7003246940000000000 ♠ 2,469.4 3,329 China 32 Chongqing 7006818980000000000 ♠ 8,189,800 Central Chongqing Municipality 7003547300000000000 ♠ 5,473 1,496 China 33 Nanjing 7006818782800000000 ♠ 8,187,828 Sub-provincial City 7003471385000000000 ♠ 4,713.85 1,737 China 34 Shenyang 7006810617100000000 ♠ 8,106,171 Sub-provincial City 7004129420000000000 ♠ 12,942 626 China 35 Bogotá 7006777684500000000 ♠ 7,776,845 Capital District 7002859110000000000 ♠ 859.11 9,052 Colombia 36 Ningbo 7006760568900000000 ♠ 7,605,689 Sub-provincial city 7003981623000000000 ♠ 9,816.23 775 China 37 Hong Kong 7006729860000000000 ♠ 7,298,600 Special Administrative Region 7003110443000000000 ♠ 1,104.43 6,608 China 38 Hanoi 7006723270000000000 ♠ 7,232,700 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7003332450000000000 ♠ 3,324.5 2,176 Vietnam 39 Baghdad 7006718088900000000 ♠ 7,180,889 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7003455500000000000 ♠ 4,555 1,576 Iraq 40 Changsha 7006704411800000000 ♠ 7,044,118 Prefecture - level City 7004118190000000000 ♠ 11,819 596 China 41 Hyderabad 7006673179000000000 ♠ 6,731,790 Municipal Corporation 7002621480000000000 ♠ 621.48 10,832 India 42 Chennai 7006672700000000000 ♠ 6,727,000 Municipal Corporation 7002426510000000000 ♠ 426.51 15,772 India 43 Rio de Janeiro 7006649883700000000 ♠ 6,498,837 Municipality City 7003120027000000000 ♠ 1,200.27 5,414 Brazil 44 Foshan 7006615162200000000 ♠ 6,151,622 Prefecture - level City 7003203462000000000 ♠ 2,034.62 3,023 China 45 Santiago 7006574371900000000 ♠ 5,743,719 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7003124990000000000 ♠ 1,249.9 4,595 Chile 46 Riyadh 7006567662100000000 ♠ 5,676,621 Municipality City 7003123398000000000 ♠ 1,233.98 4,600 Saudi Arabia 47 Ahmedabad 7006557058500000000 ♠ 5,570,585 Municipal Corporation 7002475000000000000 ♠ 475 11,728 India 48 Singapore 7006553500000000000 ♠ 5,535,000 City State 7002719100000000000 ♠ 719.1 7,697 Singapore 49 Shantou 7006539102800000000 ♠ 5,391,028 Prefecture - level City 7003206442000000000 ♠ 2,064.42 2,611 China 50 Saint Petersburg 7006528157900000000 ♠ 5,281,579 Federal City 7003143900000000000 ♠ 1,439 3,608 Russia 51 Yangon 7006521400000000000 ♠ 5,214,000 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7002598750000000000 ♠ 598.75 8,708 Myanmar 52 Abidjan 7006476500000000000 ♠ 4,765,000 Department / City District 7003211900000000000 ♠ 2,119 2,249 Ivory Coast 53 Alexandria 7006461662500000000 ♠ 4,616,625 Governorate 7003230000000000000 ♠ 2,300 2,007 Egypt 54 Kolkata 7006449669400000000 ♠ 4,496,694 Municipal Corporation 7002185000000000000 ♠ 185 24,306 India 55 Ankara 7006447080000000000 ♠ 4,470,800 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7003191092000000000 ♠ 1,910.92 2,340 Turkey 56 Surat 7006446200200000000 ♠ 4,462,002 Municipal Corporation 7002326515000000000 ♠ 326.515 13,666 India 57 Johannesburg 7006443482700000000 ♠ 4,434,827 Municipality City 7003164498000000000 ♠ 1,644.98 2,696 South Africa 58 Dar es Salaam 7006436454100000000 ♠ 4,364,541 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7003163112000000000 ♠ 1,631.12 2,676 Tanzania 59 Suzhou 7006432706600000000 ♠ 4,327,066 Prefecture - level City 7003164972000000000 ♠ 1,649.72 2,623 China 60 Harbin 7006428070100000000 ♠ 4,280,701 Sub-provincial City 7003171820000000000 ♠ 1,718.2 2,491 China 61 Giza 7006423998800000000 ♠ 4,239,988 Governorate 7002289080000000000 ♠ 289.08 14,667 Egypt 62 Zhengzhou 7006412208700000000 ♠ 4,122,087 Sub-provincial City 7003101566000000000 ♠ 1,015.66 4,059 China 63 Los Angeles 7006397632200000000 ♠ 3,976,322 Municipality City 7003121385000099999 ♠ 1,213.85 3,276 United States 64 New Taipei City 7006395492900000000 ♠ 3,954,929 Special Municipality 7003205257000000000 ♠ 2,052.57 1,927 Taiwan 65 Cape Town 7006374002600000000 ♠ 3,740,026 Municipality City 7003244497000099999 ♠ 2,444.97 1,530 South Africa 66 Yokohama 7006372616700000000 ♠ 3,726,167 Designated City 7002437490000000000 ♠ 437.49 8,517 Japan 67 Berlin 7006367100000000000 ♠ 3,671,000 City State 7002891750000000000 ♠ 891.75 4,117 Germany 68 Busan 7006359010100000000 ♠ 3,590,101 Metropolitan City 7002766120000000000 ♠ 766.12 4,686 South Korea 69 Hangzhou 7006356039100000000 ♠ 3,560,391 Sub-provincial City 7002728190000000000 ♠ 728.19 4,889 China 70 Xiamen 7006353134700000000 ♠ 3,531,347 Sub-provincial City 7003169900000000000 ♠ 1,699 2,078 China 71 Quanzhou 7006352084600000000 ♠ 3,520,846 Prefecture - level City 7003106200000000000 ♠ 1,062 3,315 China 72 Jeddah 7006345625900000000 ♠ 3,456,259 Municipality City 7003176500000000000 ♠ 1,765 1,958 Saudi Arabia 73 Durban 7006344236100000000 ♠ 3,442,361 Municipality City 7003229131000000000 ♠ 2,291.31 1,502 South Africa 74 Kabul 7006341410000000000 ♠ 3,414,100 Municipality City 7002275000000000000 ♠ 275 12,415 Afghanistan 75 Casablanca 7006335981800000000 ♠ 3,359,818 Prefecture 7002387000000000000 ♠ 387 8,682 Morocco 76 Hefei 7006335207600000000 ♠ 3,352,076 Prefecture - level City 7002838520000000000 ♠ 838.52 3,998 China 77 Pyongyang 7006325538800000000 ♠ 3,255,388 Direct - controlled Municipality 7003211300000000000 ♠ 2,113 1,541 North Korea 78 Madrid 7006320724700000000 ♠ 3,207,247 Municipality City 7002605770000000000 ♠ 605.77 5,294 Spain 79 Faisalabad 7006320384600000000 ♠ 3,203,846 City District 7002214000000000000 ♠ 214 14,971 Pakistan 80 Ekurhuleni 7006317847000000000 ♠ 3,178,470 Municipality City 7003197531000000000 ♠ 1,975.31 1,609 South Africa 81 Nairobi 7006313836900000000 ♠ 3,138,369 Capital District 7002694900000000000 ♠ 694.9 4,829 Kenya 82 Zhongshan 7006312127500000000 ♠ 3,121,275 Prefecture - level City 7003178367000000000 ♠ 1,783.67 1,750 China 83 Pune 7006311543100000000 ♠ 3,115,431 Municipal Corporation 7002450690000000000 ♠ 450.69 6,913 India 84 Addis Ababa 7006310367300000000 ♠ 3,103,673 Metropolitan Municipality - Province 7002526990000000000 ♠ 526.99 5,889 Ethiopia 85 Jaipur 7006307335000000000 ♠ 3,073,350 Municipal Corporation 7002485000000000000 ♠ 485 6,337 India 86 Buenos Aires 7006305430000000000 ♠ 3,054,300 Federal District 7002203000000000000 ♠ 203 15,046 Argentina 87 Wenzhou 7006303943900000000 ♠ 3,039,439 Prefecture - level City 7003118788000000000 ♠ 1,187.88 2,559 China Notes ( edit ) Jump up ^ Metropolitan Lagos consists 16 out of Lagos State 's 20 LGA , which excludes : Badagry , Epe , Ibeju - Lekki and Ikorodu . Jump up ^ Sum of the 2014 population estimates for the `` urban - function core district '' and `` urban - function extended district '' of Chongqing , which were 3,677,600 and 4,512,200 respectively . See also the next note . Jump up ^ The nine districts of Yuzhong , Jiangbei , Shapingba , Jiulongpo , Nan'an , Dadukou , Banan , Yubei and Beibei together comprise the area commonly referred to as Central Chongqing ( 重庆 主 城区 ) . The first six districts make up the `` urban - function core district '' ( 都市 功能 核心 区 ) and the last three comprise the `` urban - function extended district '' ( 都市 功能 拓展 区 ) defined by the Chongqing municipal government . Jump up ^ Sum of the areas of the `` urban - function core district '' and `` urban - function extended district '' of Chongqing . See also the previous note . References ( edit ) Jump up ^ `` World Urbanization Prospects : The 2007 Revision Population Database '' . Esa.un.org . Archived from the original on 22 August 2010 . Retrieved 26 July 2010 . Jump up ^ `` United Nations Statistics Division -- Demographic and Social Statistics '' . Millenniumindicators.un.org . Retrieved 26 July 2010 . Jump up ^ Demographic Yearbook 2005 , Volume 57 . United Nations . 2008 . p. 2 ; 756 . ISBN 92 - 1 - 051099 - 2 . ^ Jump up to : World Urbanization Prospects : The 2003 Revision . United Nations . 2004 . ISBN 92 - 1 - 151396 - 0 . Jump up ^ Alexander , Ruth ( 29 January 2012 ) . `` The world 's biggest cities : How do you measure them ? '' . BBC News . Retrieved 16 March 2015 . Jump up ^ 2014 年 上海 市 国民 经济 ( Shanghai Economic and Social Development Statistical Bulletin 2014 ) ( in Chinese ) . 28 February 2015 . Archived from the original on 9 March 2015 . Retrieved 1 May 2015 . Jump up ^ `` Land Area '' . Basic Facts . Shanghai Municipal People 's Government . Retrieved 19 July 2011 . Jump up ^ 北京 市 2014 年 国民 经济 和 社会 发展 统计 公报 ( Beijing Economic and Social Development Statistical Bulletin 2014 ) ( in Chinese ) . Beijing Bureau of Statistics . 12 February 2015 . Archived from the original on 1 March 2016 . Retrieved 1 May 2015 . Jump up ^ `` Doing Business in China -- Survey '' . Ministry Of Commerce -- People 's Republic Of China . Archived from the original on 5 August 2013 . Retrieved 5 August 2013 . Jump up ^ `` India : Delhi '' . citypopulation.de . citypopulation.de . Retrieved 20 October 2015 . Jump up ^ `` Population - Lagos State '' . Lagos State Government . Archived from the original on 18 October 2015 . Retrieved 21 February 2016 . Jump up ^ The surface of the Metropolitan Lagos is 1171 square kilometres , but 171 square kilometres is water ( lagoon ) . Jump up ^ `` 2013 年 天津 市 国民 经济 和 社会 发展 统计 公报 数据 '' . Enorth.com.cn . Archived from the original on 26 December 2013 . Retrieved 1 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` CHINA : Administrative Division of Tianjin ( 天津 市 ) '' . Jump up ^ Pakistan Bureau of Statistics . `` Population of Major Cities - Census 2017 '' ( PDF ) . Jump up ^ `` Town / District Maps '' . Urban Habitat . Jump up ^ `` 3 - 2 各市 ( 州 ) 年末 常住 人口 、 出生率 、 死亡 率 、 自然 增长 率 、 城镇 化 率 和 人口 密度 ( 2014 年 ) - tjsql.com '' . www.tjsql.com . Retrieved 2016 - 03 - 06 . Jump up ^ Cite error : The named reference 2010census was invoked but never defined ( see the help page ) . Jump up ^ `` The Results of Address Based Population Registration System , 2013 '' . Turkish Statistical Institute . Retrieved 13 January 2016 . Jump up ^ The city , considered capital of Istanbul Province , is administered by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality ( IMM ) , which oversees the thirty - nine districts of the city - province ( thirty - six urban districts and three rural districts ) . Jump up ^ Sources have provided conflicting figures on the area of Istanbul . The most authoritative source on this figure ought to be the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality ( MMI ) , but the English version of its website suggests a few figures for this area . One page states that `` Each MM is sub-divided into District Municipalities ( '' DM `` ) of which there are 27 in Istanbul '' ( emphasis added ) with a total area of 1,538.9 square kilometers ( 594.2 sq mi ). ( 73 ) However , the Municipal History page appears to be the most explicit and most updated , saying that in 2004 , `` Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality 's jurisdiction was enlarged to cover all the area within the provincial limits '' . It also states a 2008 law merged the Eminönü district into the Fatih district ( a point that is not reflected in the previous source ) and increased the number of districts in Istanbul to thirty - nine. ( 74 ) That total area , as corroborated on the Turkish version of the MMI website , ( 75 ) and a recently updated Jurisdiction page on the English site ( 76 ) is 5,343 square kilometers ( 2,063 sq mi ) ... ^ Jump up to : `` 2015 Population Census '' . Statistics Bureau , Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications . Retrieved 13 August 2016 . Jump up ^ 2014 年 广州 市 国民 经济 和 社会 发展 统计 公报 ( Guangzhou Economic and Social Development Statistics Bulletin 2014 ) ( in Chinese ) . Guangzhou Daily . 22 March 2015 . Archived from the original on 12 March 2016 . Retrieved 1 May 2015 . Jump up ^ `` 土地 面积 、 人口 密度 ( 2008 年 ) '' . Statistics Bureau of Guangzhou . Archived from the original on 23 March 2015 . Retrieved 8 February 2010 . ^ Jump up to : `` Greater Mumbai ( Maharashtra , India ) - Population Statistics and Location in Maps and Charts - City Population '' . Citypopulation.de . Retrieved 19 July 2016 . Jump up ^ Mumbai City consists of two distinct regions : Mumbai City district ( Island City ) and Mumbai Suburban district ( Western Suburban and Eastern Suburban ) , grouped into 24 wards , under the administration of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC ) . The remaining area belongs to Defence , Mumbai Port Trust , Atomic Energy Commission and Borivali National Park , which are out of the jurisdiction of the BMC . Jump up ^ `` RUSSIA : Moscow '' . Jump up ^ `` Территориальное устройство '' . Moscow City Government . Archived from the original on 8 January 2013 . Jump up ^ The federal city of Moscow is divided into twelve administrative okrugs , which are in turn subdivided into districts ( raions ) . ^ Jump up to : `` Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation . Federal Registration , Cadastre&Cartography Service . Russia Landuse National Report 2008 , p. 187 - 188 ( in Russian ) '' ( PDF ) . Retrieved 5 October 2014 . Jump up ^ `` IBGE divulga as estimativas populacionais dos municípios em 2016 '' ( in Portuguese ) . IBGE . Retrieved 13 December 2016 . Jump up ^ Administratively , the Municipality of São Paulo is divided into 31 subprefectures , each in turn divided into 96 districts . Locally , districts may contain one or more neighborhoods ( bairros ) . The city of São Paulo recognizes ten geographical areas used to reference locations in the city . Jump up ^ Pakistan Bureau of Statistics . `` Population of Major Cities - Census 2017 '' ( PDF ) . Jump up ^ `` Demographia World Urban Areas '' ( PDF ) . Demographia . Retrieved 16 June 2016 . Jump up ^ `` Shenzhen Statistics '' . Shenzhen Government Online . Retrieved 2011 . Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Shenzhen General Info '' . Shenzhen Government Online . Archived from the original on 25 May 2017 . Retrieved 2011 . Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Data Jumlah Penduduk DKI Jakarta ( 2014 ) '' . Dinas Kependudukan dan Pencatatan Sipil Provinsi DKI Jakarta . Retrieved 5 December 2015 . Jump up ^ `` INDONESIA : Administrative Division '' . Retrieved 5 October 2014 . Jump up ^ 2016 년 5 월 행정 자치부 주민등록 인구 통계 Archived 3 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Jump up ^ `` Seoul Statistics ( Land Area ) '' . Seoul Metropolitan Government . Retrieved 2012 . Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` 武汉 市 2010 年 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 主要 数据 公报 -- 湖北 省 统计 局 ( Main Data from Wuhan 2010 Census ) '' . Hubei Provincial Statistics Bureau . 9 August 2011 . Retrieved 26 August 2016 . Jump up ^ The sub-provincial city of Wuhan has direct jurisdiction over 13 districts ( eight urban / five rural ) . The city proper ( urban ) based on the districts of Jiang'an , Jianghan , Qiaokou , Hanyang , Wuchang and Qingshan considered `` core districts '' + Inner suburbs ( districts ) : Hongshan , Dongxihu . Jump up ^ Wuhan Statistical Yearbook 2010 Archived 5 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine . p. 15 ^ Jump up to : `` Demographia World Urban Areas ( 2014 ) '' ( PDF ) . Demographia . Retrieved 17 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Evenements : `` Avec une population de 9 , 5 millions , Kinshasa est la troisième plus grande ville sur le continent africain , de taille égale à Johannesburg . Le Kinois ( habitants de Kinshasa ) sont connus pour leur sens de l'humour , leur musique et leur amour pour la danse . '' ( 2013 ) `` . Ville de Kinshasa . Jump up ^ The province of Kinshasa is divided into twenty - four districts , administered by the Metropolitan Municipality of Kinshasa . But the districts ( communes ) of Maluku and Nsele ( N'Sele ) are rural and not part of the city proper . The city proper ( urban area ) of Kinshasa is generally considered to be formed by twenty - two `` communes '' . Jump up ^ According to the Constitution of Democratic Republic of the Congo , the province of Kinshasa covers 9965.21 km . Maluku and N'Sele ( total area 8847.59 km ) are entirely rural , with a very very low density . Jump up ^ `` Egypt '' . citypopulation.de . Retrieved 20 October 2015 . Jump up ^ In April 2011 , Prime Minister Essam Sharaf abolished the Helwan Governorate and reincorporated its territory into the Cairo Governorate . The total area of the governorate is 3085.1 square kilometers , the city area is 453 square kilometers , but the Egyptian government considered the Cairo Governorate is that a whole city and all statistics relate to the `` governorate '' . Jump up ^ `` EGYPT : Cairo '' . Retrieved 5 October 2014 . Jump up ^ https://www.citypopulation.de/php/bangladesh-dhaka.php . Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^ Brinkhoff , Thomas . `` Bangladesh : Districts and Cities '' . CityPopulation . Retrieved 20 October 2015 . Jump up ^ `` MEXICO : Mexico City ( 2014 ) '' . CityPopulation.De . Retrieved 15 March 2014 . Jump up ^ Consejo Nacional de Población , México ; Delimitación de las zonas metropolitanas de México 2005 Archived 2 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on 26 November 2010 . Jump up ^ `` Population Estimates for UK , England and Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland '' . ONS. 22 June 2017 . Retrieved 22 October 2017 . Jump up ^ The 33 local authorities are the 32 London borough councils and the City of London Corporation . Jump up ^ `` 西安 市 2015 年 国民 经济 和 社会 发展 统计 公报 '' . http://www.xatj.gov.cn/ . Retrieved 2016 - 05 - 12 . External link in website = ( help ) Jump up ^ The sub-provincial city of Xi'an has direct jurisdiction over 9 districts ( 区 qu ) and 4 counties ( 县 xian ) . The city proper based on the districts of Xīnchéng , Bēilín and Liánhú considered `` core districts '' + Inner suburbs ( districts ) : Bàqiáo , Wèiyāng and Yàntǎ . Jump up ^ `` IRAN : Tehran City ( Census 2016 - 09 - 24 ) '' . CITY POPULATION.DE . Retrieved 25 February 2014 . Jump up ^ `` TEHRAN : Administrative Districts '' . Retrieved 5 October 2014 . Jump up ^ `` About Teheran '' . Tehran Municipality . Retrieved 25 February 2014 . Jump up ^ `` PERU : Lima population '' . La Republica . Jump up ^ The province of Lima is divided into forty three `` districts of Lima '' which are administered by the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima . ^ Jump up to : `` Census Estimates ( 2016 ) '' . United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 25 May 2017 . Jump up ^ New York City is composed of five boroughs : Manhattan , The Bronx , Brooklyn , Queens , Staten Island Jump up ^ `` Bangalore ( Karnataka , India ) - Population Statistics and Location in Maps and Charts - City Population '' . Citypopulation.de . Retrieved 5 April 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Table 1 Population by sex , household type and household by type , average size of private household by region and area : 2010 '' . Statistic tables , NSO website . National Statistics Office . Retrieved 18 September 2012 . Jump up ^ Bangkok is subdivided into 50 districts ( khet เขต , also sometimes wrongly called amphoe อําเภอ as in the other provinces , derived from Pali khetta , cognate to Sanskrit kṣetra ) , which are further subdivided into 169 khwaeng แขวง , roughly equivalent to tambon ตําบล in the other provinces . ^ Jump up to : Statistical Handbook of Vietnam 2014 Archived 6 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. , General Statistics Office Of Vietnam Jump up ^ `` China -- Guangdong Province ( 2010 ) '' . GeoHive . Archived from the original on 14 March 2014 . Retrieved 14 March 2014 . Jump up ^ 2014 年 重庆 市 国民 经济 和 社会 发展 统计 公报 ( Chongqing Economic and Social Development Statistical Bulletin 2014 ) ( in Chinese ) . Chongqing Bureau of Statistics . 16 March 2015 . Archived from the original on 23 May 2015 . Retrieved 26 May 2015 . ^ Jump up to : `` Position of Five Function Districts in Chongqing '' . Chongqing Municipal Government . 22 September 2013 . Retrieved 26 May 2015 . Jump up ^ 五大 功能 区域 : 都市 功能 核心 区 ( Five Functional Districts : Urban - function Core District ) . CQNEWS Corporation . Archived from the original on 27 May 2015 . Retrieved 26 May 2015 . Jump up ^ Te Kan ( 9 November 2007 ) . `` New city group in the making '' . China Daily . Beijing . Retrieved 26 May 2015 . Jump up ^ `` Census ( 2014 ) '' . Nanjing Municipal Bureru Statistucs . Retrieved 19 January 2015 . Jump up ^ `` 2010 年 沈阳 市 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 主要 数据 公报 ( Sixth National Population Census of the People 's Republic of China '' . National Bureau of Statistics of China . Jump up ^ `` Estimaciones y proyecciones de hogares y viviendas '' . DANE ( 2014 ) . Archived from the original on 2 February 2016 . Jump up ^ The Capital District of Bogotá is divided into twenty districts , administered by the Metropolitan Municipality of Bogotá . Jump up ^ `` Límites '' . Bogota Government Corporation . Jump up ^ The district of Sumapaz is completely rural ( no city services ) and is not part of the city proper . The area was an important pilgrimage arheoligic site for the Muisca indigenous peoples in pre-Columbian times and for visiting the Sumapaz National Park . The district of Sumapaz represents 0.1 % of the population ( 48 % `` area '' ) of Bogotá Municipality . Jump up ^ `` Ningbo 2011 population report issued '' . Ningbo Municipal People 's Government . Archived from the original on 8 December 2015 . Jump up ^ `` Hong Kong Statistics '' . Census and Statistics Department . The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region . Retrieved 4 December 2015 . Jump up ^ The only legally defined city in Hong Kong is the City of Victoria but it serves almost no administrative function . Jump up ^ `` Hong Kong Geographic '' ( PDF ) . The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region . Retrieved 10 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Demographic Statistics of Iraq ( 2009 ) '' . Central Statistical Government of Iraq . Archived from the original on 5 March 2014 . Retrieved 5 March 2014 . Jump up ^ The province of Baghdad is divided into nine district , administered by the Metropolitan Municipality of Baghdad . The districts are distributed into 89 Neighborhood Councils . Jump up ^ There are many disputes about Baghdad city ( urban ) area . The city of Baghdad has the special status of provincial . The demographic information reported to the city proper are non-existent or are the estimates , projections inconclusive . The Metropolitan Municipality of Baghdad is a city `` federal district -- province '' . Is similar to the case of Cairo Governorate . Jump up ^ Hunan Statistical Bureau ( 2011 - 5 - 13 ) : Hunan Major data communique of National Census 2010 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine . Jump up ^ Based on the following districts : Furong , Tianxin , Yuelu , Kaifu , Yuhua ; see Administration Jump up ^ `` Greater Hyderabad ( Maharashtra , India ) - Population Statistics and Location in Maps and Charts - City Population '' . Citypopulation.de . Retrieved 19 July 2016 . Jump up ^ `` Greater Hyderabad Municipal corporation 2010 '' . GHMC . Archived from the original on 1 January 2016 . Retrieved 4 December 2010 . Jump up ^ `` Chennai : India Smart Cities Challenge '' . Official website of Smart Cities Challenge , India . Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 19 . Jump up ^ Chennai city is governed by the Chennai Corporation , dividing into three regions -- fifteen districts : North ( Tiruvottiyur , Manali , Madhavaram , Tondiarpet and Royapuram ) , South ( Valasaravakkam , Alandur , Adyar , Perungudi and Sholinganallur ) and Central ( Thiru - Vi - Ka Nagar , Ambattur , Anna Nagar , Teynampet and Kodambakkam ) , which covers 200 wards . Of the total land area , reserved forests cover 2.71 km2 and is concentrated in and around the Guindy National Park region , one of the few national parks in the world located within a city . Jump up ^ `` Expanded Chennai Corporationto be divided into 3 regions '' . The Hindu . Retrieved 22 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` IBGE divulga as estimativas populacionais dos municípios em 2016 '' ( in Portuguese ) . IBGE . Retrieved 12 December 2016 . Jump up ^ `` Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística ( 2013 ) '' . Archived from the original on 10 October 2012 . Retrieved 5 October 2014 . Jump up ^ `` 佛山 2010 年 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 主要 数据 公报 ( 1 ) '' . City of Foshan . Retrieved 30 January 2014 . Jump up ^ Districts of Changcheng , Nanhai , Shunde ; see Foshan # Administration Jump up ^ `` About Foshan '' . City of Foshan . Retrieved 11 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Chile -- Santiago ( Census 2012 ) '' . Archived from the original on 2 March 2014 . Retrieved 1 March 2014 . Jump up ^ The province of Santiago is divided into thirty - two districts , administered by the Metropolitan Municipality of Santiago . But the district of Lo Barnechea is rural ( mountains ) and is not part of the city proper . The city proper ( urban area ) of Santiago is generally considered to be formed by thirty - one districts ( Province of Santiago ) , the district of Puente Alto ( Province of Cordillera ) , and the district of San Bernardo ( Province of Maipo ) . Jump up ^ `` Composition of Population ( 2012 ) '' ( PDF ) . Arriyadh Development Authority . Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 23 August 2013 . Retrieved 4 March 2014 . Jump up ^ Riyadh is divided into 15 branch municipalities , in addition to the Diplomatic Quarter . Each branch municipality in turn contains several districts , amounting to over 130 in total , though some districts are divided between more than one branch municipality . The branch municipalities are Al - Shemaysi , Irqah , Al - Ma'athar , Al - Olayya , Al - Aziziyya , Al - Malaz , Al - Selayy , Nemar , Al - Neseem , Al - Shifa , Al - ' Urayja , Al - Bat'ha , Al - Ha'ir , Al - Rawdha , and Al - Shimal ( `` the North '' ) . Jump up ^ Arriyadh Development Authority ( Investment_Arriyadh_2013 ) ^ Jump up to : `` Cities having population 1 lakh and above '' ( PDF ) . censusindia . The Registrar General & Census Commissioner , India . Retrieved 18 October 2011 . ^ Jump up to : `` Population & Land Area ( Mid-Year Estimates ) '' . Statistics Singapore . Retrieved 4 December 2015 . Jump up ^ `` 现 将 汕头 市 2010 年 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 分区 县 常住 人口 ( 2 ) 数据 公布 如下 : '' . 汕头 市 2010 年 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 主要 数据 公报 ( 1 ) . Archived from the original on 24 April 2014 . Retrieved 30 January 2014 . Jump up ^ Rosstat . Оценка численности постоянного населения на 1 января 2017 г. ( in Russian ) Jump up ^ `` Demographia World Urban Areas ( 2014 ) '' ( PDF ) . Demographia . Retrieved 11 March 2014 . Jump up ^ Yangon is administered by the Yangon City Development Committee ( YCDC ) . The city proper is divided into four districts : Western District , Eastern District , Southern District and Northern District . The districts combined have a total of 33 townships . Jump up ^ Third Regional EST Forum , Presentation of Myanmar . Retrieved 11 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Presentation '' . District Autonome D'Abidjan . Archived from the original on 21 March 2014 . Retrieved 17 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Estimated Population by Governorate '' . CAPMAS . Archived from the original on 31 December 2013 . Retrieved September 2013 . Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Egypt : Administrative Units '' . GeoHive . Archived from the original on 16 January 2012 . Retrieved 4 March 2014 . Jump up ^ The city of Alexandria has an area of approximately 400 square kilometres . Egyptian officials provides information at governorate level . In the case of `` city proper '' provides information at intervals of many years . It is impossible to assess the population ( official ) reported in the city proper area . Jump up ^ `` Kolkata ( West Bengal , India ) - Population Statistics and Location in Maps and Charts - City Population '' . Citypopulation.de . Retrieved 19 July 2016 . Jump up ^ `` Turkey : Ankara City '' . citypopulation.de . Retrieved 25 October 2015 . Jump up ^ The province of Ankara is divided into twenty five districts , administered by the Metropolitan Municipality of Ankara . The city proper ( urban area ) of Ankara is generally considered to be formed by eight districts ( Sincan , Yenimahalle , Etimesgut , Keçiören , Pursaklar , Altındağ , Mamak , Çankaya ) . Here , Gölbaşı district is excluded , because it is rural . Jump up ^ Yenimahalle district , whose area is not given by citypopulation.de , covers 274 km Jump up ^ `` Districts of Turkey '' . statoids . Retrieved 25 October 2015 . Jump up ^ Demographics : Surat Municipal Corporation Archived 4 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine . ^ Jump up to : `` Census ( 2011 ) '' . Statistics South Africa . Retrieved 23 March 2014 . Jump up ^ Pinda , Mizengo Peter . `` Welcome to the 2012 Tanzania Population and Housing Census WebPage '' . Census General Report ( pdf ) ; available by clicking `` Population Distribution by Administrative Units '' . National Bureau of Statistics of Tanzania . Archived from the original on 5 January 2014 . Retrieved 28 December 2013 . Jump up ^ Dar es Salaam is divided into five districts , governed as municipal councils , and so all of the city 's suburbs or wards are affiliated with them . Jump up ^ `` TANZANIA : Administrative Division '' . Retrieved 5 October 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Suzhou ( Statistics 2013 ) '' ( PDF ) . Sztjj.gov.cn . Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 19 April 2014 . Retrieved 20 April 2014 . Jump up ^ The city proper based on the districts of Gūsū , Wúzhōng , Sūzhōu Gōngyèyuán ( Industrial Park ) , Xiàngchéng and Sūzhōu Gāo Xīnjìshù Chǎnyè Kāifāqū ( New District ) Jump up ^ Sztjj.gov.cn Jump up ^ `` 黑龙江 省 2010 年 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 主要 数据 公报 '' . National Bureau of Statistics of the People 's Republic of China . Retrieved 3 February 2014 . Jump up ^ All city proper districts except Sōngběi ; namely Dàolǐ , Nángǎng , Dàowài , Píngfáng , Xiāngfang ; see Harbin # Administrative divisions Jump up ^ `` 中国 年鉴 信息 网 -- 中国 规模 最大 、 实力 最 强 的 研究 报告 提供 商 ! '' . Harbin Yearbook . China Yearbook . Retrieved 3 February 2014 . Jump up ^ `` EGYPT : Greater Cairo ( 2006 ) '' . citypopulation.de . Retrieved 20 February 2014 . Jump up ^ All districts that are listed as being in Greater Cairo and are contiguous ; namely Ad - Duqī , Al - Ahrām ; Al - ' Ajūzah ; Al - Badrashayn ; Al - Ḥawāmidiyah ; Al - Jīzah ; Al - Jīzah ; Al - ' Umrāniyah ; Al - Warrāq ; Awsīm ; Būlāq al - Dakrūr ; Imbābah ; Kirdāsah . Jump up ^ Sub-provincial City ( Census 2010 ) Jump up ^ The city proper based on the districts of Zhōngyuán , Èrqī , Guǎnchéng Huízú , Jīnshuǐ and Huìjì Jump up ^ Los Angeles City is divided into over 80 districts and neighborhoods . Jump up ^ `` TAIWAN : Administrative Division ( Census 2013 ) '' . CityPopulation.De . Retrieved 23 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` New Taipei City '' . New Taipei City Government . Archived from the original on 9 July 2012 . Retrieved 18 October 2011 . Jump up ^ `` Berlins Einwohnerzahl wächst 2016 weiter '' ( PDF ) . Statistics Agency Berlin - Brandenburg . Retrieved 24 February 2017 . ^ Jump up to : `` Archived copy '' . Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 . Retrieved 13 February 2016 . , Retrieved 1 July 2013 . ^ Jump up to : 杭州 市 2010 年 国民 经济 和 社会 发展 统计 公报 ( in Chinese ) . Hangzhou Municipal Statistic Bureau . 24 February 2011 . Archived from the original on 3 September 2011 . Retrieved 15 September 2011 . Jump up ^ `` Xiamen ( Sub-provincial city , Fujian ) '' . citypopulation.de. 1 November 2010 . Retrieved 4 March 2014 . Jump up ^ Following sections : Licheng District , Fengze District , Shishi City , Jinjiang City ; see Quanzhou # Administrative divisions Jump up ^ `` Saudi Census - 2010 '' . Central Departament of Statistics Saudi Government . Archived from the original on 1 December 2013 . Retrieved 4 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Area and Population '' . Jeddah Municipality . Archived from the original on 21 April 2014 . Retrieved 4 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Afghanistan ( 2013 ) '' . GeoHive . Archived from the original on 6 August 2014 . Retrieved 21 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Morocco : Grand Casablanca - Settat '' . citypopulation.de . Retrieved 20 October 2015 . Jump up ^ `` 合肥 市 2010 年 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 主要 数据 公报 : 合肥 市 2010 年 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 主要 数据 公 报 ( 1 ) '' . Baidu . Retrieved 15 February 2014 . Jump up ^ The prefecture - level city of Hefei administers 9 county - level divisions , including 4 districts , 1 County - city and 4 counties . The city proper based on the districts of Luyang , Yaohai , Shushan and Baohe considered `` core districts '' . Jump up ^ United Nations Statistics Division ; Preliminary results of the 2008 Census of Population of the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea conducted on 1 -- 15 October 2008 ( pdf - file ) Archived 25 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on 1 March 2009 . Jump up ^ PYONGYANG Archived 17 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine . Jump up ^ `` Municipal Register : Last data published : Population at 1st January ( 2013 ) '' . Instituto Nacional de Estadística ( INE -- Spain ) . Retrieved 3 March 2014 . Jump up ^ Pakistan Bureau of Statistics . `` Population of Major Cities - Census 2017 '' ( PDF ) . Jump up ^ `` Kenya ( Census 2009 ) '' . Geohive . Archived from the original on 3 March 2014 . Retrieved 3 March 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Archived copy '' . Archived from the original on 14 March 2014 . Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 14 . Jump up ^ `` Population Size of Towns by Sex , Region , Zone and Wereda : July 2013 '' ( PDF ) . Central Statistical Agency -- CSA . Retrieved July 2013 . Check date values in : access - date = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` based on the districts of Akaki Kaliti - Sub City , Nefas Silk - Lafto - Sub City , Kolfe Keraniyo - Sub City , Gulele - Sub City , Lideta - Sub City , Kirkos - Sub City , Arada - Sub City , Addis Ketema - Sub City , Yeka - Sub City , Bole - Sub City considered `` districts '' `` . Jump up ^ `` Argentina : Provinces and Agglomerations '' . citypopulation.de . Retrieved 20 October 2015 . Jump up ^ `` 1103 - 浙江 省 温州 市 2010 年 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 主要 数据 公报 : 温州 市 2010 年 第 六 次 全国 人口 普查 主要 数据 公报 '' . Baidu . Retrieved 3 March 2014 . Jump up ^ Based on the following districts : Lucheng , Longwan , Ouhai ; see Administration See also ( edit ) List of agglomerations by population List of cities by population density List of metropolitan areas by population List of population concern organizations External links ( edit ) The worlds biggest cities : How do you measure them ? -- BBC article ( hide ) World 's largest cities City proper World ( Capitals ) Americas ( North Latin Central South ) Asia ( Arab world ASEAN Arabia Far East ) Europe ( European Union Nordic ) Metropolitan area World Americas ( North South West Indies ) Europe ( European Union Nordic ) Asia Africa Transborder Aggregate urban area † World Europe ( European Union Nordic ) Asia Urban agglomeration † North America Europe ( European Union ) Asia Historical World Europe Related articles Global city Megacity Megalopolis Conurbation Suburbs † Aggregate urban areas are entire continuous built - up areas , grouping together contiguous cities ( known as conurbations ) , whereas urban agglomerations are the built - up areas of individual cities . Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_cities_proper_by_population&oldid=819094482 '' Categories : Censuses Demographic lists Lists of cities by demography Lists of cities by population Lists of cities ( worldwide ) by population Populated places by type Hidden categories : Pages with reference errors CS1 uses Chinese - language script ( zh ) CS1 Chinese - language sources ( zh ) Pages with broken reference names CS1 Portuguese - language sources ( pt ) CS1 errors : dates Webarchive template wayback links Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs CS1 errors : external links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from December 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Articles with Russian - language external links Articles to be merged from June 2017 All articles to be merged Articles needing additional references from September 2017 All articles needing additional references Use dmy dates from February 2016 Dynamic lists Articles needing more detailed references Talk Contents About Wikipedia تۆرکجه বাংলা Беларуская Буряад Català Dansk Deutsch Esperanto Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Қазақша Kurdî Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar मराठी Bahasa Melayu Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Олык марий ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Português Scots Shqip Soomaaliga کوردی Српски / srpski Tarandíne Татарча / tatarça Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 7 January 2018 , at 11 : 15 . 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Question: three largest cities in the world by population


History of Vietnam since 1945 - wikipedia History of Vietnam since 1945 Jump to : navigation , search History of Vietnam 2879 -- 258 BC Hồng Bàng dynasty 2879 -- 1913 BC Early Hồng Bàng 1912 -- 1055 BC Mid Hồng Bàng 1054 -- 258 BC Late Hồng Bàng 257 -- 179 BC Thục dynasty 207 -- 111 BC Triệu dynasty 111 BC -- 40 AD 1st Chinese domination 40 -- 43 Trưng Sisters 43 -- 544 2nd Chinese domination 544 -- 602 Early Lý dynasty 602 -- 938 3rd Chinese domination 939 -- 967 Ngô dynasty 968 -- 980 Đinh dynasty 980 -- 1009 Early Lê dynasty 1009 -- 1225 Later Lý dynasty 1225 -- 1400 Trần dynasty 1400 -- 1407 Hồ dynasty 1407 -- 1427 4th Chinese domination 1407 -- 1413 Later Trần dynasty 1428 -- 1788 Later Lê dynasty 1527 -- 1592 Mạc dynasty 1545 -- 1787 Trịnh lords 1558 -- 1777 Nguyễn lords 1778 -- 1802 Tây Sơn dynasty 1802 -- 1945 Nguyễn dynasty 1858 -- 1954 French Indochina 1945 Empire of Vietnam From 1945 Republic 1945 -- 1976 North Vietnam ( Democratic Republic of Vietnam ) 1955 -- 1975 South Vietnam ( Republic of Vietnam ) 1975 -- 1976 Viet Cong - occupied South Vietnam From 1976 Unification of Vietnam Further subjects ( hide ) Champa dynasties ( 192 -- 1832 ) Funan ( 68 -- 550 ) Chenla ( 550 -- 802 ) Historical capitals Prehistoric and ancient cultures List of monarchs Country 's names Economic history Military history After World War II and the collapse of Vietnam 's monarchy , France attempted to re-establish its colonial rule but was ultimately defeated in the First Indochina War . The Geneva Accords in 1954 partitioned the country temporarily in two with a promise of democratic elections in 1956 to reunite the country . However , the United States and South Vietnam insisted on United Nations supervision of any election to prevent fraud , which the Soviet Union and North Vietnam refused . North and South Vietnam therefore remained divided until The Vietnam War ended with the Fall of Saigon in 1975 . After reunification in 1975 , the newly reunified Vietnam faced many difficulties including internal repression and isolation from the international community due to the Cold War , Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and an American economic embargo . In 1986 , the Communist Party of Vietnam changed its economic policy and began a series of reforms to the private sector and to the economy through what is known as Đổi mới , a political movement primarily led by Prime Minister Võ Văn Kiệt . During the 6th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam , the country abolished its planned economy system in favor of a market oriented one . Ever since the reforms in the mid-1980s , Vietnam has enjoyed substantial economic growth . Contents ( hide ) 1 Birth of the republic ( 1945 ) 2 Communist North and capitalist South ( 1945 -- 75 ) 2.1 Indochina War ( 1945 -- 54 ) 2.2 Vietnam War ( 1954 -- 75 ) - the South 2.3 Vietnam War ( 1954 -- 75 ) - the North 2.4 The Tet Offensive and the end of the war 3 Socialist Republic ( 1976 -- 1991 ) 3.1 Refugees 3.2 Cambodia and conflict with China 3.3 Government and economy 1975 - 1991 4 Contemporary Vietnam ( since 1991 ) 5 References Birth of the Republic ( 1945 ) ( edit ) Main articles : August Revolution and Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam The Japanese occupied Vietnam during World War II but allowed the French to remain and exert some influence . At the war 's end in August 1945 , a power vacuum was created in Vietnam . Capitalizing on this , the Việt Minh launched the `` August Revolution '' across the country to seize government offices . Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated on August 25 , 1945 , ending the Nguyễn dynasty . On September 2 , 1945 , at Duc Anh Ba Đình Square , Ho Chi Minh , leader of the Viet Minh organization , declared Vietnam 's independence under the new name of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ( DRVN ) in a speech that invoked the United States Declaration of Independence and the French Revolution 's Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen . Ho sent several letters to the US government asking to be recognised as the government of Vietnam and offering friendship to America , but none were ever answered . Communist North and capitalist South ( 1945 -- 75 ) ( edit ) Main articles : Democratic Republic of Vietnam , State of Vietnam , Republic of Vietnam , and Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam Indochina war ( 1945 -- 54 ) ( edit ) Main articles : War in Vietnam ( 1945 -- 46 ) and Franco - Vietnamese War The British commander in Southeast Asia , Lord Louis Mountbatten , sent 20,000 troops of the 20th Indian division to occupy Saigon under General Douglas Gracey who landed in southern Vietnam on 6 September 1945 , disarming the Japanese and restoring order . They had to re-arm Japanese prisoners of war known as Gremlin force to keep order until more troops arrived . The British began to withdraw in December 1945 , but this was not completed until June of the following year . The last British soldiers were killed in Vietnam in June 1946 . Altogether 40 British and Indian troops were killed and over a hundred were wounded . Vietnamese casualties were 600 . They were followed by French troops trying to re-establish their rule . In the north , Chiang Kai - shek 's Kuomintang army entered Vietnam from China , also to disarm the Japanese , followed by the forces of the non-Communist Vietnamese parties , such as Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng and Việt Nam Cách Mạng Đồng Minh Hội . In January 1946 , Vietnam had its first National Assembly election ( won by the Viet Minh in central and northern Vietnam ) , which drafted the first constitution , but the situation was still precarious : the French tried to regain power by force ; some Cochinchinese politicians formed a seceding government of the Republic of Cochinchina ( Nam Kỳ Quốc ) while the non-Communist and Communist forces were engaging each other in sporadic battles . Stalinists purged Trotskyists . Religious sects , like the Cao Đài and Hòa Hảo , and resistance groups formed their own militias . Under the terms of the Accord between France and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on 6 March 1946 : 1 . The French Government recognizes the Vietnamese Republic as a Free State having its own Government , its own Parliament , its own Army and its own Finances , forming part of the Indochinese Federation and of the French Union . As concerns the reuniting of the three `` Annamite Regions '' Cochinchina , Annam and Tonkin the French Government pledges itself to ratify the decisions taken by the populations consulted by referendum . 2 . The Vietnamese Government declares itself ready to welcome amicably the French Army when , conforming to international agreements , it relieves the Chinese troops . A Supplementary Accord , attached to the present Preliminary Agreement , will establish the means by which the relief operations will be carried out . 3 . The stipulations formulated above will immediately enter into force . Immediately after the exchange of signatures , each of the High Contracting Parties will take all measures necessary to stop hostilities in the field , to maintain the troops in their respective positions , and to create the favorable atmosphere necessary for the immediate opening of friendly and sincere negotiations . These negotiations will deal particularly with : a . diplomatic relations of Viet Nam with Foreign States b . the future law of Indochina c. French interests , economic and cultural , in Viet Nam . The seat of the conference was held at either Hanoi , Saigon or Paris . In 1947 full - scale war broke out between the Viet Minh and France . Realizing that colonialism was coming to an end worldwide , France fashioned a semi-independent State of Vietnam , within the French Union , with Bảo Đại as Head of State . Meanwhile , as the Communists under Mao Zedong took over China , the Viet Minh began to receive military aid from China . Beside supplying materials , Chinese cadres also pressured the Vietnamese Communist Party , then under First Secretary Trường Chinh , to emulate their brand of revolution , unleashing a purge of `` bourgeois and feudal '' elements from the Viet Minh ranks , carrying out a ruthless and bloody land reform campaign ( Cải Cách Ruộng Đất ) , and denouncing `` bourgeois and feudal '' tendencies in arts and literature . Many true patriots and devoted Communist revolutionaries in the Viet Minh suffered mistreatment or were even executed during these movements . Many others became disenchanted and left the Viet Minh . The United States became strongly opposed to Hồ Chí Minh . In the 1950s the government of Bảo Đại gained recognition by the United States and the United Kingdom . The Việt Minh force grew significantly with China 's assistance and in 1954 , under the command of General Võ Nguyên Giáp , launched a major siege against French bases in Điện Biên Phủ . The Việt Minh force surprised Western military experts with their use of primitive means to move artillery pieces and supplies up the mountains surrounding Điện Biên Phủ , giving them a decisive advantage . On May 7 , 1954 , French troops at Điện Biên Phủ , under Christian de Castries , surrendered to the Viet Minh and in July 1954 , the Geneva Accord was signed between France and the Viet - Minh , paving the way for the French to leave Vietnam . Vietnam war ( 1954 -- 75 ) - the South ( edit ) Main article : Vietnam War The Geneva Conference of 1954 ended France 's colonial presence in Vietnam and partitioned the country into two states at the 17th parallel pending unification on the basis of internationally supervised free elections . Ngô Đình Diệm , a former mandarin with a strong Catholic and Confucian background , was selected as Premier of the State of Vietnam by Bảo Đại . While Diệm was trying to settle the differences between the various armed militias in the South , Bảo Đại was persuaded to reduce his power . Diệm created a referendum in 1955 to depose Bảo Đại and declared himself President of the Republic of Vietnam ( South Vietnam ) . The Republic of Vietnam ( RVN ) was proclaimed in Saigon on October 26 , 1955 . The United States began to provide military and economic aid to the RVN , training RVN personnel , and sending U.S. advisors to assist in building the infrastructure for the new government . Also in 1954 , Viet Minh forces took over North Vietnam according to the Geneva Accord . One million North Vietnamese civilians emigrated to South Vietnam to avoid persecution from the imminent Communist regime . At the same time , Viet Minh armed forces from South Vietnam were also moving to North Vietnam , as dictated by the Geneva Accord . However , some high - ranking Viet Minh cadres secretly remained in the South to follow the local situation closely , and created a communist insurgency against the Southern government if necessary . The most important figure among those was Lê Duẩn . The Geneva Accord had promised elections to determine the government for a unified Vietnam . Neither the United States government nor Ngô Đình Diệm 's State of Vietnam signed anything at the 1954 Geneva Conference . With respect to the question of reunification , the non-communist Vietnamese delegation objected strenuously to any division of Vietnam , but lost out when the French accepted the proposal of Viet Minh delegate Phạm Văn Đồng , who proposed that Vietnam eventually be united by elections under the supervision of `` local commissions '' . The United States countered with what became known as the `` American Plan '' , with the support of South Vietnam and the United Kingdom . It provided for unification elections under the supervision of the United Nations , but was rejected by the Soviet delegation . Diệm took strong measures to secure South Vietnam from perceived internal threats , especially from the Viet Cong . He eliminated all private militias from the Bình Xuyên Party and the Cao Đài and Hòa Hảo religious sects . In October 1955 , he deposed Bảo Đại and proclaimed himself President of the newly established the Republic of Vietnam , after rigging a referendum . He repressed political opposition , arresting the famous writer Nguyễn Tường Tam , who committed suicide while awaiting trial in jail . Diệm also acted aggressively to remove Communist agents still remaining in the South . He formed the Cần Lao Nhân Vị Party , mixing Individualist philosophy with republican and capitalist elements , as well as being anti-Communist and pro-Catholic . Another controversial policy was the Strategic Hamlet Program , which aimed to build fortified villages to remove and lock out Communists . However , it was in some ways ineffective as many covert communists were already part of the population and visually indistinguishable . It became unpopular as it limited the villagers ' freedom and altered their traditional way of life . Although Ngô Đình Diệm personally was respected for his nationalism , political stability and policies triggering rapid economic growth , he ran a nepotistic and authoritarian government . Elections were routinely rigged and Diệm favored of minority Roman Catholics on many issues , believing that Catholics were `` more trustworthy '' , more anti-communist and more impermeable to Viet Cong infiltration . His religious policies sparked protests from the Buddhist community after demonstrators were killed on Vesak , Buddha 's birthday , in 1963 when they were protesting a ban on the Buddhist flag . This incident sparked mass protests calling for religious equality . The most famous case was of Venerable Thích Quảng Đức , who burned himself to death to protest . The images of this event made worldwide headlines and brought extreme embarrassment for Diệm . The tension was not resolved , and on August 21 , the ARVN Special Forces loyal to his brother and chief adviser Ngô Đình Nhu and commanded by Lê Quang Tung raided Buddhist pagodas across the country , leaving a death toll estimated to range into the hundreds . In the United States , the Kennedy administration became worried that the problems of Diệm 's government were undermining the US 's anti-Communist effort in Southeast Asia , and of Diệm 's increasing resistance and non-cooperation with the American government . On November 1 , 1963 , with the planning and backing of the CIA and the Kennedy administration , South Vietnamese generals led by Dương Văn Minh engineered a coup d'état and overthrew Ngô Đình Diệm , killing both him and his brother Nhu . ( see also Ngô Đình Cẩn ) Between 1963 and 1965 , South Vietnam was extremely unstable as no government could keep power for long . There were more coups , often more than one every year . The Communist - run Viet Cong expanded their operation and scored some significant military victories during this period . In 1965 , US President Lyndon Johnson sent troops to South Vietnam to secure the country and started to bomb North Vietnam , assuming that if South Vietnam fell to the Communists , other countries in the Southeast Asia would follow , in accordance with the domino theory . Other US allies , such as Australia , New Zealand , South Korea , Thailand , the Philippines , and Taiwan also sent troops to South Vietnam . Although the American - led troops succeeded in containing the advance of Communist forces , the presence of foreign troops , the widespread bombing over all of Vietnam , and the social vices that mushroomed around US bases upset the sense of national pride among many Vietnamese , North and South , causing some to become sympathetic to North Vietnam and the Viet Cong . In 1965 , Air Marshal Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu took power in a coup , and presided over a stable junta , and promised to hold elections under US pressure . In 1967 , South Vietnam managed to conduct a National Assembly and Presidential election with Lt. General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu being elected to the Presidency , bringing the government to some level of stability . Vietnam war ( 1954 -- 75 ) - the North ( edit ) Main article : Vietnam War Between 1953 and 1956 , the North Vietnamese government instituted various agrarian reforms , including `` rent reduction '' and `` land reform '' , which resulted in significant political oppression . During the land reform , testimony from North Vietnamese witnesses suggested a ratio of one execution for every 160 village residents , which extrapolated nationwide would indicate nearly 100,000 executions . Because the campaign was concentrated mainly in the Red River Delta area , a lower estimate of 50,000 executions became widely accepted by scholars at the time . However , declassified documents from the Vietnamese and Hungarian archives indicate that the number of executions was much lower than reported at the time , although likely greater than 13,500 . A Northern democratic literary movement called Nhân văn - Giai phẩm ( from the names of the two magazines which started the movement , based in Hanoi ) developed , which attempted to encourage the democratization of the North and the free expression of thought . Intellectuals were thus lured into criticizing the leadership so they could be arrested later , and many were sent to hard labor camps ( Gulags ) , following the model of Mao Tse - tung 's Hundred Flowers campaign in China . Freedom of speech , freedom of assembly and other basic civilian freedoms were soon revoked after the government 's attempt of destroying the literary movement . A puritan personality cult was also established around Ho Chi Minh , later extended nationwide after the Communist reunification of the Vietnam . During this period , North Vietnam was a Communist state with a centralized command economy , an extensive security apparatus to carry out dictatorship of the proletariat , a powerful propaganda machine that effectively rallied the people for the Party 's causes , a superb intelligence system that infiltrated South Vietnam ( spies such as Phạm Ngọc Thảo climbed to high military government positions ) , and a severe suppression of political opposition . Even some decorated veterans and famed Communist cadres , such as Trần Đức Thảo , Nguyễn Hữu Đang , Trần Dần , Hoàng Minh Chính , were persecuted during the late 1950s Nhân Văn Giai Phẩm events and the 1960s Trial Against the Anti-Party Revisionists ( Vụ Án Xét Lại Chống Đảng ) for speaking their opinions . Nevertheless , this iron grip , together with consistent support from the Soviet Union and China , gave North Vietnam a militaristic advantage over South Vietnam . North Vietnamese leadership also had a steely determination to fight , even when facing massive casualties and destruction at their end . The young North Vietnamese were idealistically and innocently patriotic , ready to give the ultimate sacrifice for the `` liberation of the South '' and the `` unification of the motherland '' . In 1960 , at the Third Party Congress of the Vietnamese Communist Party , renamed the Labor Party since 1951 , Lê Duẩn arrived from the South and strongly advocated the use of revolutionary warfare to topple Diệm 's government , unifying the country , and establish communism nationwide . Despite some elements in the Party opposing the use of force , Lê Duẩn won the seat of First Secretary of the Party . As Hồ Chí Minh was aging , Lê Duẩn virtually took the helm of war from him . The first step of his war plan was coordinating a rural uprising in the South ( Đồng Khởi ) and forming the Viet Cong or National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam ( NLF ) toward the end of 1960 . The figurehead leader of the Viet Cong was Nguyễn Hữu Thọ , a South Vietnamese lawyer , but the true leadership was the Communist Party hierarchy in South Vietnam . Arms , supplies , and troops came from North Vietnam into South Vietnam via a system of trails , named the Ho Chi Minh trail , that branched into Laos and Cambodia before entering South Vietnam . At first , most foreign aid for North Vietnam came from China , as Lê Duẩn distanced Vietnam from the `` revisionist '' policy of the Soviet Union under Nikita Khrushchev . However , under Leonid Brezhnev , the Soviet Union picked up the pace of aid and provided North Vietnam with heavy weapons , such as T - 54 tanks , artillery , MIG fighter planes , surface - to - air missiles etc . The Tết Offensive and the end of the war ( edit ) In 1968 , the Viet Cong launched a massive and surprise Tết Offensive ( known in South Vietnam as `` Biến Cố Tết Mậu Thân '' or in the North as `` Cuộc Tổng Tấn Công và Nổi Dậy Tết Mậu Thân '' ) , attacking almost all major cities in South Vietnam over the Vietnamese New Year ( Tết ) . The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese captured the city of Huế , after which many mass graves were found . Many of the executed victims had relations with the South Vietnamese government or the US , or part of social groups that were considered enemies to the Viet Cong , like Catholics , business owners and intellectuals ( Thảm Sát Tết Mậu Thân ) . Over the course of the year the Viet Cong forces were pushed out of all cities in South Vietnam and nearly decimated . In subsequent major offensives in later years , North Vietnamese regulars with artillery and tanks took over the fighting . In the months following the Tet Offensive , an American unit massacred civilian villagers , suspected to be sheltering Viet Cong guerillas , in the hamlet of My Lai in Central Vietnam , causing an uproar in protest around the world . In 1969 , Hồ Chí Minh died , leaving wishes that his body be cremated . However , the Communist Party embalmed his body for public display and built the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum on Ba Đình Square in Hà Nội , in the style of Lenin 's Mausoleum in Moscow . Although the Tết Offensive was a catastrophic military defeat for the Việt Cộng , it was a stunning political victory as it led many Americans to view the war as unwinnable . U.S. President Richard Nixon entered office with a pledge to end the war `` with honor . '' He normalized US relations with China in 1972 and entered into détente with the USSR . Nixon thus forged a new strategy to deal with the Communist Bloc , taking advantage of the rift between China and the Soviet Union . A costly war in Vietnam begun to appear less effective for the cause of Communist containment . Nixon proposed `` Vietnamization '' of the war , with South Vietnamese troops taking charge of the fighting , yet still receiving American aid and , if necessary , air and naval support . The new strategy started to show some effects : in 1970 , troops from the Army of the Republic of Vietnam ( ARVN ) successfully conducted raids against North Vietnamese bases in Cambodia ( Cambodian Campaign ) ; in 1971 , the ARVN made an incursion into Southern Laos to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail in Operation Lam Son 719 , but the operation failed as most high positions captured by ARVN forces were recaptured by North Vietnamese artillery ; in 1972 , the ARVN successfully held the town of An Lộc against massive attacks from North Vietnamese regulars and recaptured the town of Quảng Trị near the demilitarised zone ( DMZ ) in the center of the country during the Easter Offensive . At the same time , Nixon was pressing both Hanoi and Saigon to sign the Paris Peace Agreement of 1973 , for American military forces to withdraw from Vietnam . The pressure on Hanoi materialized with the Christmas Bombings in 1972 . In South Vietnam , Nguyễn Văn Thiệu vocally opposed any accord with the Communists , but was threatened with withdrawal of American aid . Despite the peace treaty , the North violated the treaty and continued the war as had been envisioned by Lê Duẩn and the South still tried to recapture lost territories . In the U.S. , Nixon resigned after the Watergate scandal . South Vietnam was seen as losing a strong backer . Under U.S. President Gerald Ford , the Democratic - controlled Congress became less willing to provide military support to South Vietnam . In 1974 , South Vietnam also fought and lost the Battle of Hoàng Sa , in defending the islands against the invading Chinese over the control of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea . Neither North Vietnam nor the U.S. were involved . In early 1975 , North Vietnamese military led by General Văn Tiến Dũng launched a massive attack against the Central Highland province of Buôn Mê Thuột . South Vietnamese troops had anticipated attack against the neighboring province of Pleiku , and were caught off guard . President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu ordered the moving of all troops from the Central Highland to the coastal areas , as with shrinking American aid , South Vietnamese forces could not afford to spread too thin . However , due to lack of experience and logistics for such a large troop movement in such a short time , the whole South Vietnamese 2nd Corps got bogged down on narrow mountain roads , flooded with thousands of civilian refugees , and was decimated by ambushes along the way . The South Vietnamese First Corps near the DMZ was cut off , received conflicting orders from Saigon on whether to fight or to retreat , and eventually collapsed . Many civilians tried to flee to Saigon via land , air , and sea routes , suffering massive casualties along the way . In early April 1975 , South Vietnam set up a last - ditch defense line at Xuân Lộc , under commander Lê Minh Đảo . North Vietnamese troops failed to penetrate the line and had to make a detour , which the South Vietnamese failed to stop due to lack of troops . President Nguyễn văn Thiệu resigned . Power fell to Dương Văn Minh . Dương Văn Minh had led the coup against Diệm in 1963 . By the mid-1970s , he had leaned toward the `` Third Party '' ( Thành Phần Thứ Ba ) , South Vietnamese elites who favored dialogues and cooperation with the North . Communist infiltrators in the South tried to work out political deals to let Dương Văn Minh ascend to the Presidency , with the hope that he would prevent a last stand , a destructive battle for Saigon . Although many South Vietnamese units were ready to defend Saigon , and the ARVN 4th Corps was still intact in the Mekong Delta , Dương Văn Minh ordered a surrender on April 30 , 1975 , sparing Saigon from destruction . Nevertheless , the reputation of the North Vietnamese army towards perceived traitors preceded them , and hundreds of thousands of South Vietnamese fled the country by all means : airplanes , helicopters , ships , fishing boats , and barges . Most were picked up by the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the South China Sea or landed in Thailand . The seaborne refugees came to be known as `` boat people '' . In a famous case , a South Vietnamese pilot , with his wife and children aboard a small Cessna plane , landed safely without a tailhook on the aircraft carrier USS Midway . This mass exodus of ( mostly South ) Vietnamese political refugees continued into the 1980s as refugees fled from persecution , political oppression and economic collapse caused by the new Communist regime . Socialist Republic ( 1976 -- 1991 ) ( edit ) Further information : Socialist Republic of Vietnam , Communist Party of Vietnam , and Five - Year Plans of Vietnam In 1976 , Vietnam was officially unified and renamed Socialist Republic of Vietnam ( SRVN ) , with its capital in Hà Nội . The Vietnamese Communist Party dropped its front name `` Labor Party '' and changed the title of First Secretary , a term used by China , to General Secretary , used by the Soviet Union , with Lê Duẩn as General Secretary . The Viet Cong was dissolved . The Party emphasized development of heavy industry and collectivization of agriculture . Over the next few years , private enterprises were seized by the government and their owners were often sent to the New Economic Zones -- a communist euphemism for a thick jungle -- to clear land . The farmers were coerced into state - controlled cooperatives . Transportation of food and goods between provinces was deemed illegal except by the government . Within a short period of time , Vietnam was hit with severe shortages of food and basic necessities . The Mekong Delta , once a world - class rice - producing area , was threatened with famine . During the mid-1980s , inflation reached triple figures . In foreign relations , the SRVN became increasingly aligned with the Soviet Union by both joining the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance ( Comecon ) , and signing a Friendship Pact , which was in fact a military alliance . Tension between Vietnam and China mounted together with China 's rivalry with the Soviet Union and conflict erupted with Cambodia , China 's ally . Vietnam was also subject to trade embargoes by the U.S. and its allies . The SRVN government implemented a Stalinist dictatorship of the proletariat in the South as they had done in the North . The security apparatus network ( Công An : literally `` Public Security '' , a communist term for the security apparatus ) controlled every aspect of people 's lives . Censorship was strict and ultra-conservative , with most pre-1975 works in the fields of music , art , and literature being banned . All religions had to be re-organized into state - controlled churches . Any negative comments toward the Party , the government , Uncle Ho , or anything related to Communism might earn the person the tag of Phản Động ( Reactionary ) , with consequences ranging from being harassed by police , expelled from school or workplace , to being sent to prison . Nevertheless , the Communist authorities failed to suppress the black market , where food , consumer goods , and banned literature could be bought at high prices . The security apparatus also failed to stop a nationwide clandestine network of people trying to escape the country . In many cases , the security officers of entire districts were bribed and even got involved in organizing the escape schemes . Refugees ( edit ) These living conditions resulted in the exodus of over a million Vietnamese people secretly escaping the country either by sea or overland through Cambodia . For the people fleeing by sea , their wooden boats were often not seaworthy , were packed with people like sardines , and lacked sufficient food and water . Many were caught or shot at by the Vietnamese coast guards , and many perished at sea due to boats sinking , capsizing in storms , starvation and thirst . Another major threat was the pirates in the Gulf of Thailand , who viciously robbed , raped , and murdered the boat people . In many cases , they massacred the whole boat . Sometimes the women were raped for days before being sold into prostitution . The people who crossed Cambodia facd equal dangers with mine fields , and the Khmer Rouge and Khmer Serei guerillas , who also robbed , raped , and killed the refugees . Some were successful in fleeing the region and landed in numbers in Malaysia , Indonesia , the Philippines , and Hong Kong , only to wind up in United Nations refugee camps . Some famous camps were Bidong in Malaysia , Galang in Indonesia , Bataan in the Philippines and Songkla in Thailand . Some managed to travel as far as northern Australia in crowded , open boats . All foreign missionaries were expelled from Vietnam , including the most famous Salesian priest , Servant of God Andrej Majcen ( 1907 -- 1999 ) from Yugoslavia ( now Slovenia ) . While most refugees were resettled to other countries within five years , others languished in these camps for over a decade . In the 1990s , refugees who could not find asylum were deported back to Vietnam . Communities of Vietnamese refugees arrived in the US , Canada , Australia , France , West Germany , and the UK . The refugees often sent relief packages packed with necessities , such as medicines and sanitary goods to their relatives in Vietnam to help them survive . Very few would send money as it would be exchanged far below market rates by the Vietnamese government . Cambodia and conflict with China ( edit ) Despite the defeat of South Vietnam , there was no serious demobilization of the Vietnamese People 's Army , which remained one of Asia 's largest militaries at over one million troops , or sign that warfare was coming to an end anytime soon . Not only were Vietnamese soldiers highly experienced from decades of fighting , but also had acquired a large cache of captured US and South Vietnamese armaments . Vietnam soon found itself drawn into conflict with Cambodia , which had been ruled by the communist Khmer Rouge since 1975 . In addition to this , Sino - Vietnamese relations deteriorated quite rapidly following Mao Zedong 's death in 1976 due to Hanoi 's unremitting loyalty to the Soviet Union , which was at odds with China during the 1970s . By 1978 , most trade and material assistance programs between the two countries had ceased and Vietnam forbade Chinese ships from docking at its ports . As the Khmer Rouge were allies of Beijing , this further aggravated tensions and following border skirmishes , the VPA launched a full - scale armed invasion of Cambodia during the first week of 1979 . This had the effect however of causing conflict with China and during a visit to the US in February , Deng Xiaoping stated that `` It may be necessary to teach Vietnam a lesson . '' A large Chinese force invaded the Vietnamese border area , but with China still suffering the effects of the Cultural Revolution , the People 's Liberation Army was seriously deficient in training , equipment , and communications . Over 30,000 Chinese troops were killed or wounded in three weeks of battling Vietnamese border guards and militia ( the VPA was then in Cambodia and had no involvement in the war ) . Shortly afterwards , they withdrew with Beijing proclaiming that the aforementioned `` lesson '' had been taught as in any case , the fighting caused extensive destruction to Vietnam 's infrastructure along the border . In Cambodia , The Vietnamese invasion had stopped the genocide of millions of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge . The pro-Vietnamese People 's Republic of Kampuchea was created with Heng Samrin as Chairman in January 1979 . Pol Pot 's Khmer Rouge allied with non-Communist guerrilla forces led by Norodom Sihanouk and Son Sann to fight against the Vietnamese forces and the new Phnom Penh regime . Some high - ranking officials of the Heng Samrin regime in the early 1980s resisted Vietnamese control , resulting in a purge that removed Pen Sovan , Prime Minister and General Secretary of the Kampuchean People 's Revolutionary Party . The war lasted until 1989 when Vietnam withdrew its troops and handed the administration of Cambodia to the United Nations . Government and economy 1975 - 1991 ( edit ) Vietnam 's third Constitution , based on that of the USSR , was written in 1980 . The Communist Party was stated by the Constitution to be the only party to represent the people and to lead the country . In 1980 , cosmonaut Phạm Tuân became the first Vietnamese and the first Asian to go into space , traveling on the Soviet Soyuz 37 to service the Salyut 6 space station . During the early 1980s , a number of overseas Vietnamese organizations were created with the aim of overthrowing the Vietnamese Communist government through armed struggle . Most groups attempted to infiltrate Vietnam but eventually were eliminated by Vietnamese security and armed forces . Overall , the first decade after reunification was not a happy time for the country . Nonstop warfare consumed large amounts of Vietnam 's resources , both financially and by depleting the labor force of young men . The country remained internationally isolated , having little contact with nations outside COMECON members , and faced with a huge , hostile neighbor to the north . Despite repeated overtures to the United States , attempts to reestablish diplomatic relation were hampered by the question of missing US soldiers from the war and President Ronald Reagan 's vocal hostility towards the country 's principle benefactor in Moscow . In a 1981 interview with American journalist Stanley Karnow , Premier Phạm Văn Đồng remarked `` Yes , we defeated the United States , but now we are a poor undeveloped nation and barely have enough to eat . Hence the saying that waging war is easy , but running a country is hard . '' Compounding all this was the complete failure of the Five - Year Plan adopted in 1976 , as Vietnam remained one of the world 's poorest countries with a per - capita GDP of less than 300 USD and almost totally dependent on Soviet aid , which reached as much as 3 billion USD a year by 1982 . Moscow faced mounting pressure from its Warsaw Pact allies to reduce outlays to Vietnam . Soviet - Vietnamese relations were also harmed by the former 's wishes to have greater involvement in Vietnam 's economic development and increased access to military facilities . In 1982 , the VCP held its 5th National Congress in which General Secretary Lê Duẩn stated that `` The Party wishes sternly to criticize itself . '' and `` Our nation 's manifold difficulties , while aggravated by outside circumstances that could not be helped , are nonetheless worsened by the various errors and shortcoming of officials . '' Le also expressed his dismay at the average age of the party leadership , noting that there was only one person on the Central Committee under 60 . That year , a general purge of the party ranks began to weed out elderly and inefficient cadres and replace them with younger men . Võ Văn Kiệt , aged 59 , was promoted to head of the State Planning Commission , and 62 - year - old Foreign Minister Nguyễn Cơ Thạch was elevated to Politburo membership . More surprising was the removal of General Võ Nguyên Giáp , considered a national hero , from the Politburo ( it was later speculated that he was removed by political rivals ) This rejuvenation campaign was nonetheless diminished by the fact that the country 's three most powerful individuals , Lê Duẩn , Phạm Văn Đồng , and President Trường Chinh , showed no sign of stepping down any time soon despite their combined age of 226 and clearly failing health ( all of them visited Moscow for medical treatment during 1982 ) . Although they saw the need for reforms and fighting corruption , such change was beyond their ability by this point . The Second Five Year Plan was adopted for 1981 and showed a clear move towards more market reforms and away from the rigid central planning of the 1976 - 80 scheme . Real change would not begin until the second half of the decade when Lê Duẩn died in July 1986 , succeeded as General Secretary by Trường Chinh . However , Trường was expelled only five months later and replaced by Nguyễn Văn Linh , eight years his junior . Phạm Văn Đồng retired as Premier in 1987 . Upon their accession , the country 's new leadership denounced their geriatric predecessors for `` utterly failing to improve the people 's living standards , check corruption , or instill a more flexible , non-dogmatic outlook on life . '' Contemporary Vietnam ( since 1991 ) ( edit ) Main article : Doi Moi See also : Revolutions of 1989 and Dissolution of the Soviet Union During the late 80s , Vietnam began tentative market reforms along the model then being adopted by China . The basis for these experiments were in the south which had a stronger tradition of trade and commerce . The perestroika policies of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev were also a source of motivation . Although communist governments in Eastern Europe were collapsing in 1989 , Vietnam was kept comparatively isolated from these events due to its poverty and geographical distance and a few small pro-democracy protests in Hanoi were quickly suppressed . The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 caused a thaw in the long hostile Sino - Vietnamese relations as the two nations embraced each other as some of the only surviving communist states . Soon after the Paris Agreement on Cambodia resolved the conflict in October 1991 , however , Vietnam established or reestablished diplomatic and economic relations with most of Western Europe , and several Asian countries . In February 1994 , the United States lifted its economic embargo against Vietnam , and in June 1995 , the United States and Vietnam normalized relations . In June 2005 , a high - level Vietnamese delegation , led by Prime Minister Phan Văn Khải , visited the United States and met with their U.S. counterparts , including President George W. Bush . This was the first such visit in 30 years . Although the visit mostly went well , a few embarrassing events occurred such as the White House 's official website ( www.whitehouse.gov ) accidentally depicting the flag of South Vietnam in its official announcement of the visit . This provoked dismay and hostile comments from the Vietnamese government until the White House officially apologized and corrected the webpage . In addition , a crowd of hostile protesters gathered outside the White House during Phan 's meeting with President Bush denouncing the Vietnamese Communist Party and waving South Vietnamese flags . In late 2005 , a three - person collective leadership was responsible for governing Vietnam . This triumvirate consisted of the VCP general secretary ( Nông Đức Mạnh , 22 April 2001 -- 19 January 2011 ) , the prime minister ( Phan Văn Khải , 25 September 1997 -- 27 June 2006 ) , and the president ( Trần Đức Lương , 24 September 1997 -- 26 June 2006 ) . General Secretary Manh headed up not only the VCP but also the 15 - member Politburo . President Luong was chief of state , and Prime Minister Khai was head of government . The leadership was promoting a `` socialist - oriented market economy '' and friendly relations with the European Union , Russia , and the United States . Although the leadership was presiding over a period of rapid economic growth , official corruption and a widening gap between urban wealth and rural poverty remained stubborn problems that were eroding the VCP 's authority . In 2006 , Vietnam hosted the APEC Annual Summit and became the 150th member state of WTO ( World Trade Organization ) on 11 January 2007 , after concluding bilateral agreements with the United States , Australia , New Zealand , Mexico , and the Dominican Republic in order to qualify for membership . In the summer of 2011 , spontaneous mass demonstrations erupted in Hanoi and Saigon , where thousands of Vietnamese protested China 's increasing military aggression and encroachment into Vietnamese waters and territories in the South China Sea . The authorities moved in to break up the protests after an official complaint was lodged by the Chinese embassy in Hanoi , as the VCP 's official policy since the 1990s has been one of good relations with Beijing and there was no desire on their part to disrupt the status quo . In 2013 , a baby girl named Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung was born and was officially designated Vietnam 's official 90 millionth citizen . References ( edit ) Jump up ^ The Independent US finally ends Vietnam embargo 04 February 1994 Jump up ^ Collection of Letters by Ho Chi Minh Jump up ^ National Archive Letter from Ho Chi Minh to President Duc Anh . Truman 02 / 28 / 1946 Jump up ^ Neale , Jonathan The American War , page 23 - 24 ISBN 1 - 898876 - 67 - 3 Jump up ^ The Pentagon Papers ( 1971 ) , Beacon Press , vol. 3 , p. 134 . Jump up ^ The Pentagon Papers ( 1971 ) , Beacon Press , vol. 3 , p. 119 . ^ Jump up to : The Pentagon Papers ( 1971 ) , Beacon Press , vol. 3 , p. 140 . Jump up ^ Tucker , Spencer C. ( 2000 ) . Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War . ABC - CLIO . p. 366 . ISBN 1 - 57607 - 040 - 9 . Jump up ^ Karnow , Stanley ( 1997 ) . Vietnam : A history . Penguin Books . p. 239 . ISBN 0 - 670 - 84218 - 4 . Jump up ^ Hammer , Ellen J. ( 1987 ) . A Death in November . E.P. Dutton . pp. 154 -- 155 . ISBN 0 - 525 - 24210 - 4 . Jump up ^ `` Vietnam '' . John F. Kennedy , Library and Museum . Jump up ^ Turner , Robert F. ( 1975 ) . Vietnamese Communism : Its Origins and Development . Hoover Institution Publications . p. 143 . ISBN 978 - 0817964313 . Jump up ^ cf . Gittinger , J. Price , `` Communist Land Policy in Viet Nam '' , Far Eastern Survey , Vol. 29 , No. 8 , 1957 , p. 118 . Jump up ^ Courtois , Stephane ; et al. ( 1997 ) . The Black Book of Communism . Harvard University Press . p. 569 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 674 - 07608 - 2 . CS1 maint : Explicit use of et al. ( link ) Jump up ^ Dommen , Arthur J. ( 2001 ) , The Indochinese Experience of the French and the Americans , Indiana University Press , p. 340 , gives a lower estimate of 32,000 executions . Jump up ^ `` Newly released documents on the land reform '' . Vietnam Studies Group . Archived from the original on 2011 - 04 - 20 . Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 15 . Vu Tuong : There is no reason to expect , and no evidence that I have seen to demonstrate , that the actual executions were less than planned ; in fact the executions perhaps exceeded the plan if we consider two following factors . First , this decree was issued in 1953 for the rent and interest reduction campaign that preceded the far more radical land redistribution and party rectification campaigns ( or waves ) that followed during 1954 - 1956 . Second , the decree was meant to apply to free areas ( under the control of the Viet Minh government ) , not to the areas under French control that would be liberated in 1954 - 1955 and that would experience a far more violent struggle . Thus the number of 13,500 executed people seems to be a low - end estimate of the real number . This is corroborated by Edwin Moise in his recent paper `` Land Reform in North Vietnam , 1953 - 1956 '' presented at the 18th Annual Conference on SE Asian Studies , Center for SE Asian Studies , University of California , Berkeley ( February 2001 ) . In this paper Moise ( 7 - 9 ) modified his earlier estimate in his 1983 book ( which was 5,000 ) and accepted an estimate close to 15,000 executions . Moise made the case based on Hungarian reports provided by Balazs , but the document I cited above offers more direct evidence for his revised estimate . This document also suggests that the total number should be adjusted up some more , taking into consideration the later radical phase of the campaign , the unauthorized killings at the local level , and the suicides following arrest and torture ( the central government bore less direct responsibility for these cases , however ) . CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) cf . Szalontai , Balazs ( November 2005 ) . `` Political and Economic Crisis in North Vietnam , 1955 -- 56 '' . Cold War History . 5 ( 4 ) : 395 -- 426 . cf . Vu , Tuong ( 2010 ) . Paths to Development in Asia : South Korea , Vietnam , China , and Indonesia . Cambridge University Press . p. 103 . ISBN 9781139489010 . Clearly Vietnamese socialism followed a moderate path relative to China ... Yet the Vietnamese ' land reform ' campaign ... testified that Vietnamese communists could be as radical and murderous as their comrades elsewhere . Jump up ^ Cambodia recovery . AlertNet . Jump up ^ Clodfelter , Michael . Vietnam in Military Statistics : A History of the Indochina Wars , 1772 -- 1991 ( McFarland & Co. , Jefferson , North Carolina , 1995 ) Jump up ^ WTO Accession status : Viet Nam Jump up ^ `` South China Sea : Vietnamese hold anti-Chinese protest '' . BBC . 5 June 2011 . Jump up ^ Ruwitch , John ( 21 August 2011 ) . `` Vietnam stops anti-China protest , detains many '' . Reuters . Jump up ^ http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/society/88162/the-first-images-of-vietnam-s-90-millionth-citizen.html ( hide ) Years in Vietnam ( 1945 -- present ) 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 2017 2018 2019 2020 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Vietnam_since_1945&oldid=836216377 '' Categories : 20th century in Vietnam 21st century in Vietnam Aftermath of World War II in Vietnam Modern history by country Partition ( politics ) Contemporary history by country History of Vietnam since 1945 Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Explicit use of et al . 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Question: prior to 1948 north and south vietnam were a part of