Cities in Vietnam are identified by the government as settlements with considerable area and population that play important roles vis-a-vis politics, economy and culture.
Status of cities falls into four categories: special, first class (I), second class (II), and third class (III).
[1] Centrally controlled cities (thành phố trực thuộc trung ương) or municipalities are cities with significant importance in terms of politics, economy and culture of Vietnam that are under direct control of the Vietnamese Central government.
There are currently six centrally controlled municipalities.
[2] Municipal cities (subcities) in Vietnam are placed under the municipality's government.