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). Highlands or 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.
Central Vietnam
According to the economic zoning by the government of Vietnam, Trung Bộ borders provinces Ninh Bình, Hòa Bình and Sơn La of Bắc Bộ to the north, provinces of Bình Phước, Đồng Nai and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu of Nam Bộ to the south. To the east it borders South China Sea (Biển Đông), to the west it borders Cambodia, Laos.
This region is divided into two main subregions: North Central or 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 North Central Coast includes six provinces: Thanh Hoá, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế. In Nguyen Dynasty, this area, except Thua Thien, was known as Hữu Trực Kỳ (the area located in the left of Thua Thien).
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 Hoà, Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận. In Nguyen Dysnasty, this area was known as Tả Trực Kỳ (the area located in the right of Thua Thien). Central Highlands includes 5 provinces: Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Đắc Lắc, Đắc Nông and Lâm Đồ