Ho Chi Minh City District Abbreviations
Ho Chi Minh City's central area is divided into Districts, some with numbers and others with names. The numbered districts are NOT next to one another in numerical order. The central city has Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 by number and Binh Thanh, Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan, Go Vap, Tan Phu and Thu Duc by name. The Vietnamese word for District is Quan which is abbreviated Q. So Q BT would be Binh Thanh District. Most streets are short and located in only one district. But some streets are quite long and may be found over two or even three districts. You can pick up a city map at FAHASA bookshops on Le Loi St in Q1 or on Nguyen Hue St also in D1. These shops are right in the central tourist area of D1 near the big hotels.
Districts are divided in Wards, called Phuong in Vietnamese and often abbreviated by letter F. Most wards are numbered but some are named. For example, most people's favorite Blow and Gos are in District 1, Dakao Ward. District 1 is shaped kind of like an L turned on its side, so Dakao sort of sticks out into an area surrounded by D3, Phu Nhuan and Binh Thanh.
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