Dong Thap is located in the Mekong Delta region (13 provinces and cities), consisting of two parts situated on the north and south banks of the Tien River. It borders Pray Veng province (Cambodia) to the north, Vinh Long province and Can Tho city to the south, An Giang province to the west, and Long An and Tien Giang provinces to the east.
In December 1975, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Workers' Party issued a resolution on the adjustment and merger of several provinces in the South, including the planned merger of Sa Dec and Kien Phong provinces. In February 1976, a decree of the Provisional Revolutionary Government Council of the Republic of South Vietnam officially named Dong Thap province.
Dong Thap during the feudal period
Dong Thap was originally part of a vast, fertile land that was settled and developed by Vietnamese migrants from the North. Along with the southward expansion of natural migrations, the Nguyen Lords gradually established their sovereignty and set up their administrative apparatus.
Historical records state: In the early days of the nation, warehouses (called "khố trường") were established according to the land, and the location of the warehouse was named after the land where it was located to store money, grain, and other goods. The Lord, seeing that Gia Định at that time had vast land, established nine separate khố trường: Quy An, Quy Hóa, Cảnh Dương, Thiên Mụ, Quản Thảo, Hoàng Lạp, Tam Lạch, Bả Canh, and Tân Thịnh. Among these, the Bả Canh khố trường (from 1732 belonging to Định Viễn district) is now the area north of the Tiền River in Đồng Tháp province.
In 1757, King Võ Nguyễn Phước Khoát expanded the Tầm Phong Long territory, located between the Tiền and Hậu rivers, and entrusted Nguyễn Cư Trinh with establishing three districts: Châu Đốc (in Hậu Giang), Tân Châu (in Tiền Giang), and Đông Khẩu (in Sa Đéc), all belonging to the Long Hồ garrison. Of these, the Đông Khẩu district is now located in the area south of the Tiền River in Đồng Tháp province.
During the Nguyen Dynasty, the area that now belongs to Dong Thap was initially located within the Dinh Vien prefecture of Vinh Thanh province and the Kien An prefecture of Dinh Tuong province. In 1832, Emperor Minh Mang implemented a large-scale administrative reform, establishing six provinces in Southern Vietnam (known as the Six Southern Provinces): Bien Hoa, Gia Dinh, Dinh Tuong, Vinh Long, An Giang, and Ha Tien. Among these, Dong Thap belonged to Vinh An district of Tan Thanh prefecture, Dong Xuyen district of Tuy Bien prefecture (An Giang province), and Kien Dang district of Kien An prefecture (Dinh Tuong province). By the end of Emperor Tu Duc's reign, before French intervention, the area of present-day Dong Thap mainly consisted of An Xuyen, Dong Xuyen, and Vinh An districts (An Giang province) and Kien Dang and Kien Phong districts (Dinh Tuong province).
Dong Thap during the French colonial period
Before the intervention of the French colonialists, Southern Vietnam consisted of six provinces: Bien Hoa, Gia Dinh, Dinh Tuong (Eastern region) and An Giang, Vinh Long, Ha Tien (Western region). In 1862, through a treaty signed with the Hue court, the French colonialists occupied the three eastern provinces and began organizing the administrative apparatus by abolishing the old prefectures and districts under the Nguyen dynasty and establishing new administrative units called Inspection Zones. In 1867, after occupying the three western provinces (Vinh Long, An Giang, Ha Tien), the French colonialists also placed these provinces under the same administrative regime as the eastern provinces.
In 1870, the entire Southern region of Vietnam had 25 Inspectorate Zones, which were reduced to 18 by 18. The area of present-day Dong Thap province was mainly within the Sa Dec Inspectorate Zone, comprising three districts: Vinh An, An Xuyen, and Dong Xuyen. In 1876, the Sa Dec Inspectorate Zone was renamed the Sa Dec Sub-district, belonging to the Vinh Long administrative region – one of the four major administrative regions of Southern Vietnam. According to the Decree of December 20, 1899, issued by the Governor-General of Indochina, from January 1, 1900, the administrative regions in Southern Vietnam were uniformly called "provinces." At this time, Sa Dec was one of the 20 provinces of Southern Vietnam.
In 1913, by decree of the Governor-General of Indochina, Sa Dec province was merged into Vinh Long province, and Cao Lanh district was established. In 1916, Sa Dec province was divided into three districts: Chau Thanh (the provincial capital), Lai Vung, and Cao Lanh. In 1924, the Governor-General of Indochina again issued a decree separating Sa Dec province from Vinh Long province to form an independent province; at the same time, the Cao Lanh administrative post was upgraded to an administrative delegation in 1925.
Until August 1945, the administrative boundaries of Dong Thap province were mainly within Sa Dec province, comprising three districts: Chau Thanh, Lai Vung, and Cao Lanh (south of the Tien River), and parts of Chau Doc and Long Xuyen provinces (north of the Tien River).
Dong Thap during the period 1945 - 1975
After the August Revolution of 1945, Sa Dec province belonged to Military Zone 8 in the Central South of Vietnam. On September 12, 1947, according to the directive of the Southern Resistance Administrative Committee, Long Chau Tien province was established on the basis of parts of Chau Doc and Long Xuyen provinces, comprising 5 districts: Tan Chau, Hong Nguy, Cho Moi, Chau Phu B, and Lap Vo. In 1950, Dong Thap Muoi province was established from 29 communes of the districts of Cai Lay and Cai Be (My Tho province); Cao Lanh (Sa Dec province); and Moc Hoa (Tan An province). In 1951, Long Chau Tien province merged with Sa Dec province to form Long Chau Sa province. Long Chau Sa province existed until 1954 when it was abolished to restore the provinces of Chau Doc, Long Xuyen, and Sa Dec as before.
Following the 1954 Geneva Accords, the country was temporarily divided into two regions, with the 17th parallel in Quang Tri serving as the boundary. The area south of the 17th parallel was under the administration of the Republic of Vietnam, with Sa Dec province at that time belonging to the southwestern region. In February 1956, the Republic of Vietnam established Phong Thanh province from parts of Chau Doc (Hong Nguy district), Long Xuyen (Phong Thanh Thuong district and An Binh commune), and Sa Dec (Cao Lanh district). In October 1956, the President of the Republic of Vietnam issued a decree changing the boundaries and names of several provinces and provincial capitals in South Vietnam. According to this decree, Sa Dec province was merged into Vinh Long province to form Vinh Long province, and Phong Thanh province was renamed Kien Phong province. In 1966, Sa Dec province was re-established by separating from Vinh Long province.
Dong Thap from April 30, 1975 to the present
On September 20, 1975, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Workers' Party issued Resolution No. 245-NQ/TW on abolishing zones and merging provinces nationwide. According to this resolution, it was planned to merge the old provinces into 21 new provinces nationwide, with three provinces – Long Chau Tien, Sa Dec, and Kien Tuong – initially planned to be merged into one new province. However, after considering the actual situation in the South, the Politburo decided to readjust the merger of some provinces from Zone 6 southward, including the merger of the old Sa Dec and Kien Phong provinces. Based on this, in February 1976, by decree of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, Dong Thap province was officially established from the merger of Sa Dec and Kien Phong provinces.
In 1976, when Dong Thap province was first established, it consisted of one town, Sa Dec (the provincial capital), and five districts: Cao Lanh, Tam Nong, Hong Nguy, Lap Vo, and Chau Thanh, with a total of 79 communes and two townships.
In 1994, with the aim of promoting the development of the potentially rich Dong Thap Muoi region, the provincial capital was moved to Cao Lanh. Thanks to investment from the central government and the concerted efforts of the local Party committee, government, and people, Cao Lanh town has continuously developed and became a city directly under the provincial administration in 2007 (a type II urban area in 2020).
In addition, Sa Dec town became a city directly under the provincial administration in 2013 (Type II urban area in 2018); Hong Nguy town was established in 2008 (Type III urban area in 2018) and became a city directly under the provincial administration in 2020.
Dong Thap is the first locality in the Mekong Delta region to have 3 cities directly under the provincial administration (currently, Kien Giang province has also achieved this).
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