Six Provinces of Southern Vietnam

The Six Provinces of Southern Vietnam (Vietnamese: Nam Kỳ Lục tỉnh, 南圻六省 or just Lục tỉnh, 六省) is a historical name for the region of Southern Vietnam, which is referred to in French as Basse-Cochinchine (Lower Cochinchina).^[1] The region was politically defined and established after the inauguration of the Nguyễn dynasty, and called by this name from 1832, when Emperor Minh Mạng introduced administrative reforms, to 1867, which culminated in the eight-year French campaign to conquer the Six Provinces.

The six provinces, which in 1832 Emperor Minh Mạng divided Southern Vietnam into, are:

• Phiên An, later changed name to Gia Định (provincial capital city: Sài Gòn),
• Biên Hòa (provincial capital: Biên Hòa),
• Định Tường (provincial capital: Mỹ Tho)
• Vĩnh Long (provincial capital: Vĩnh Long),
• An Giang (provincial capital: Châu Đốc),
• Hà Tiên (provincial capital: Hà Tiên).

These provinces are often subdivided into two groups: the three eastern provinces of Gia Định, Định Tường, and Biên Hòa; and the three western provinces of Vĩnh Long, An Giang, and Hà Tiên.