All 11 162 municipalities in Viet Nam are classified as either “urban” municipalities (wards and townships) or “rural” municipalities (communes). By the end of 2015, 2 184 municipalities (1 581 w'ards and 603 townships) were classified as urban, which accounts for 20% of all municipalities. The current definition examines each municipality and gives urban or rural status individually, instead of looking at functional boundaries and connections among these municipalities. As a result, 63 FUAs are identified in Viet Nam which cover 7% of the national territory and host 41% (37.1 million people) of the population in 2013. Out of the 63 FUAs, 12 are classified as metropolitan areas (with a population of 500 000 or more).