Thủ Dầu Má»Ât () is a former city located in the Southeast region of Vietnam. It was the capital city of the former Bình Dðáng province (now merged to Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, located at around . The city has an area of 118.91 kmò, with a population of 373.105 (as of 2024), and is located on the left bank of the Saigon River, upstream from the city.
Thủ Dầu Má»Ât lies to the central southwest of Bình Dðáng province and is contiguous with Saigon River:
Thủ Dầu Má»Ât has 14 wards:
In the past, some researchers have claimed that the name ' originates from Khmer language. However, other authors claim that the name ' is a compound of Vietnamese language roots, combining ', to "keep" or "guard", ' referring to oil-producing trees of the genus Dipterocarpus, and the number ' or "one". The toponym ' existed prior, in reference to large number of Dipterocarpus trees lining the port where there was a market in this area. In the 1940s, many of these were cut down; thus, the place name can be understood as "the only large oil tree growing, located next to the fort". Other toponyms in the area do follow similar tree + numeral structures, such as (literally "Mango" + "Four") and ("Mangifera reba" + "Three").
According to a third oral tradition, in a fort (') in Bình An, there was a large oil tree on the hill. Thus the original name would have been ', which literally means "Oil-Tree Fort Region"; later, ' underwent a sound change to '.
In 1976, the National Assembly of Vietnam decided to merge Bình Dðáng Province and Bình Phðá»Âc Province (which comprised the former provinces of Bình Long and Phðá»Âc Long) into a new province called Sông Bé. Thủ Dầu Má»Ât Town became the provincial capital of Sông Bé.
In 2007, the Ministry of Construction recognized Thủ Dầu Má»Ât as a Grade-III urban area.
On May 2, 2012, the government issued Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP on the establishment of Thủ Dầu Má»Ât City.
On July 8, 2014, Thủ Dầu Má»Ât was recognized as a Grade-II urban area, and on December 6, 2017, it officially became a Grade-I city under Bình Dðáng Province.
On June 12, 2025, Bình Dðáng province was merged to Ho Chi Minh City, along with BàRá»ÂaâÂÂVà ©ng Tàu province. Therefore, the city ceased its existence as a munipical city.
Thủ Dầu Má»Ât has seen a rapid expansion and economic development since 1997, as the province has become an important industrial hub of the region. In January 2007, the district-level town then was officially recognized as a third-class town. It became a city in July 2012. There is a 4,200-ha urban-tech park under development. Thủ Dầu Má»Ât will be a modern city within the Há» ChàMinh City Metropolitan Area (including Thủ Dầu Má»Ât, Nhán Trạch, Tân An, Biên Hòa and parts of ÃÂá»Âng Nai and Bình Dðáng provinces).
It became a first-class city on 6 December 2017.
Air travel is served by Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat International Airport which is approximately 29 km south of Thủ Dầu Má»Ât. There are also direct road and bus links to the city from Ho Chi Minh City.