Effective July 1, 2025, Phú Yên officially merged into Đắk Lắk province, creating a new administrative unit spanning 18,096.4 square kilometers with over 3.3 million residents and its capital at Buôn Ma Thuột. Backed by two airports, two seaports and a "forest-to-sea" development model, the merger is expected to reshape Buôn Ma Thuột's urban real estate market.
Under National Assembly Resolution No. 202/2025/QH15, passed on June 12, 2025, Phú Yên province officially merged into Đắk Lắk effective July 1, 2025, forming a new administrative unit that retains the name 'Đắk Lắk.' The official announcement ceremony was held on June 30, 2025, designating Buôn Ma Thuột City as the new province's political and administrative center. Following the merger, Đắk Lắk covers a natural area of 18,096.4 square kilometers, is home to more than 3.3 million people (3,346,853 residents), and comprises 102 commune-level administrative units — making it one of the largest provinces in the country.
The merger ranks among the largest provincial-level administrative restructurings in modern Vietnamese history, part of a nationwide consolidation that reduced the number of provinces and cities from 63 to 34. Combining Đắk Lắk and Phú Yên aims to create a new growth pole for the Central Highlands and South Central Coast regions under a 'forest-to-sea' development model. Once a purely mountainous province, Đắk Lắk has been repositioned as a connector linking the Central Highlands' raw-material zones with a gateway to the East Sea.
The new Đắk Lắk province now holds two airports — Buôn Ma Thuột and Tuy Hòa — along with Phú Yên seaport, a Class III port comprising the operating Vũng Rô terminal and the planned Bãi Gốc – Đông Hòa terminal, located near international shipping routes. Under current planning, Buôn Ma Thuột Airport's capacity is set to rise to 5 million passengers by 2030 and 7 million by 2050, backed by nearly VND 20 trillion in expansion investment, cementing its role as one of the Central Highlands' major aviation hubs.
Before the merger, Buôn Ma Thuột's property market was still subdued: as recorded in March 2025, land transactions in the city edged up only about 0.6% year-on-year, with many investors still selling at prices roughly 10% below 2022 levels. The context has shifted considerably since Buôn Ma Thuột became the new province's administrative center in July 2025, drawing in government agencies, residents and investment capital. With its status as administrative center and ample land reserves, Buôn Ma Thuột is drawing renewed real estate interest in the region's new growth cycle.