Vietnam's commercial center draws more people from elsewhere in the country than any other province or city.

The new Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI 2020) compiled by the United Nations Development Program and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee surveyed roughly 15,000 people in all 63 provinces and cities.

Among the many findings of the extensive report, researchers found that Saigon is the most-desired location for internal migrants, with 22.4% of respondents naming the city as their first choice. Hanoi was second at 13.7%, while Lam Dong Province came in third at 5.6%. Da Nang and Can Tho finished out the top five.

The Central Highlands and provinces in central Vietnam, regions which face difficult economic conditions and frequent natural disasters, have the highest proportion of people wishing to leave their area. Overall, 19% of respondents in Dak Nong Province expressed a desire to migrate, while Quang Binh Province came second in that area.

Family and improved job prospects were the two main drivers of relocation, but climate change has become a major concern as well, particularly in the Mekong Delta, which has seen more than one million people leave over the last decade.

Saigon is currently home to roughly four million migrant residents, while the neighboring industrial provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai are also migration hotspots. 

The annual PAPI report features eight topical indexes, with a top-performing locality named for each: participation at local levels (Thai Nguyen), transparency (Quang Ninh), vertical accountability (Quang Binh), control of corruption (Quang Ninh), public administrative procedures (Tra Vinh), public service delivery (Quang Ninh), environmental governance (Dong Thap), and e-government (Da Nang).