On March 24, many users said that when searching for new commune and ward names, the Google Maps application displayed administrative boundaries after the merger. The update took place after this platform adjusted provincial and city boundaries in recent days.
Mr. Tran Minh Tuan - a user in Hanoi said that when searching for "Cau Giay ward", the map displayed a scope including areas that previously belonged to Dich Vong, Dich Vong Hau, My Dinh 1, My Dinh 2, Quan Hoa, Yen Hoa wards. According to Mr. Tuan, displaying new boundaries helps users easily visualize changes, but still takes time to get used to it.
A noteworthy point is that Google Maps currently still allows searching by old place names. At that time, the application continues to display the previous boundaries, helping users not to be interrupted in the search process.
Because it is in the process of implementation, the update is not synchronized between regions. Some specific addresses are still displayed in the old format, including the district level. This shows that the new data has not been fully applied to the location search system.
The map adjustment took place 8 months after Vietnam implemented the merger of administrative units. Accordingly, the number of provinces and cities decreased from 63 to 34; the number of communes and wards decreased from about 10,000 to more than 3,300.
Over the past time, many services, especially in the delivery sector, have quickly updated new place names in text form. Users expect map platforms to soon complete data synchronization to support more accurate searches.
Previously, in technical documents on the IssueTracker system for the development community, Google said it would deploy updates from mid-February. At the same time, it recommended developers adjust the API to continue using Google Maps Platform.
Google Maps Platform is a map data platform widely used for services such as location search, ride-hailing, delivery. Therefore, changes from this platform can directly affect the way addresses are displayed and processed on many applications.
Currently, some other map platforms such as OpenStreetMap or Apple Maps have not yet updated the new administrative boundaries in Vietnam.
