Hai Duong city is bordered to the northeast by the Nam Sách District and Thanh Hà District. A branch of the Cái River (literally, "mother river" in Vietnamese) divides the city into two parts, on one side the urban area, on the other side lie rural and industrial outskirts. It is bordered to the west by the Cẩm Giàng District, and to the south by the Gia Lộc and Tứ Kỳ districts, and also a branch of the Sat River. The city is located in the center of both the Northern Economic Area and of the Hanoi–Hai Phong–Quang Ninh development region as well. Hải Dương is located 58 kilometers (36 mi) from Hanoi, 45 kilometers (28 mi) from Hai Phong, and 80 kilometers (50 mi) from Halong Bay. A railway, National Highway No.5 (Hanoi - Hải Dương - Hai Phong) and National Highway No.18 (Bắc Ninh - Hải Dương - Quảng Ninh) all pass through the province.
Hải Dương Province is also located within the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. It is bordered by Hai Phong, Quảng Ninh province in the east, Hưng Yên in the west, Bắc Ninh and Bắc Giang in the north, and Thái Bình in the south. With a total area of 1,648 square kilometers (636 sq mi), Hải Dương Province has one major city (Hải Dương) and eleven districts (Bình Giang, Cẩm Giàng, Chí Linh, Gia Lộc, Kim Thành, Thanh Hà, Thanh Miện, Nam Sách, Kinh Môn)
