Abstract The process of urbanisation involves shifts in space and population, and other socio-economic factors, and has far-reaching effects on the use of urban land. Governing affects the process of urbanisation. This study aimed to compare the results of urban land use of two large cities in Vietnam, Hai Phong and Can Tho. To accomplish this, the research used input data from JAXA land cover maps and population data from GSO in order to compute indicators on the effectiveness of urban land use (ULUE) between the years 2000 to 2020. The results indicate that the amount of land used for urban development has increased significantly in both of these locations, whereas the amount of land used for rice cultivation and agricultural purposes has decreased. In particular, the proportions of these two types of land have a greater tendency to decrease in Hai Phong than in Can Tho. In addition, urban land use has not yet achieved efficiency in either of these localities; however, urban land use in Hai Phong demonstrates a significantly higher level of efficiency when compared to that of Can Tho.