World Atlas: Vietnam

Information about Vietnam

Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Vietnam. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Vietnam. But let's start with the flag of Vietnam here:

Vietnam - Overview:

What you should know about Vietnam? Let's start with this: The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the communist North and anti-communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies, the persecution and mass exodus of individuals - many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants - and growing international isolation. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The communist leaders maintain tight control on political expression but have demonstrated some modest steps toward better protection of human rights. The country continues to experience small-scale protests, the vast majority connected to either land-use issues, calls for increased political space, or the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. The small-scale protests in the urban areas are often organized by human rights activists, but many occur in rural areas and involve various ethnic minorities such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands, Hmong in the Northwest Highlands, and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region.

Geography of Vietnam

Where on the globe is Vietnam? The location of this country is Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia. Total area of Vietnam is 331,210 sq km, of which 310,070 sq km is land. So this is quite a large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest. The lowest point of Vietnam is South China Sea 0 m, the highest point Fan Si Pan 3,144 m. And the climate is tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March).

Inhabitants of Vietnam

Let's take a look how many people live in Vietnam. The number is: 96,160,163 (July 2017 est.). So this country is among the most populous in the World. Who lives here? Kinh (Viet) 85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.8%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.5%, Mong 1.2%, Nung 1.1%, Hoa 1%, other 4.3%. What are the languages in Vietnam? Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer, mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian). And the religions: Buddhist 7.9%, Catholic 6.6%, Hoa Hao 1.7%, Cao Dai 0.9%, Protestant 0.9%, Muslim 0.1%, none 81.8% (2009 est.). How old are the people in average? 30.5 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 73.7 years. Where the people live in Vietnam? Here: though it has one of the highest population densities in the world, the population is not evenly dispersed; clustering is heaviest along the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin, with the Mekong Delta (in the south) and the Red River Valley (in the north) having the largest concentrations of people. The major urban areas of Vietnam are: Ho Chi Minh City 7.298 million; Hanoi (capital) 3.629 million; Can Tho 1.175 million; Haiphong 1.075 million; Da Nang 952,000; Bien Hoa 834,000 (2015).

Government and Economy of Vietnam

The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi (Ha Noi) and the government type communist state. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural). Regarding the economy of Vietnam, important industrial products are food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, mobile phones. Important agricultural products are rice, coffee, rubber, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; pork; poultry; seafood. The most important export commodities are clothes, shoes, electronics, seafood, crude oil, rice, coffee, wooden products, machinery and the most important export partners are US 20.2%, China 14.2%, Japan 8.2%, South Korea 6.2% (2016). The most important import commodities are machinery and equipment, petroleum products, steel products, raw materials for the clothing and shoe industries, electronics, plastics, automobiles and the most important import partners are China 25.1%, South Korea 17.5%, Japan 7.9%, US 6%, Thailand 4.7% (2016). How rich is Vietnam and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $6,900 (2017 est.). This is quite a low number. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 11.3% (2012 est.).

Map of Vietnam