Vietnam Travel Podcast with Linh Nguyen

Location

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia

Terrain

Low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Climate

Tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)

Elevation

Highest point

Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

Lowest point

South China Sea 0 m

Mean elevation

398 m

Area

Total

331,210 sq km

Land

310,070 sq km

Water

21,140 sq km

Size comparison

About three times the size of Tennessee; slightly larger than New Mexico

Coastline

3,444 km (excludes islands)

Land borders

Total

4,616 km

Border countries

Cambodia 1,158 km; China 1,297 km; Laos 2,161 km

Natural resources

Antimony, phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use

Agricultural land

39.2% (2023 est.)

Arable land

21.5% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

15.7% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

2% (2023 est.)

Forest

47% (2023 est.)

Other

13.7% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

Note

Note 1: extending 1,650 km (1,025 mi) north to south, the country is only 50 km (31 mi) across at its narrowest point

Note 2: Son Doong in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is the world's largest cave (greatest cross-sectional area) and is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume at 38.5 million cu m (about 1.35 billion cu ft); it connects to Thoong cave, but not yet officially -- when recognized, it will add an additional 1.6 million cu m; it is so massive that it contains its own jungle, underground river, and localized weather system, with clouds forming inside the cave and spewing from its exits

Population

Total

106,688,169 (2025 est.)

Male

53,597,784

Female

53,090,385

Nationality

Noun

Vietnamese (singular and plural)

Adjective

Vietnamese

Ethnic groups

Kinh (Viet) 85.3%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.9%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.4%, Mong 1.4%, Nung 1.1%, other 5.5% (2019 est.)

Languages

Languages

Vietnamese (official); English (often as a second language); some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain-area languages (including Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Major-language sample(s)

Dữ kiện thế giới, là nguồn thông tin cơ bản không thể thiếu. (Vietnamese)

Religions

Catholic 6.1%, Buddhist 5.8%, Protestant 1%, other 0.8%, none 86.3% (2019 est.)

Median age

Total

33.5 years (2025 est.)

Male

32 years

Female

34.2 years

Life expectancy

Total population

76.1 years (2024 est.)

Male

73.5 years

Female

78.9 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

39.5% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

2.7% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

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

Largest cities

9.321 million Ho Chi Minh City, 5.253 million HANOI (capital), 1.865 million Can Tho, 1.423 million Hai Phong, 1.221 million Da Nang, 1.111 million Bien Hoa (2023)

Background

Vietnam's early history included periods of occupation by outside forces and eventual power consolidation under Vietnamese dynastic families. A succession of Han Chinese emperors ruled the area, which was centered on the Red River Valley, until approximately the 10th century. The Ly Dynasty (11th-13th century) created the first independent Vietnamese state, which was known as Dai Viet, and established their capital at Thang Long (Hanoi). Under the Tran Dynasty (13th-15th century), TRAN Hung Dao, one of Vietnam’s national heroes, led Dai Viet forces to fight off Mongol invaders in 1279. After a brief Chinese occupation in the early 1400s, Vietnamese resistance leader LE Thai To made himself emperor and established the Le Dynasty, which lasted until the late 18th century despite decades of political turmoil, civil war, and division. During this period, Dai Viet expanded southward to the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta, reaching the approximate boundaries of modern-day Vietnam by the 1750s. Dai Viet suffered additional civil war and division in the latter half of the 18th century, but it was reunited and renamed Vietnam under Emperor NGUYEN Phuc Anh (aka Gia Long) in 1802.

France began its conquest of Vietnam in 1858 and made Vietnam part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but the French continued to rule until communist forces under Ho Chi MINH defeated them in 1954. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the communist North and anti-communist South. Fighting erupted between the two governments shortly afterwards with the North supporting communist rebels in the South and eventually committing thousands of combat troops. The US provided to the South significant economic and military assistance, including large numbers of US military forces, which reached a peak strength of over 500,000 troops in 1968. US combat 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. The conflict, known as the Second Indochina War (1955-1975), devastated Vietnam, spilled over into the neighboring countries of Cambodia and Laos, and is estimated to have resulted in the deaths of up to 3 million Vietnamese civilians and soldiers. It also caused more than 58,000 US combat and non-combat deaths and created deep domestic divisions in the US.

Despite the return of peace, the country experienced little economic growth for over a decade because of its diplomatic isolation, leadership policies, and the persecution and mass exodus of citizens, many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, the economy has seen strong growth, particularly in agricultural and industrial production, construction, exports, foreign investment, and tourism. Nevertheless, the Communist Party maintains tight political and social control of the country, and Vietnam faces many related challenges, such as rising income inequality and corruption.

Government

Communist party-led state

Capital

Hanoi (Ha Noi)

Time zone

UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam

Independence

2 September 1945 (from France)

National day

Independence Day (National Day), 2 September (1945)

Overview

Lower middle-income socialist East Asian economy; rapid economic growth since Đổi Mới reforms; strong investment and productivity growth; tourism and manufacturing hub; TPP signatory; declining poverty aside from ethnic minorities; systemic corruption

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$14,400 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$13,500 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$13,000 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

3.6% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

3.3% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

3.2% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

1.5% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

1.7% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

1.6% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Dong (VND) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

24,164.886 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

23,787.319 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

23,271.212 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

23,159.783 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

23,208.368 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, mobile phones

Agriculture

Rice, vegetables, sugarcane, cassava, maize, pork, fruits, bananas, coconuts, coffee (2023)

Airports

36 (2025)

Railways

Total

2,600 km (2014)

Standard gauge

178 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge; 253 km mixed gauge

Narrow gauge

2,169 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

Ports

Total ports

16 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

1

Small

6

Very small

9

Ports with oil terminals

12

Key ports

Da Nang, Hai Phong, Nghe Tinh, Nha Trang, Thanh Ho Chi Minh, Vinh Cam Ranh, Vung Tau

Internet domain

.vn

Internet users

Percent of population 78% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

129 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

128 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Deforestation and soil degradation from logging and slash-and-burn agriculture; water pollution; overfishing; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; air pollution

Fresh water

884.12 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

4 (2025)

Global geoparks and regional networks

Dak Nong; Dong Van Karst Plateau; Lang Son; Non nuoc Cao Bang (2025)