Vietnam lies in South-Eastern Asia, part of Asia. Treaties and official documents call it Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Government sits in Hanoi.
The land area is 331,212 km², which ranks it 68th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Finland and just ahead of Malaysia. For scale, it is almost exactly the same size as Finland.
It is home to roughly 101.0 million people, placing it 16th of 250 by population — between DR Congo above it and Iran below. Measured only against its own subregion, it is 5th of 11 in size and 3rd in population.
The lie of the land
Its reference point sits at 16.2° north and 107.8° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 1,800 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.
Countries on the same parallel, far away in longitude, include Sudan, Chad and Niger.
It borders 3 neighbours: Cambodia, China and Laos. The largest of them by area is China, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 1.43 billion people.
With both a coast and land borders, it has the trade options a landlocked country does not.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
How crowded Vietnam is, and what is spoken there
Population divided by land area gives roughly 305 people per square kilometre, which makes it densely populated. The median across all 250 entries here is about 90 per square kilometre.
Vietnamese is the only official language. No other entry in this dataset lists Vietnamese, so on this list it stands alone.
Someone from Vietnam is a Vietnamese.
Against Asia as a whole it is the 8th most populous of 50 entries, and it accounts for 15% of everyone living in South-Eastern Asia.
Money, codes and practical details
The currency is the Vietnamese đồng (₫, VND). That currency appears nowhere else on this list.
If a quiz asks for the capital of Vietnam, the answer is Hanoi.
Its internet country code is .vn. Calls from overseas start with +84. Standard country codes: vn and VNM.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Vietnam shares borders with 3 countries:
Fun facts about Vietnam
- It is 16th of 250 by population, with about 101.0 million residents.
- In land area it is almost exactly the same size as Finland.
- People from Vietnam are known as Vietnamese.
- Its full official name is Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
- It shares land borders with 3 countries: Cambodia, China and Laos.
- Websites based there use the .vn domain.
- Within South-Eastern Asia it is the 5th largest of 11.
- Ranked by land area, Vietnam is 68th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
Vietnam — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Vietnam?
- The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi.
- Which countries border Vietnam?
- Vietnam borders 3 countries: Cambodia, China and Laos. China is the largest of them by area.
- Where is Vietnam located?
- Vietnam is in South-Eastern Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 16.2° north and 107.8° east, roughly 1,800 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.
- How big is Vietnam?
- Vietnam covers 331,212 km², ranking 68th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Finland.
- What is the population of Vietnam?
- Vietnam has a population of about 101.0 million, which makes it the 16th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. DR Congo sits just above it and Iran just below.
- What language is spoken in Vietnam?
- The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. No other entry on this list gives it official status.
- What currency does Vietnam use?
- Vietnam uses the Vietnamese đồng, written ₫ (currency code VND). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Is Vietnam a country?
- Yes. Vietnam is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
