You are here
Vietnam - Country information
Stretching 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) north to south, Vietnam occupies the eastern and southern part of the Indochinese peninsula in Southeast Asia. Borders are with China, Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam has about twice the area of Arizona, but is long and narrow. Its center is not wider than about 40 kilometers (25 miles). Huge river deltas are the Mekong River delta in the south and the Red River delta in the north.
Facts about Vietnam
| National name: | Công Hòa Xa Hôi Chú Nghia Viêt Nam |
| Capital: | Hanoi, 2,543,700 (metropolitan area), 1,396,500 (city proper) |
| Largest Cities: | Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon, 5,894,100 (metropolitan area), 3,415,300 (city proper); Haiphong, 581,600; Da Nang, 452,700; Hué 271,900; Nha Trang, 270,100; Qui Nho'n, 199,700 |
| Land area: | 125,622 sq mi (325,361 sq km) |
| Total area: | 127,844 sq mi (331,114 sq km) |
| Population: | 85,262,356 |
| Life expectancy: | 72 |
| Form of Government: | Communist state |
Economy
| Industry: | food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building |
| Agriculture: | paddy rice, corn, potatoes, rubber; poultry; fish |
| Exports: | crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber |
| Monetary unit: | Dong |
| GDP per Capita: | USD 2,300 |
People
| Ethnic Groups: | Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999) |
| Languages: | Vietnamese (official); English; some French, Chinese, Khmer; local languages |
| Religion: | Buddhist 9%, Catholic 7%, Hoa Hao 2%, Cao Dai 1%, Protestant, Islam, none 81% |