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 US combat forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.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.

Area
Total: 331,210 km²
Land: 310,070 km²
Water: 21,140 km²
Comparative: about three times the size of Tennessee; slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 4,616 km
Border countries (3): (3) Cambodia 1,158 km; China 1,297 km; Laos 2,161 km

Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

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

Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Elevation
Highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
Lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 398 m

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.)

Irrigated land: 46,000 km² (2012)

Major rivers: Sông Tiên Giang (Mekong) river mouth (shared with China [s], Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia) - 4,350 km; Pearl river source (shared with China [m]) - 2,200 km; Red river mouth (shared with China [s]) - 1,149 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

Geography
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 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 m³ (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 m³; 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: 105,758,975 (2024 est.)
Male: 53,109,175
Female: 52,649,800
Distribution: 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
Growth rate: 0.89% (2024 est.)

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); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Catholic 6.1%, Buddhist 5.8%, Protestant 1%, other 0.8%, none 86.3% (2019 est.)
Note: most Vietnamese are culturally Buddhist

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.2% (male 12,953,719/female 11,579,690)
15-64 years: 68.5% (male 36,591,845/female 35,887,201)
65 years and over: 8.3% (2024 est.) (male 3,563,611/female 5,182,909)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45.9 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 33.8 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 12.1 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 8.3 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 33.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 32 years
Female: 34.2 years

Population growth rate: 0.89% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 14.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 5.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: 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

Urbanization
Urban population: 39.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.7% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 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)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 48 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 13.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 73.5 years
Female: 78.9 years

Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.9% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 2.8% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 2% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 9.1% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 5.6% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 9.7% (2023 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 1.5% (2024 est.); 1.7% (2023 est.); 1.6% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Hanoi (Ha Noi)
Geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E
Time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name means 'inside the river,' from the Vietnamese words ha (river) and noi (inside), and refers to its location in a bend of the Red River

Administrative divisions: 58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural)
Provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai
Municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Ha Noi (Hanoi), Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Legal system: civil law system with European influences

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Luong CUONG (since 21 Oct 2024)
Head of government: Prime Minister Pham Minh CHINH (since 26 July 2021)
Cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, confirmed by the National Assembly, and appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a single 5-year term; prime minister recommended by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly
Note: in August 2024, To LAM was elected general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the country’s most powerful position

Legislative branch
Legislature name: National Assembly (Quoc-Hoi)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 500 (all directly elected)
Electoral system: plurality/majority
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 5 years
Most recent election date: 5/23/2021
Parties elected and seats per party: Communist Party (485); Other (14)
Percentage of women in chamber: 31.4%
Expected date of next election: March 2026

Flag description: red field with a five-pointed yellow star in the center

National anthem
Title: 'Tien quan ca' (The Song of the Marching Troops)
Lyrics/music: Nguyen Van CAO
History: adopted as the national anthem of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945; it became the national anthem of the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976; only the first verse is used as the official anthem

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 9 (6 cultural, 2 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 7.1% (2024 est.); 5.1% (2023 est.); 8.5% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 7.1% (2024 est.); 5.1% (2023 est.); 8.5% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 54.3% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 8.8% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 30.1% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.5% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 86.5% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -78.4% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.9% (2024 est.)
Industry: 37.6% (2024 est.)
Services: 42.4% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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

Industrial production growth rate: 8.2% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 57.133 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 1.5% (2024 est.); 1.7% (2023 est.); 1.6% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 1.5% (2024 est.); 1.7% (2023 est.); 1.6% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $68.818 billion (2022 est.)
Expenditures: $83.707 billion (2022 est.)
Note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Exports: $429.383 billion (2024 est.); $374.986 billion (2023 est.); $385.241 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: broadcasting equipment, garments, integrated circuits, machine parts, footwear (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $398.672 billion (2024 est.); $339.785 billion (2023 est.); $369.746 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment, fabric, plastics, telephones (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 85.725 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 277.501 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 933.237 million kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 3.106 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 18.197 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 50.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 9.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 4.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 34.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 51.519 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 96.099 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 815,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 43.637 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 3.116 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 187,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 544,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 4.4 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 7.48 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 7.48 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 699.426 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 305.404 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 218.502 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 72.383 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 14.52 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 40.263 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2.316 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 131 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 78% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 22.8 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 1.8% of GDP (2023 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2022 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2021 est.); 2.4% of GDP (2020 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2019 est.)

Airports: 36 (2025)

Heliports: 26 (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

Merchant marine
Total: 1,973 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 117, container ship 45, general cargo 1,176, oil tanker 134, other 501