Vietnam

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- labor and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Education
Cultural life
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
  - Literature
  - Theater
  - Music
  - Visual arts
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Origins of the Vietnamese people
- Legends and early history of Vietnam
  - Legendary kingdoms
  - Nam Viet
  - Early society
- Vietnam under Chinese rule
- The first period of independence
  - The Ly dynasty
  - The Tran dynasty
- Expansion, division, and reunification
  - The Later Le dynasty
  - Two divisions of Dai Viet
- State and society in precolonial Vietnam
- Western penetration of Vietnam
- The conquest of Vietnam by France
- Colonial Vietnam
  - French administration
  - Effects of French colonial rule
- Movements of national liberation
  - Modern nationalism
  - Vietnamese communism
- World War II and independence
- The First Indochina War
- The two Vietnams (1954–65)
- The Second Indochina War
  - Growing U.S. involvement in the war
  - Withdrawal of U.S. troops
- The Socialist Republic of Vietnam
  - Reunification and early challenges
  - Vietnam since c. 1990

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

Red River at Hanoi, Vietnam

rice paddy in Vietnam

Montagnard people of Vietnam

Vietnam: Ethnic composition

For Students

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Vietnam: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Vietnam parliament approves $8 billion railway with loan from China • Feb. 20, 2025, 12:42 AM ET (VOA - Voice of America English News)

China opposes Vietnam's building work on disputed reef in South China Sea • Feb. 19, 2025, 9:07 PM ET (VOA - Voice of America English News)

China opposes Vietnam’s building work on disputed reef in South China Sea • Feb. 19, 2025, 3:06 AM ET (Straits Times)

It’s no holiday at Panama hotel where hundreds deported by US are being held • Feb. 18, 2025, 6:18 PM ET (South China Morning Post)

Vietnam’s US$8 billion railway to China gets the go ahead • Feb. 18, 2025, 3:23 PM ET (South China Morning Post)

Facts

Also Known As	Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam • Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Pham Minh Chinh
Capital	Hanoi
Population	(2025 est.) 102,028,000
Head Of State	President: Luong Cuong
Form Of Government	socialist republic with one legislative house (National Assembly [500])
Official Language	Vietnamese
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam (Socialist Republic of Vietnam)
Total Area (Sq Km)	331,345
Total Area (Sq Mi)	127,932
Monetary Unit	dong (VND)
Population Rank	(2025) 16
Population Projection 2030	103,196,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 797.5
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 307.9
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2022) 37.6% • Rural: (2022) 62.4%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2023) 72.1 years • Female: (2023) 77.2 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2019) 97% • Female: (2019) 95%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 412,944
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 4,180

Did You Know?

In the United States, the war fought in Vietnam from 1954 to 1975 is known as the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, it is known as the American War.
The name of Vietnam was once spelled as two words (Viet Nam, coming from the Vietnamese for "southern Viet people"), but is now generally spelled as a single word.
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is one of just five communist countries still in existence. The other four are China, Cuba, Laos, and North Korea.
Motorcycles have become so profilic in Vietnam that riders may be fined if caught by the police without a safety helmet.
Vietnam, although still a developing country, is progressing quickly with the goal of being a developed economy by 2020. It has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the developing world.

Photos and Videos

Red River at Hanoi, Vietnam

rice paddy in Vietnam

Montagnard people of Vietnam

Austroasiatic languages

The ancient tradition of Vietnamese water puppetry

Learn how the French waged war on the communist Viet Minh in the First Indochina War after World War II

Examine early U.S. involvement in Vietnam under the Eisenhower administration during the First Indochina War

See how the North Vietnamese-backed Viet Cong launched surprise attacks across South Vietnam

Watch scenes of the U.S. and South Vietnamese evacuation from Saigon as North Vietnamese tanks arrive

National anthem of Vietnam

See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Topics

Nguyen Dynasty Later Le Dynasty Trung Sisters Tay Son Brothers Tran Dynasty Trinh Family Hung Vuong Fall of Saigon Battle of Ia Drang history of Southeast Asia United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

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