Vietnam

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Vietnam spends US$4.538 million on its military, or 1.3 percent of its GDP. This makes Vietnam the 42nd highest military spender in the world and represents 0.24 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Vietnam, the Vietnam's people's army consists of ground forces, an Air Force and a Navy. This army has been present since is war for independence with the French and has taken up arms with the United States during the Vietnam war.

Military membership

Vietnam is also a member of 4 international military organizations. This makes it the 141st most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Vietnam has partaken in 13 international wars. These are:

Cambodian rebellion 1811–11
Cambodian rebellion 1840-1841
Tonkin Campaign 1883-1886
First Indochina War 1946-1954
Malayan Emergency 1948-1960

North Vietnamese invasion of Laos 1958-1959
Insurgency of the Communist Party of the Philippines -present
Third Indochina War 1975-1991

Angolan Civil War 1975-1001
Cambodian–Vietnamese War 1975-1989
Insurgency in Laos 1975-present
Sino-Vietnamese War 1979-1979
Sino-Vietnamese conflicts 1979-1990

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Vietnam is a member of 17 international political organizations. This makes it the 19th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
United Nations Security Council
International Labour Organization
Asia Cooperation Dialogue
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Mekong–Ganga Cooperation
Mekong River Commission
Partnerships in Environmental Management for

the Seas of East Asia

Colombo Plan

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

It is the 138th most democratic state in the world. This is because the population only has the option for a single political party and the ability to run independently is severely restricted. Other restrictions on individual rights are in regards to civil rights, freedom of expression as well as government crackdowns on political movements.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Vietnam take place in the form of a single communist political party where the president is head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government. Aside from these positions, the general secretary of the Communist Party holds a separate executive function.

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Global Green Growth Institute
Partners in Population and Development
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

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Known for its cuisine, its growing economy as well as its famous war with the United States during the Cold War, Vietnam, or the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is one of the last communist states in the world. During its early history, the area was inhabited by the Cham people that migrated from China, Indonesia and Mongolia and lived a hunter gather lifestyle. After the establishment of smaller kingdoms, China took control over the area from the second century BC until the 10th century when it became independent from China and broke up into several autonomous provinces. Between the 10th century and the 19th century, the area was mainly ruled through local kingdoms and villages. after becoming unified at the start of the 19th century, the French Empire started to colonize Vietnam and incorporated it into its empire in 1858. After losing the territory to the Japanese, the French tried to reconquer Vietnam, but eventually lost the territory after the Geneva convention where it was split into north Vietnam and south Vietnam in 1954. After several incursions by the communist North, the United States started to support the southern Republic of Vietnam. After the defeat of the South Vietnamese Army, and an attack on US warships, the United States entered the war and started to send more than 500,000 troops to Vietnam. After heavy pushback by the American people, the United States reached a cease-fire agreement and left Vietnam in 1973. In 1975, North Vietnam established full control over the territory. Since then, Vietnam has had a war with Cambodia as well as with China. After rapproachment with the United States, the Vietnamese economy started to grow and is projected to become the 20th highest GDP in the world.

Located in Southeast Asia, the geography of Vietnam consists of a flat coastal plain which becomes a high mountain range along its border. Most of its terrain is densely forested with the exception of its flat planes which are mainly used for agriculture. In total, Vietnam borders three other states with China to the north and Laos and Cambodia to the west. To the east and south, it is located on the South China Sea.

It is the 66th largest state with a total surface area of 332.868 square kilometers or 128.521 square miles. This makes Vietnam slightly smaller than Malaysia and slightly larger than Finland.

It has a total water surface area of 21.246 square kilometers or 8.201 square miles. This makes Vietnam the 27th largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its water is derived from rivers with the Red River and Mekong River being the largest. Despite having more than 2000 rivers, most of its water is considered unsafe to drink.

The climate of Vietnam is separated between its northern subtropical climate and its southern tropical climate. It is known to have two distinct seasons, a wet and a dry season with the wet season spanning from May to September and its dry season from October to March. The average temperature is 24.4 degrees Celsius or 76 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Vietnam the 75th warmest state in the world.

The average high temperature is 28.3 degrees Celsius or 83 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature is 20.8 degrees Celsius or 69.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

During its wet season, Vietnam is prone to regular flooding. On average, Vietnam receives 194.3 centimetres or 76.4 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 30th highest in the world.

The capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, is home to roughly 5 million people. The closest capital is Vientiane, Laos, with a distance of 487 kilometers or 302 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Sucre, Bolivia, with a distance of 19.074 kilometers or 11.852 miles.

The economy of Vietnam is considered to be a developing economy with roughly a quarter of its population being dependent on agriculture. Its economic system is a mixed system with limited private freedom, but with strong central governmental planning. This is also reflected in governmental ownership of industries which employ roughly 40 percent of the population. In recent years, Vietnam has diversified its economy with a growing tech sector as well as a strong clothing manufacturing sector. These products, as well as agricultural products such as rice are mainly exported to China and United States which combined represent nearly 40 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China and South Korea which combined represent nearly 50 percent of all imports.

Vietnam is a member of 12 international economic organizations. This makes it the 114th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Caribbean Development Bank
International Development Law Organization
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
Group of 77
Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law

It has a GDP of US$272.056 million, which makes it the 46th highest in the world and represents 0.33 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 75th highest in the world with US$817.309 per square kilometer or US$2.116.814 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 135th highest in the world with US$2.811.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 166th highest in the world with US$3.821.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

It is the 15th most populous state in the world with a total population of 96.8 million people. The majority of its population is ethnically Vietnamese and Vietnamese is its official language. However, there are large minorities of Chinese and Cambodians living within its border area.

It has the 34th highest population density in the world with 290 people per square kilometer or 751 people per square mile.

2.9 percent of the population, or just over 2.8 million people, have migrated to other states. This makes Vietnam the 22nd state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 1.13 percent of total global emigration. These are mainly Vietnamese refugees that migrated to the United States following the defeat of South Vietnam, which is responsible for more than half of all migrants.

Immigration to Vietnam is represented by 0.07 percent of the population, or roughly 70,000 people. This makes Vietnam the 109th state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.03 percent of total global immigration. This is largely due to strict immigration policies that are enforced by the Vietnamese communist government. The largest number of migrants are refugees from Myanmar.

The literacy rate in Vietnam is 94.3 percent which is the 102nd highest in the world. Education is free and compulsory between the ages of six and 18 and is provided by the government of Vietnam.

Vietnam has a moderate health care system which has seen large investments and developments over the last 20 years. Its current health system is a mix between public and private healthcare, but the government of Vietnam is making an effort to provide universal healthcare for all of its citizens. Also, there is a large discrepancy between urban and rural areas with rural areas having limited or no access to healthcare. This, as well as communicable diseases such as malaria are the largest health threats to the population. The average life expectancy is 75.8 years which is the 131st highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 79.9 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 71.7 years.

Despite being a communist state, the government of Vietnam provides freedom of religion. However, the government also has a large oversight in religious activities within its border.

Christianity is followed by 6.8 percent of the population which makes it the 157th most Christian state in the world. It was introduced by Christian explorers which also brought missionaries.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is followed by 0.2 percent of the population which makes it the 152nd most Islamic state in the world. Islam was introduced to in Vietnam during the seventh century when Arab merchants as well as envoys started to spread Islam throughout Vietnam.

Buddhism is represented by 16.4 percent of the population. It was introduced during the second century BC through migrants from China and became the largest religion during the 17th century. However, as a result of communist policies, this official statistic rapidly declined.

Hinduism is represented by 0.11 percent of the population and is mainly present with the ethnic Cham people.

Judaism is represented by 0.03 percent of the population and mainly consists of descendants of Jewish refugees that arrived in Vietnam during the second world war.

Other religions are mainly adherents of Dao Mau, which worship spirits as well as a Mother Goddess. This represents 30.5 percent of the population.

Irreligion is represented by 19.8 percent of the population. This percentage is largely due to official state atheism.