Vietnam

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

• 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

• 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

noun:

Vietnamese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Vietnamese

• 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.

total:

33.5 years (2025 est.)

male:

32 years

female:

34.2 years

• 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

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.)

total:

13.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

14.4 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

13.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

76.1 years (2024 est.)

male:

73.5 years

female:

78.9 years

total:

3.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

3.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

22% (2025 est.)

male:

43.1% (2025 est.)

female:

2.1% (2025 est.)

women married by age 15:

1.1% (2021)

women married by age 18:

14.6% (2021)

men married by age 18:

1.9% (2021)

• deforestation and soil degradation from logging and slash-and-burn agriculture;
• water pollution;
• overfishing;
• groundwater contamination limits potable water supply;
• air pollution

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

39.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

2.7% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

energy:

806.7 kt (2022-2024 est.)

agriculture:

2,146.3 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste:

683.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)

other:

40.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

9.57 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

46% (2022 est.)

municipal:

1.206 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

3.074 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

77.75 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

4 (2025)

global geoparks and regional networks:

• Dak Nong;
• Dong Van Karst Plateau;
• Lang Son;
• Non nuoc Cao Bang (2025)

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

history:

several previous; latest adopted 28 November 2013, effective 1 January 2014

amendment process:

• proposed by the president, by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee, or by at least two thirds of the National Assembly membership;
• a decision to draft an amendment requires approval by at least a two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership, followed by the formation of a constitutional drafting committee to write a draft and collect citizens’ opinions;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority of the Assembly membership;
• the Assembly can opt to conduct a referendum

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Vietnam

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

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

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

highest court(s):

Supreme People's Court (consists of the chief justice and 13 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice elected by the National Assembly upon the recommendation of the president for a 5-year, renewable term;
• deputy chief justice appointed by the president from among the judges for a 5-year term;
• judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly for 5-year terms

subordinate courts:

• High Courts (administrative, civil, criminal, economic, labor, family, juvenile);
• provincial courts;
• district courts;
• Military Court

note: the National Assembly Standing Committee can establish special tribunals on the recommendation of the chief justice

chief of mission:

Ambassador Nguyen Quoc DZUNG (since 19 April 2022)

chancery:

1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 861-0737

FAX:

[1] (202) 861-0917

email address and website:

[email protected]; http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/

consulate(s) general:

Houston, San Francisco

consulate(s):

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Marc KNAPPER (since 11 February 2022)

embassy:

7 Lang Ha Street, Hanoi

mailing address:

4550 Hanoi Place, Washington, DC 20521-4550

telephone:

[84] (24) 3850-5000

FAX:

[84] (24) 3850-5010

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://vn.usembassy.gov/

consulate(s) general:

Ho Chi Minh City

description:

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

meaning:

red stands for revolution and blood, and the five-pointed star for the five elements of the populace -- peasants, workers, intellectuals, traders, and soldiers -- that unite to build socialism

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

total World Heritage Sites:

9 (6 cultural, 2 natural, 1 mixed)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Complex of Hué Monuments (c);
• Ha Long Bay (n);
• Hoi An Ancient Town (c);
• My Son Sanctuary (c);
• Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (n);
• Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi (c);
• Citadel of the Ho Dynasty (c);
• Trang An Landscape Complex (m);
• Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Landscapes (c)

• lower middle-income socialist East Asian economy;
• rapid economic growth since Đổi Mới reforms;
• strong investment and productivity growth;
• tourism and manufacturing hub;
• TPP signatory;
• declining poverty aside from ethnic minorities;
• systemic corruption

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

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

total:

6.8% (2024 est.)

male:

7% (2024 est.)

female:

6.6% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

34.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

1.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.6% (2022 est.)

highest 10%:

28.1% (2022 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

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.)

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.)

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.)

• state-controlled broadcast media, with oversight from the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC);
• state-controlled national TV provider, Vietnam Television (VTV), has several channels with regional broadcasting centers;
• law limits access to satellite TV, but many access foreign programming via home satellite equipment;
• state-controlled Voice of Vietnam, the national radio broadcaster, broadcasts on several channels and is repeated on AM, FM, and shortwave stations (2018)

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

total ports:

16 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

1

small:

6

very small:

9

ports with oil terminals:

12

key ports:

Da Nang, Hai Phong, Nghe Tinh, Nha Trang, Thanh Ho Chi Minh, Vinh Cam Ranh, Vung Tau

• the PAVN is equipped largely with armaments from Russia and the former Soviet Union;
• in recent years, Vietnam has moved to diversify its arms suppliers and has acquired items from countries such as India, Israel, the Netherlands, South Korea, and the US;
• Vietnam has a small defense industry involved in the manufacture of small arms, ground combat vehicles, and naval systems (2025)

• 18-27 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service for men and women (in practice only men are drafted);
• service obligation is 24-36 months depending on the branch of service (including Coast Guard and Ministry of Public Security) (2025)

• has a growing national space program focused on acquiring, operating, and exploiting satellites, as well as expanding domestic capabilities in satellites and associated sub-system production, space sciences, and technology applications;
• builds and operates communications and remote sensing satellites;
• conducting research and development on space science and applied space technologies, such as advanced optics and space data exploitation;
• has worked closely with Japan on its space program;
• has also established relationships with the space agencies or commercial space sectors of some European countries (such as France), India, and the US (2025)

• 1980 - first Vietnamese astronaut/cosmonaut into space on Soviet spacecraft
• 2008 - first telecommunications satellite (VINASAT-1) built by US company and launched on European rocket
• 2012 - first educational/scientific cube satellite (F-1) built jointly with and launched by Japan; second telecommunications satellite (VINASAT-2) built by US and launched on European rocket
• 2013 - first domestically built remote-sensing (RS)/technology-demonstrator cube satellite (PicoDragon) launched by Japan; first RS satellite (VNREDSat-1a or Vietnam Natural Resources, Environment, and Disaster Monitoring Satellite) launched on European rocket
• 2016 - signed an agreement with India to establish a satellite tracking and imaging center in Ho Chi Minh City in exchange for access to Indian RS imagery
• 2018 - completed National Space Center in Hanoi
• 2021 - announced a developmental roadmap for producing “Made in Vietnam” small satellites as part of a larger effort to increase space sciences and technology through 2030; signed an agreement with Japan to increase cooperation on space defense