Vietnam
Asia Β· Capital: Hanoi
How it is run: Vietnam is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Vietnam is home to 101.6 million people in South-Eastern Asia, where people speak Vietnamese.
Numbers that tell a story π’
π₯ People
101.6 million people
That is 1.3% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
πΊοΈ Land
331,212 kmΒ²
Bigger than Texas β a long road trip from one side to the other.
ποΈ How crowded
About 307 people per square kilometre β busy towns with countryside in between.
π Size in its region
8th most people in Asia
19th largest by land in Asia.
π£οΈ Official languages
Vietnamese
π° Money
Vietnamese Δα»ng (β«)
Life here today π©Ί
These come from World Bank open data β the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
β€οΈ How long people live
74.7 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
πΌ Money made per person each year
about US$5,066
A lower-middle-income country: incomes are rising, but many families still farm or work informally.
π’ Living in cities
38.8% of people
Many people still live in villages and farming towns.
π Kids under 15
22.9% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details π§
π Phone code
+84
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
π Websites end in
.vn
π§ People here are called
Vietnamese
π·οΈ Name at home
Viα»t Nam
Also written: Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Cα»ng hΓ²a XΓ£ hα»i chủ nghΔ©a Viα»t Nam, Viet Nam.
π Coast or inland
Has a coastline
ποΈ UN voting group
Asia and the Pacific Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders π€
Vietnam touches 3 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world π£οΈ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Vietnam
French
ViΓͺt Nam
Arabic
ΩΩΨͺΩΨ§Ω
Chinese
θΆε
Japanese
γγγγ
Russian
ΠΡΠ΅ΡΠ½Π°ΠΌ
Portuguese
Vietname
German
Vietnam
Put it in perspective π
- India β the most populated country in Asia β has about 14.4Γ as many people as Vietnam.
- Vietnam covers roughly 3,154 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Vietnam lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 50,799 km.
Flags through time π
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch Vietnam change.
French Indochina
France governed Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia as one colony.
South Vietnam
During the war the south flew yellow with three red stripes.
Reunified Vietnam
One gold star for the nation, its five points for the groups that build it.
Fast facts π§
Fact of the day: Because of where Vietnam sits, the school day there starts many hours before or after yours does.
π·οΈ Official name
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
ποΈ Capital
Hanoi
π Region
Asia Β· South-Eastern Asia
π€ Country code
VN
ποΈ UN status
UN member state
π© Independence
Independent country
More about Vietnam π
Ha Long Bay
Nearly 2,000 limestone islands rise out of the sea. Legend says dragons spat jewels that became the rocks.
See it in Street Viewπ§ Where on the map
16.2Β° N, 107.8Β° E
π Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
π°οΈ Clock check
Roughly UTC+7 β when it is noon in London it is about 19:00 in Hanoi.
- π»π³ is the flag of Vietnam. Its country code β the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics β is VN.
- Vietnam lies in the tropics, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, so the sun gets very high overhead.
- Because of where Vietnam sits, the school day there starts many hours before or after yours does.
- Vietnam is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- Vietnam sits in South-Eastern Asia, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
Countries nearby π€
Talk about it π¬
- Vietnam has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Vietnam can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Vietnam spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz π§ͺ
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Vietnam?
Hanoi
Which money do people spend in Vietnam?
Vietnamese Δα»ng (β«)
How many countries share a land border with Vietnam?
3 β Cambodia, China, Laos.
Roughly how many people live in Vietnam?
101.6 million people
Keep researching π
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further β and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here β kid-friendly encyclopedias π
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ποΈ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy π°
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card π«
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians β all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.