Factbook dossier
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 10 th century. The Ly Dynasty (11 th -13 th 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 (13 th -15 th 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 18 th 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 18 th 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 shortl…
Location
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia
Area
total : 331,210 sq km land: 310,070 sq km water: 21,140 sq km
Natural resources
antimony, phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land
Natural hazards
occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Population
total: 106,688,169 (2025 est.) male: 53,597,784 female: 53,090,385
Ethnic groups
Kinh (Viet) 85.3%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.9%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.4%, Mong 1.4%, Nung 1.1%, other 5.5% (2019 est.) note: 54 ethnic groups are recognized by the Vietnamese Government
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, l nguồn th ng tin cơ bản kh ng 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
Environmental issues
deforestation and soil degradation from logging and slash-and-burn agriculture; water pollution; overfishing; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; air pollution
Government type
communist party-led state
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
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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.456 trillion (2024 est.) $1.359 trillion (2023 est.) $1.294 trillion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$14,400 (2024 est.) $13,500 (2023 est.) $13,000 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.6% (2024 est.) 3.3% (2023 est.) 3.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
USA 28%, China 20%, Japan 6%, Hong Kong 4%, Germany 3% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
China 49%, Singapore 6%, Japan 6%, Hong Kong 5%, Taiwan 4% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; aka Vietnam People's Army, VPA): Ground Forces (Army), Navy (includes naval infantry), Air Defense - Air Force, Vietnam Border Guard, Vietnam Coast Guard Vietnam People's Ministry of Public Security; Vietnam Civil Defense Force (2025) note 1: the People's Public Security Ministry is responsible for internal security and controls the national police, a special national security investigative agency, and other internal security units, including specialized riot police regiments note 2: the Vietnam Coast Guard was established in 1998 as the Vietnam Marine Police and renamed in 2013; Vietnam established a civilian maritime self-defense force in 2010; the Vietnam Department of Fisheries Resources Surveillance (DFIRES; under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), established in 2013, is responsible for fisheries enforcement, aquatic conservation roles, and is designated as Vietnam's standing agency for combating illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing; it is armed, allowed to use force if necessary, and works in tandem with the Vietnam Coast Guard note 3: the PAVN is the military arm of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and responsible to the Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest party organ on military policy; the CMC is led by the CPV General Secretary
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.)