Population Population: With over 83 million people (according to the 2005 Population Census), Vietnam is ranked 13th among the most populous countries in the world. 25% of the population lives in urban areas and 75% in rural areas. The population growth rate is 1.18% per annum. Ho Chi Minh City (5 million people) and Hanoi (3.5 million people) are the most populous cities in Vietnam. Given the trend toward urbanization in many regions in Vietnam, population in urban areas is expected to grow in the coming years.

Rivers Rivers Vietnam has a dense network of rivers and streams (2,360 rivers of more than 10 km in length), flowing in two main directions of Northwest and Southeast in a bow shape. The Red River and the Mekong River, the two largest rivers in Vietnam, create two vast and fertile deltas. Each year, the river and stream network is supplied with 310 billion cubic metres of water. The water supply for rivers and streams depends on the flood and drought seasons. 70%-80% of the annual water volume is provided in the flood season.

Climate Climate Vietnam is located in the tropical and temperate zone. Vietnam’s climate is characterized by high temperature and humidity all year round. North Vietnam, under the impact of the Chinese mainland, has more or less mainland climate. In addition, the Eastern Sea also affects Vietnam’s tropical monsoon climate. The monsoon climate does not spread evenly all over the Vietnamese territory, where there are different regions with different climates. Vietnam’s climate changes by seasons and by regions from the lowland to highland, from North to South and from East to West. Given the strong influence of the Northwest monsoon, the average temperature in Vietnam is lower than many Asian countries located at the same latitude.

Geographical location Geographical location Vietnam is located in the Eastern part of the Indochina peninsula, bordering China to the North, Laos and Cambodia to the West with a long land border of 4,550 km, and facing the Eastern Sea (South China Sea) and the Pacific to the East and the South. On the map, Vietnam is an S-shaped long strip of land, stretching from 23°23’ to 8°27’ North latitude. The country’s total length is 1,650 km from the northernmost point to the southernmost point. Its width, stretching from the Eastern coast to the Western border, is about 500 km at the widest part and about 50 km at the narrowest part.