Regional Geography of Vietnam


Outline

  1. Physical Characteristics
  2. Human Characteristics
  3. Economic Characteristics
  4. References

Physical Characteristics

           

 

Vietnam lies on the southeast corner of the continent of Asia. The country is found between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator. It is bounded on the northeast by the Gulf of Tonkin, by the Gulf of Thailand on the southwest, and the rest of the coastline being made up by the South China Sea. Neighboring countries include Cambodia at the South West, Laos borders on the West just north of Cambodia, and on the north of Vietnam is China. The total land area of Vietnam is 127,882 square miles, which makes it the 65th largest country by area in the world (Wikipedia).

 

 

Nearly 50% of the border of Vietnam is coastline. The land extending inland from the coastlines is lowlands that gradually becomes steeper. Areas in the southern tip of the Mekong delta are entirely lowland while areas in the northern tip contain mountainous areas, including Phan Xi Pang Mountain, the tallest in Vietnam standing just above 10,000 feet. The country holds 2,360 rivers. Vietnam is very hilly with less than 20% of the land being level. Parts of the country are very narrow, being only 31 miles across from west to east around the center of the country. Ranked 16th in biodiversity in the world, Vietnam is home to 16% of the world’s species (Wikipedia).

 

 

Vietnam spans a great distance from north to south and because of this large variation across latitudes the country’s weather and climate varies greatly. The north is colder and is monsoonal with four seasons, while the south is tropical monsoon and experiences wet and dry seasons. Temperatures vary from as low as the record low of 21°F in a couple northern provinces to the record high of 110° F in a southern province. Average temperatures during winter across the country span from 36°F - 79°F, while during the summer it is 77°F- 86° F. Average winter temperatures in the north are generally below 68°F. Much of Vietnam receives about 55 inches to 94 inches of rain every year, with somewhere from 80%-90% of that rain coming during the rainy season. Some areas receive as little as 28 in per year, while others can be as high as 197 in per year.  (Climate of Vietnam, Wikipedia)

Human Characteristics

Vietnam has a population of 95.7 million people. The country has a population density of 1,367 people per square kilometer of arable land. About 23% of the population is younger than 15 years old, while only 7% of the population is older than 65 years. The average household size is 3.9 people (PRB database). Gender demographics are nearly equal with 49.5% of the population being male and 50.5% being female. The labor force is 28.5% urban and 71.5% rural (alotrip.com).

 

The national language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. Most of the population speaks it, but other languages are spoken as well mostly by minority groups. Other languages spoken include: Hmong, Khmer, Cham, Chinese, Tay, Murong, and Nung. French is also spoken by many educated Vietnamese, while Russian, Polish, Czech, and German is still spoken by some Northern Vietnamese that had ties with these countries during the Cold War. A number of religions are practiced in Vietnam, with 73.2% practicing Vietnamese folk religion or being not religious. Other religions practiced include Buddhism (12.2%), Catholicism (6.8%), Caodaism (4.8%), Protestantism (1.5%), and Hoahaoism (1.4%) (Wikipedia).

 

There are 54 different ethnic groups living in Vietnam. 85.7% of the population is Vietnamese, with 53 other minority groups making up the rest. Other groups include the Tai, the Murong, Hmong, Nung, Tay, and Khmer. Traditional Vietnamese culture focuses on humanity and harmony, holding emphasis on community and family values. Ancient cultures such as Khmer, Champa, and Sa Huynh have traces of influence throughout Vietnamese culture, along with modern foreign influences such as China and Western cultures (Wikipedia).

Economic Characteristics

Vietnam is a Socialist Republic with state run industries and utilizing “socialist-oriented market economy” reforms which allow “free market zones” to attract foreign investment. The currency of Vietnam is the dong. Agriculture has traditionally been the bulk of Vietnamese economic activity with wet rice production being the most prevalent. Agriculture employs 38.6% of the population, industry employs 26.7%, and services employ 34.7%. The main industries of Vietnam include electronics, machinery, steel, food processing, rice, coffee, cashews, seafood, vegetables, wood industry, textile, footwear, vehicle, and tourism (Economy of Vietnam, Wikipedia).

 

 

Vietnam imports goods from other Asian countries; China is the largest importer, with South Korea following, then Japan, and Thailand. In 2017, Vietnam spent $202.6 billion on imports. Imported goods include machinery and industrial equipment, material for clothing and shoe production, plastics, cars, metal, chemicals, petroleum products, and electronics. In 2017, Vietnam exported $214.1 billion in goods. The biggest importer of Vietnamese exports is the United States, followed by China, then Japan, and South Korea. Vietnamese exports include textiles, electronics, footwear, wood products, seafood, steel, crude oil, rice, coffee, pepper, and transportation products (Economy of Vietnam, Wikipedia).

 

By GDP, Vietnam is the 44th largest economy in the world, and 32nd largest when measured by purchasing power parity (PPP). The estimated GDP of 2019 was $261.637 billion and GDP per capita is $2,740. Unemployment is 2.17%, with youth unemployment at 6.9%. The estimated public debt of 2017 was 58.5% of GDP (Economy of Vietnam, Wikipedia).

References

“Vietnam Population.” AloTrip, www.alotrip.com/about-vietnam-people/vietnam-population.

“World Population Database 2019.” Prb.org, Population Reference Bureau, 2019, unomaha.instructure.com/files/2501483/download?download_frd=1.

“Vietnam.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Apr. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam.

“Climate of Vietnam.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Mar. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Vietnam.

“Economy of Vietnam.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Mar. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Vietnam.

 “Chapter 10 Southeast Asia.” World Regional Geography: Global Patterns, Local Lives, by Lydia Mihelic Pulsipher and Alex Pulsipher, Macmillan, 2010, pp. 597–598.


Submitted by Jennifer Nguyen on April 23, 2020.