Vietnam's Geography | Vietnam Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 106 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area: Total: 329,560 sq km land: 325,360 sq km water: 4,200 sq km

Area - comparative: Slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries: Total: 4,639 km border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km

Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: Tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)

Terrain: Low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Elevation extremes: Lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

Natural resources: Phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower

Land use: Arable land: 19.97% permanent crops: 5.95% other: 74.08% (2001)

Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: Occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

Environment - current issues: Logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Environment - international agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: Extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point

Facts, Flags, Maps for all the world's countries

The information here has been derived from Public Domain Sources such as the CIA World Factbook. No liability can be taken for any inaccuracies. You can use the maps, flags and facts presented here however you choose.