Geography & environment — Vietnam
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Vietnam: Southeast Asia
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Southeast Asia
- Geographic Coordinates
16 10 N, 107 50 E
- Total Area
127,880 Square Miles 331,210 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
119,718 Square Miles 310,070 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
8,162 Square Miles 21,140 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
2,883 Miles 4,639 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km
- Coastline
2,140 Miles 3,444 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
- low, flat delta in south and north
- central highlands
- hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
- Highest Point
3,144 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
- Lowest Point Location
South China Sea 0 m
- Natural Resources
phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower
- Irrigated Land
17,703 Square Miles 45,850 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate
- Climate
Vietnam is largely a tropical monsoon country. In the north, a hot rainy season prevails from May to September. The average temperature in Hanoi is about 86°F during this period, with very high humidity. During the cooler, dry season in the north from December to March, the average temperature is 68°F, with overnight minimums sometimes around 40°–42°F. In the south, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta experience a year-round tropical climate with daily temperatures normally exceeding 88°F. The rainy season in Danang and Hue in the center of the country lasts from October to March.
- Terrain
- low, flat delta in south and north
- central highlands
- hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
- Location
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia
- Total Area
127,880 Square Miles 331,210 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km
Environment
- 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
