Vietnam — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Vietnam: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Vietnam is in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia. It covers 331,210 sq km. Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest. Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March).
| Capital | Hanoi (Ha Noi) |
|---|---|
| Population | 106,688,169 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $1.456 trillion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $14,400 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 7.1% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 3.6% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 1.5% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 58.5% of GDP (2017 est.) |
| Exports | $429.383 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $398.672 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 76.1 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 33.5 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 39.5% of total population (2023) |
| Government | communist party-led state |
| Independence | 2 September 1945 (from France) |
| Languages | Vietnamese (official); English (often as a second language); some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain-area languages (including Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) |
Vietnam’s GDP is $1.456 trillion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $476.388 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 7.1% (2024 est.). See where Vietnam ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum +4 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The growth engine kept roaring — second-quarter figures stayed near 8% — with the Party Congress mandate fresh and bamboo diplomacy spanning every major power.
No shocks, strong numbers: a solidly positive quarter for Asia's most consistent performer.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 3.6%; a current-account surplus of $28 billion — the world pays it more than it pays out
Antimony, Phosphates, Coal, Manganese, Rare earths, Bauxite, Timber, Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 50.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 9.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 4.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 34.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 40.263 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 1,476.3 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 306.3 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 14,618 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Coal 48.8%, Hydro 31.3%, Solar 8.5%, Gas 7.1%, Wind 4.1%, Oil 0.0% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 44.1% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 471.2 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $429.383 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $398.672 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $30.7 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, mobile phones |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Tô Lâm — President. President Luong CUONG (since 21 Oct 2024)
Vietnam maintains 94 embassies abroad, hosts 83 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to ASEAN Jakarta, UN New York, UN Geneva, UNESCO Paris. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 94 |
|---|---|
| Foreign missions hosted | 83 |
| Multilateral missions | ASEAN Jakarta, UN New York, UN Geneva, UNESCO Paris |
Source: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 (released 2024-02-25), https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/; Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions of Vietnam', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_Vietnam; '... in Vietnam', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Vietnam
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 3444 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 36 + 26 heliports (registration prefix VN) |
| Major seaports | Da Nang, Hai Phong, Nghe Tinh, Nha Trang, Thanh Ho Chi Minh, Vinh Cam Ranh, Vung Tau |
| Railways | 2600 km |
| Pipelines | 72 km condensate, 398 km condensate/gas, 955 km gas, 128 km oil, 33 km oil/gas/water, 206 km refined products, 13 km water (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Saigon (7,956,133 TEU, 2021); Haiphong (5,695,839 TEU, 2021); Cai Mep (5,385,289 TEU, 2021) |
Major airports
Cam Ranh International Airport / Cam Ranh Air Base (CXR) — Nha Trang/nha Trang aiurportCam Ranh; Can Tho International Airport (VCA) — Can Tho; Cat Bi International Airport (HPH) — Haiphong (Hai An); Da Nang International Airport (DAD) — Da Nang; Long Thanh International Airport (Under Construction) (LTH) — Ho Chi Minh City (Long Thanh); Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) — Hanoi (Soc Son); Phu Bai International Airport (HUI) — Huế; Phú Quốc International Airport (PQC) — Phu Quoc Island; Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) — Ho Chi Minh City; Buon Ma Thuot Airport (BMV) — Buon Ma Thuot.
Showing 10 of 15 major airports.
Terminals
| River ports | Ho Chi Minh (Mekong) |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | one-party communist state |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2021 — National Assembly; 2021-05-23; winner: Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV); Election functions as party ratification; 99.6% reported turnout Wikipedia |
| Next election | 2026 — National Assembly (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Vietnam.
Historical timeline of Vietnam
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Vietnam — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Vietnam's power score?
Vietnam has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.