Languages spoken in Vietnam
Hanoi
102300000
The main language spoken in Vietnam is:
Vietnamese - the official language, spoken by the vast majority of the population.
English - increasingly favored as a second language.
Some French, Chinese, and Khmer are also spoken, along with mountain-area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) among ethnic minority groups.
Vietnamese is the sole official language of Vietnam.
| Geography |
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, the Gulf of Tonkin, and the South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
Map references: Southeast Asia
Environment - current issues: deforestation and soil degradation from logging and slash-and-burn agriculture; water pollution; overfishing; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; air pollution
Geography - note: though it has one of the highest population densities in the world, the population is not evenly dispersed; clustering is heaviest along the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin, with the Mekong Delta (south) and Red River Valley (north) having the largest concentrations of people
| People |
Population: 101,343,800-102,300,000 (2024-2025 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.2-24%
15-64 years: 68.4-68.5%
65 years and over: 7.6-8.3%
Median age: 33.5 years (2025 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.6 years
male: 71.1 years
female: 76.4 years (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 12.1-13.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Nationality:
noun/adjective: Vietnamese
Ethnic groups: Kinh (Viet) 85.3-85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.8-1.9%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.4-1.5%, Mong/Hmong 1.2-1.4%, Nung 1.1%, other 4.3-5.5% (2019 est.); 54 ethnic groups officially recognized
Religions: none 81.8-86.3%, Buddhist 5.8-7.9%, Catholic 6.1-6.6%, Protestant 0.9-1%, Hoa Hao 1.7%, Cao Dai 0.9% (2019 est.)
Languages: Vietnamese (official); English (increasingly favored as a second language); some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain-area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Major urban areas: 9.321 million Ho Chi Minh City, 5.253 million Hanoi (capital), 1.865 million Can Tho, 1.423 million Hai Phong (2023)
| Government |
Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
conventional short form: Vietnam
Data code: VM
Government type: communist state
National capital: Hanoi
Administrative divisions: 27 provinces and 7 municipalities (as of the 1 July 2025 reorganization)
Background: early history included periods of occupation by outside forces and eventual consolidation under Vietnamese dynastic families; a succession of Han Chinese emperors ruled the Red River Valley region until approximately the 10th century; the Ly Dynasty (11th-13th century) created the first independent Vietnamese state, Dai Viet, with its capital at Thang Long (Hanoi)
| Economy |
Economy - overview: lower-middle-income, socialist-oriented market economy; transitioning since 1986 from a centrally planned, agrarian economy to a more industrial, market-based one, substantially raising incomes; strong manufacturing exports and FDI inflows; WTO member since January 2007
GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.81 trillion (2025 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 8.02% (2025)
GDP - per capita: $18,800 PPP (2025 est.)
Inflation rate: 3.45% (November 2023)
Unemployment rate: 1.5% (2025 est.); very low
Labor force: 57,041,323 (2025)
Industries: electronics, machinery, steel, food processing, wood, textiles, footwear, vehicles, rice, coffee, cashews, seafood, tourism
Exports: $405.5 billion (2024); electronics, textiles, machinery, footwear, transportation products
Exports - partners: United States 29.5%, China 18.2%, European Union 13.7% (2024)
Currency: Vietnamese dong (VND)
| Military |
Military branches: People''s Army of Vietnam (PAVN): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Defense-Air Force, Border Guard, Coast Guard; Ministry of Public Security; Civil Defense Force (2025)
Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2025)