Mainland Territory:
329,241 sq. km

Population:
80,902,400 inhabitants (in 2003)

National Capital:
Hanoi

Lying on the eastern part of the Indochinese peninsula, Vietnam is a strip of land shaped like the letter “S”. China borders it to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, the East Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south. The country’s total length from north to south is 1,650km. Its width, stretching from east to west, is 600km at the widest point in the north, 400km in the south, and 50km at the narrowest part, in the centre, in Quang Binh Province. The coastline is 3,260km long and the inland border is 4,510km.

Latitude:
102º 08' - 109º 28' east

Longitude:
8º 02' - 23º 23' north

Vietnam is also a transport junction from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Climate:
Vietnam lies in the tropics and monsoon (detail)

Topography:
Three quarters of Vietnam's territory consist of mountains and hills (detail)

Administrative Units:
Vietnam is divided into 64 provinces and cities