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

Geographic coordinates:
16 10 N, 107 50 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 331,210 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 310,070 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 21,140 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 67

Area - comparative:
about three times the size of Tennessee; slightly larger than New Mexico
Area comparison map: about three times the size of Tennessee; slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:
total: 4,616 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (3): Cambodia 1,158 km, China 1,297 km, Laos 2,161 km

Coastline:
3,444 km (excludes islands)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]

Climate:
tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)
More Climate Details

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

Elevation:
mean elevation: 398 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

Natural resources:
phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use:
agricultural land: 34.8% arable land 20.6%; permanent crops 12.1%; permanent pasture 2.1%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 45%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 20.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
46,000 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population - distribution:
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 (in the south) and the Red River Valley (in the north) having the largest concentrations of people

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