Vietnam Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Vietnam?

Overview

Like a dragon floating in the sea, Vietnam winds its way some 1,030 miles up from the South China Sea to the Gulf of Tonkin, with its head caressing the border of China to the north and its back resting snuggly against her Southeast Asian neighbors, Laos and Cambodia, to the west. The total land area of Vietnam covers about 128,000 square miles. Vietnam’s main cities, for population and importance, are Hanoi, Haiphong, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

Vietnam’s northern terrain is mostly mountainous or hilly, with some highland areas covered by a thick green blanket of jungle (about half the total land area). The Red River Delta and coastal plains in the lowland part of the North are heavily populated and intensively cultivated (almost entirely by rice fields). Although much of this Delta Region is seasonally flooded, a complex network of dikes and levees helps to prevent serious flood damage.

The southern part of Vietnam is dominated by the estuary of the Mekong River system and is low, flat, and frequently marshy. The rich soil in the Mekong Delta is the most fertile in the country. Areas immediately north and east of Ho Chi Minh City in the Mekong Delta are much more varied with low-lying tropical rain forest, upland forest, and the rugged Annamite Mountain chain.

Geography - note

extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point

Vietnam Use of Natural Resources

Geographic Location	Southeast Asia
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
Irrigated Land	17,703 Square Miles 45,850 Square Kilometers
Border Countries	Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km
Coastline	2,140 Miles 3,444 Kilometers
Geographic Coordinates	16 10 N, 107 50 E
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
Time Zone	UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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