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 1158 km, China 1297 km, Laos 2161 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 ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous 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 ]
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

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

Land use:
agricultural land: 34.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 20.6% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 12.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 2.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 45% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 20.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use 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; air pollution; 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:
note 1: extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point

note 2: Son Doong in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is the world's largest cave (greatest cross sectional area) and is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume; it currently measures a total of 38.5 million cu m (about 1.35 billion cu ft); it connects to Thung cave (but not yet officially); when recognized, it will add an additional 1.6 million cu m in volume; Son Doong is so massive that it contains its own jungle, underground river, and localized weather system; clouds form inside the cave and spew out from its exits and two dolines (openings (sinkhole skylights) created by collapsed ceilings that allow sunlight to stream in)