Located in South Asia, Vietnam is bordered by China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the east. The country’s southern and eastern coastline is on the South China Sea.
Quick Facts
Population: 97.04 million
Ethnic Groups: Kinh (Viet) 85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.8%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.5%, Mong 1.2%, Nung 1.1%, Hoa 1%, other 4.3% (2009 est.)
Languages: Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer, mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Religions: Buddhist 7.9%, Catholic 6.6%, Hoa Hao 1.7%, Cao Dai 0.9%, Protestant 0.9%, Muslim 0.1%, none 81.8% (2009 est.)
Capital: Hanoi
CIA: The World Factbook — Last Updated December 26, 2o19
Vietnamese in Canada
Vietnamese Population in Canada
240,615
Useful Links
Vietnam gained independence from France in 1954. However, this was followed by decades of war until the North and South reunited under the Communist Party in 1975. The Marxist economics, combined with the war the preceded it, had severe negative impacts on the Vietnamese economy. In 1986, reforms were put in place to make the economy more market-oriented. Today Vietnam has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but poverty reduction and job creation are still important priorities. Freedom of religion is constitutionally guaranteed in Vietnam, but this freedom was greatly reduced by new regulations in 2005, which required religious groups to register with the government. Most churches have been denied registration and have faced harassment and even persecution. Hundreds of Christians — including Christian leaders — are in prison for their faith.
- BBC News. (2014, May 15). Vietnam profile. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16567315
- Central Intelligence Agency. (2019, December 6). The World Factbook: Vietnam. Retrieved December 26, 2019, from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/vietnam/
- Encyclopedia of the Nations. (n.d.). Vietnam. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Vietnam.html
- Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. (2009, October 15). Cultural Information – Vietnam. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from https://www.international.gc.ca/cil-cai/country_insights-apercus_pays/culture-culture_vn.aspx?lang=eng
- Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. (2011, December 15). Overview – Vietnam. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from https://www.international.gc.ca/cil-cai/country_insights-apercus_pays/overview-apercu_vn.aspx?lang=eng
- Prayercast. (n.d.). Vietnam. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from https://www.prayercast.com/vietnam.html
- Statistics Canada. (2007, April 11). The Vietnamese Community in Canada. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-621-x/89-621-x2006002-eng.htm
- Vietnamese. (2009). In T. L. Gall & J. Hobby (Eds.), Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life (2nd ed., Vol. 4, pp. 1025-1032). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved July 16, 2014.