Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnamor, is the easternmost nation on the Indochina Peninsula. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, and Cambodia to the southwest. On the country's east coast lies the South China Sea. With a population of over 85 million, Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world. The country is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies; according to government figures, GDP growth was 8.17% in 2006, the second fastest growth rate among countries in East Asia and the fastest in Southeast Asia.

Area
329,247 sq km (127,123 sq miles).

Population
78,685,800 (official estimate 2001).

Population Density
239 per sq km.

Capital
Hanoi. Population: 3,751,000 (UN estimate 2000; including suburbs).

Geography
Vietnam shares borders to the north with the Peoples Republic of China and to the west with Laos and Cambodia. The South China Sea lies to the east and south. The land is principally agricultural with a central tropical rainforest.

Language
Vietnamese is the official language. English, French, Chinese and occasionally Russian and German are spoken.