How big is Vietnam really?
Vietnam covers 331,690 km² (128,000 sq mi). On the usual world map (the Mercator projection) it is drawn close to its true size: it lies near the equator, where the usual world map stretches little.
See Vietnam at its true size on the map →True size vs the map
Both drawn at the same scale. The map keeps shapes but swells everything away from the equator.
Vietnam in numbers
- Vietnam is the 68th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Malaysia (330,803 km²), Finland (338,478 km²), Côte d'Ivoire (322,463 km²).
- Vietnam is about 37% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Why the map gets Vietnam wrong
Vietnam lies around 17°N. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.04 times in every direction, which barely changes its size. Most web maps use this projection because it keeps angles and shapes right for navigation, not because it shows sizes fairly.
In Globegami you can drag a copy of Vietnam anywhere on Earth: it keeps its true size and grows or shrinks on the map as it moves, and you can fold the map back into a globe.
Compare Vietnam
Areas: official totals including inland water (UN Statistics Division via Wikidata). Outlines: Natural Earth. How Globegami works