Laos vs Vietnam
Vietnam is 40% larger than Laos.
LaosVietnamLaos moved onto Vietnam · Equal-area projection
0.71×
Laos is 0.71× the area of Vietnam. Put the other way, Vietnam is 1.4× the size of Laos.
| Laos | Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 236,800 km² | 331,690 km² |
| Population | 7,873,046 | 101,598,527 |
| Density | 33 / km² | 306 / km² |
| Capital | Vientiane | Hanoi |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia | South-Eastern Asia |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 5 | 3 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Laos sits at about 18°N and is stretched to 1.11× its true area; Vietnam at 17° N is stretched to 1.09×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Laos bigger than Vietnam?
- No. Laos is 29% smaller than Vietnam. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Vietnam covers 331,690 km².
- How many times does Laos fit into Vietnam?
- About 1.4 times: Vietnam has 1.4× the area of Laos.
- Why do Laos and Vietnam look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Laos is drawn about 1.11× its true area there and Vietnam about 1.09×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Laos or Vietnam?
- Vietnam: 101,598,527 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², Vietnam 306 per km².