Malawi vs Vietnam

Vietnam is 2.8 times larger than Malawi. Malawi would fit into Vietnam about 2.8 times.

MalawiVietnamMalawi moved onto Vietnam · Equal-area projection
0.36×
Malawi is 0.36× the area of Vietnam. Put the other way, Vietnam is 2.8× the size of Malawi.
MalawiVietnam
Area118,484 km²331,690 km²
Population22,216,120101,598,527
Density188 / km²306 / km²
CapitalLilongweHanoi
RegionEastern AfricaSouth-Eastern Asia
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours33

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Malawi sits at about 13°S and is stretched to 1.06× 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 Malawi bigger than Vietnam?
No. Malawi is 2.8 times smaller than Vietnam. Malawi covers 118,484 km² and Vietnam covers 331,690 km².
How many times does Malawi fit into Vietnam?
About 2.8 times: Vietnam has 2.8× the area of Malawi.
Why do Malawi and Vietnam look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Malawi is drawn about 1.06× 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, Malawi or Vietnam?
Vietnam: 101,598,527 people against 22,216,120. Density: Malawi 188 per km², Vietnam 306 per km².