Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
France is 83% bigger than Vietnam
France: 606,410 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
France’s coastline is 41% longer than Vietnam’s
France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
France’s highest peak towers 1,666 m above Vietnam’s
France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of France, versus 39% of Vietnam
France: 52.8% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 48% more people than France
France: 68.7 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 2.5 times as densely populated as France
France: 128 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in France are 9.7 cm taller than in Vietnam
France: 178.6 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in France are 6.1 cm taller than in Vietnam
France: 164.5 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 9.4 years older than in Vietnam
France: 41.8 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 0.3 more children on average than in France
France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam
France: 22.5% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
France hosts 89,664 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
France: 11.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
France has produced 9.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1
France: 9.5 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
France and Vietnam are practically level
France: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
France’s economy is 6.5 times the size of Vietnam’s
France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
France produces 3.5 times as much per person as Vietnam
France: Int$63,975 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in France (Gini 4.3 points higher)
France: 31.8 (2023) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.6% of people in Vietnam live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in France
France: 0.1% (2023) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in France, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
France: 7.5% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam and France are practically level
France: 2% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
France: 22.8% (2024) · Vietnam: no data
How expensive is it?
France’s price level (US = 100) is 2.7× Vietnam’s
France: 77% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
France spends 27 times as much on health per person as Vietnam
France: $5,327 (2024) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in France live 8.2 years longer than in Vietnam
France: 83 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 3.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in France
France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
France has 3 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam
France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
France has 2.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Vietnam
France: 5.7 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in France is 39% higher than in Vietnam
France: 13.9 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in France are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
France: 12.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 21% in Vietnam
France: 33.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in France rate their lives 0.16 points higher than in Vietnam
France: 6.59 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 4% more alcohol than in Vietnam
France: 11.2 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
France has 33% more meat per person than Vietnam
France: 80.3 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
France has 404 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam
France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 673 more hours a year than in France
France: 1,487 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in France went to school 2.8 years longer than in Vietnam
France: 11.8 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France welcomed 17 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019)
France: 1.35 (2019) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
France has 47 more World Heritage sites than Vietnam (56 against 9)
France: 56 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
France has won 985 Olympic medals, Vietnam 5
France: 985 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in France are online, versus 84% in Vietnam
France: 89% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in France is 89% faster than in Vietnam
France: 460 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
France and Vietnam are practically level
France: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in France live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam
France: 79% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, France 117
France: 117 (2023) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 8.8 times as long as Vietnam’s
France: 27,716 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from France fly 73% more passengers per resident than those from Vietnam
France: 0.94 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 33% of France
France: 32.9% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in France emits 8% more CO₂ than someone in Vietnam
France: 4 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in France
France: 26.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 2.9 times as much fine dust as in France
France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 2.4 times as deadly as in France
France: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 10.2 °C warmer than France
France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 84% more rain than France
France: 1,158 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is France bigger than Vietnam?
France is larger. France is 83% bigger than Vietnam.
Which has more people, France or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 48% more people than France (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, France or Vietnam?
People in France live 8.2 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in France and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in France or Vietnam?
Men in France are 9.7 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
