Laos vs. Vietnam
Geography
| Laos | Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 00 N, 105 00 E | 16 10 N, 107 50 E |
| Map references | Southeast Asia | Southeast Asia |
| Area | total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km | total: 331,210 sq km land: 310,070 sq km water: 21,140 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Utah | about three times the size of Tennessee; slightly larger than New Mexico |
| Land boundaries | total: 5,274 km border countries (5): Burma 238 km, Cambodia 555 km, China 475 km, Thailand 1845 km, Vietnam 2161 km | total: 4,616 km border countries (3): Cambodia 1158 km, China 1297 km, Laos 2161 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 3,444 km (excludes islands) |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Climate | tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) | tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March) |
| Terrain | mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus | low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Phu Bia 2,817 m lowest point: Mekong River 70 m mean elevation: 710 m | highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m lowest point: South China Sea 0 m mean elevation: 398 m |
| Natural resources | timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones | antimony, phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 10.6% (2018 est.) arable land: 6.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.7% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 3.7% (2018 est.) forest: 67.9% (2018 est.) other: 21.5% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 34.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 20.6% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 12.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 2.1% (2018 est.) forest: 45% (2018 est.) other: 20.2% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 3,100 sq km (2012) | 46,000 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | floods, droughts | occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta |
| Environment - current issues | unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; water pollution, most of the population does not have access to potable water | logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; air pollution; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand | note 1: extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point note 2: Son Doong in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is the world's largest cave (greatest cross sectional area) and is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume; it currently measures a total of 38.5 million cu m (about 1.35 billion cu ft); it connects to Thung cave (but not yet officially); when recognized, it will add an additional 1.6 million cu m in volume; Son Doong is so massive that it contains its own jungle, underground river, and localized weather system; clouds form inside the cave and spew out from its exits and two dolines (openings (sinkhole skylights) created by collapsed ceilings that allow sunlight to stream in) |
| Total renewable water resources | 333.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 884.12 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | most densely populated area is in and around the capital city of Vientiane; large communities are primarily found along the Mekong River along the southwestern border; overall density is considered one of the lowest in Southeast Asia | though it has one of the highest population densities in the world, the population is not evenly dispersed; clustering is heaviest along the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin, with the Mekong Delta (in the south) and the Red River Valley (in the north) having the largest concentrations of people |
Source: CIA Factbook
