Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Vietnam
331,212 km²
3.5% of largest
China is 28.98× larger than Vietnam
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Vietnam
6.9% OF LARGEST
97.34M
PEOPLE
China has 14.51× the population of Vietnam
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
Vietnam
2.0% OF LARGEST
$366.14B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Vietnam
23.7% OF LARGEST
482K
TROOPS
China has 4.22× the active personnel of Vietnam
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Vietnam
9.7% OF LARGEST
318
AIRCRAFT
China has 10.33× the aircraft of Vietnam
Naval Assets
China
Vietnam
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Vietnam
0.0% OF LARGEST
0.0
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Vietnam
2.5% OF LARGEST
$83B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Vietnam
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Vietnam
$429.5B
Exports
$429.5B
Imports
$398.8B
Trade Balance
+$30.7B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Vietnam
supply
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Vietnam
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
Vietnam
consumption
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Vietnam
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Vietnam
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Vietnam
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Vietnam
1
Gold
3
Silver
1
Bronze
5
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 5
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Vietnam
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Vietnam
32.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 6.2 years older (median) than Vietnam
Youth Population
Vietnam has the highest youth population at 46.3% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Vietnam
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
— |
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
9
|
— |
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Vietnam
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $3 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $15 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $400 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $250 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $60 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $20 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $12 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1412600000 | 97338579 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 331212 |
| Capital | Beijing | Hanoi |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Vietnamese |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Vietnamese Dong (VND) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 482,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 5,000,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 5,482,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $5,500,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 2,575 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 2,800 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 120 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 1,000 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 1,000 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,963,200,000,000 | $366,138,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $12,720 | $3,756 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.0% | 2.2% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 38.5 | 35.7 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Vietnamese Dong (VND) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| China Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.0003 Weaker |
| Vietnam Currency | 3856.7356 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | CNY | VND |
| 1 USD equals | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 | 26258.9698 VND Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 29.0 times larger in area than Vietnam.
That's a massive difference!
China has 14.5 times more people than Vietnam.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
China has the highest GDP per capita at $12,720 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$17.96 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
China vs Vietnam: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 49.1x larger than Vietnam's $366B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 14.5x larger than Vietnam's 97M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 29.0x larger than Vietnam.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Vietnam's 480Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Vietnam runs a trade surplus of $31B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 77 years vs Vietnam's 76.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology