NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

-------***-------

GROUP ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC: THE GEOGRAPHY OF USA AND VIETNAM

ITS EFFECT ON NATIONAL ECONOMY

Group member
Le Thi Linh Chi
Tran Thi Ngoc Minh
Dang Thi Phuong Ngoc
Ngo Viet Phuong
Class: Advanced Accounting 62

Lecturer: Pham Thi Thanh Thuy

Ha Noi, 2021
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Physical and Human Geographic Patterns 1
A. General background 1
I. Economy 1
1. The definition of economy 1
2. 3 economic sectors 1
II. About Physical and Human Geography 1
B. United States of America 2
I. Overview 2
1. Country and Capital 2
2. Area 2
3. Natural disasters 2
II. Geographic features 2
1. Location 2
2. Territory 3
3. Physical geography 4
3.1. Terrain 4
3.2. Hydrography 5
3.3. Climate: 6
4. Natural resources 6
5. Demography 7
5.1. United State is getting bigger 7
5.2. Population Distribution 8
5.3. The United State is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse 8
5.4. Age and Sex Structure 9
III. Effects on the National economy and solution: 9
1. Agriculture 9
2. Marine 10
3. Tourism 10
4. Solution 11
C. Vietnam 11
I. Overview 11
1. Country and Capital 11
2. Area 11
3. Natural disasters 11
II. Geographic features 11
1. Location 11
2. Territory 12
3. Physical geography 12
3.1. Terrain 12
 3.2. Hydrography 13
3.3. Climate 14
4. Natural resources 14
5. Demography 15
III. Effects on the National economy 15
1. Agriculture 15
1.1. Advantages 15
1.2. Disadvantages 16
2. Marine 16
3. Tourism 17
D. Lessons for Vietnam to learn 17
I. Comparison 17
II. Lesson for Vietnam 18
1. For the Government 18
2. For the Neu students 19
REFERENCE 20
 Physical and Human Geographic Patterns
A. General background
I. Economy
1. The definition of economy
The system of trade and industry by which the wealth of a country or region is
made and used
2. 3 economic sectors
3 economic sectors (agriculture, marine, tourism) will be discussed. We provide
some general explanations as follows
The agriculture sector: comprises establishments primarily engaged in growing
crops, raising animals, and harvesting fish and other animals from a farm, ranch, or
their natural habitats. There exist four main sectors of agriculture, namely,
“Livestock production, crop production, agricultural economics and agricultural
engineering.”
The marine sector: includes economic activities by sector, interdisciplinary
related to the sea, ocean, coastline; including economic activities using resources
from the sea to serve human life and beneficial for the economy of each country and
territory. There exist four key areas: naval, commercial, leisure and offshore
renewable energy.
The tourism sector: also known as the travel sector, is linked to the idea of
people traveling to other locations, either domestically or internationally, for leisure,
social or business purposes. It is closely connected to the hotel industry, the
hospitality industry and the transport industry, and much of it is based around
keeping tourists happy, occupied and equipped with the things they need during their
time away from home

II. About Physical and Human Geography

- Geography is the study of the different places, countries, climates and
vegetation around the world. It also explores the relationship that humans have with
these environments and how we use the available resources.
- Physical Geography concentrates on the physical environment and the natural
processes of the earth. This includes investigating different landscapes and landforms
such as mountains, the different processes involved with the different oceans,
coastlines and river environments, the variety of weather and climate we may see
around the globe and how that affects the different ecosystems, ranging from the
extreme heat of the desert to extreme cold of Antarctica, and a huge variety of
natural disasters and how they affect people and animals.
- Human Geography looks at how people and different cultures are distributed
across the world and how they interact with their surrounding environment. This will
include urbanization and settlements, asking the question of why we have settled in
communities and why there is a growing trend of more people moving to cities. This
links in with the study of populations and densely populated areas. Human

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 geography also looks at the impact of what the economy, jobs and tourism has on the
wellbeing of people, cities and countries.

B. United States of America

I. Overview
1. Country and Capital
➢ The United States of America (USA), commonly referred to as the United
States (U.S.) or America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal
district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.
➢ Washington D.C is the capital of United States of America, or it can be called
in a official way is Washington District of Columbia.
➢ This country wholly located in Western Hemisphere consisting of 48
contiguous states and federal district which are in the central between Canada and
Mexico.

2. Area
➢ With 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million km2) , the United States of America
is the world's third largest country by total area (and fourth largest by land area)

3. Natural disasters
➢ Because of geographical location and global warming, the USA has suffered
from many natural disasters such as: tropical cyclone, earthquake, heat wave,
tornado, snow storm, mudflow, hurricane, tsunami, volcano,... => which makes big
damages in people and property.
➢ Those disasters have put a bad impact on people’s life and it makes them feel
difficult to control.

II. Geographic features

1. Location
- Continent: North America (located in the Western Hemisphere).
- Coordinates: 38.000°N 97.000°W.
- Area: 9.834.000 km²
• Land: 93.24%
• Water: 6.76%
- 2nd largest country in the Americas, after Canada.
- 4th largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China).

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 ➔ Located in the Economic junction => Big market to expand economics, sell
goods and services.
➔ Easier to exchange cultures between the US and other countries.
- Coastline: 19.920 km (12.380 miles)
● There are 30 states that have coastline:

+ States shaded dark blue have an ocean coastline.

+ States shaded light blue have only Great Lake coastline.
+ States shaded white have no coastline.
● It has a long coastline and a temperate climate => More convenient in living
and manufacturing.
- Longest river: Missouri River (3767 km)
- Largest lake: Lake Superior (58.000 km2)

2. Territory
- The territory of the US includes a large part of the center of North America,
Alaska Peninsula and Hawaii islands.
- The United States shares land borders with:
• Canada (to the north)
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 • Mexico (to the south)
- The center of the US is divided into 4 regions:
●The West is known for the Rocky Mountains and Mojave Desert and also
known for its warm climate in some areas and cold climate in the others
● The Midwest is known as “America's Heartland", which refers to its primary
role in the nation's manufacturing and farming sectors as well as its patchwork
of big commercial cities and small towns.
● The Northeast has New York City, and is considered as a global financial
center. As of 2012, the Northeast accounts for approximately 23% of the U.S.
GDP
● The South is defined by the U.S. federal government. The warm climate of
the South affords a period of 200–290 frost-free days per year, enabling
profitable crops to be grown.
➔ Has almost every global climate, temperate climate in most areas. For example:
Subtropical in the southern US, Polar in Alaska, Tropical in Hawaii and
southern Florida,…
➔ The shape of the US's territory is well-proportional. Therefore, it has a lot of
advantages in distributing production and developing transportation.
- Water borders:
• A territorial water border with Russia in the northwest.
• Two territorial water borders in the southeast between Florida and Cuba, and
Florida and the Bahamas.
- The contiguous forty-eight states are otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean on
the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast.
- Alaska borders the Pacific Ocean to the south and southwest, the Bering Strait to
the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north, while Hawaii lies far to the southwest of
the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

3. Physical geography
3.1. Terrain
Despite the vast territory, the USA has relatively simple terrain. The main
topographic features are the Cordillera mountain range in the West and the
Appalachian in the East separated by the vast central plains - located in the middle of
United State:
- The Cordilleran system on the western side of the continent is lofty, broad and
complicated having two branches, the Rocky Mountain System - the highest region
of the United States and the Pacific Mountain System. The mountain range is around
1,700km including many parallel mountain chains and higher - than - 4,000m -
mountains.

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 - The east coast Appalachian system, originally forest covered, is relatively low
and narrow and is bordered on the southeast and south by an important coastal plain.
The system is divided into a series of ranges, with the individual mountains
averaging around 910m.
- Spread between Cordillera and Appalachian system, the vast central plain
consists of 3 different domains: slope from 1,200m in Eastern Rocky Mountain,
down to 1000m in the Southeast, on the Gulf of Mexico. Lean on the Western Rocky
Mountain, the sloping hills of the Pasture Plateau (Prairie) are excavated by the
Mississippi River creating wide parallel valleys.

3.2. Hydrography
The hydrological features of the U.S are subject to two important types: rivers and
lakes. The US has a lot of rivers, and large rivers that can be separated into two main
river systems: the Mississippi River System - the most important river system and
coastal systems.
+ The Mississippi River System: The Mississippi River is the chief river of the
largest drainage system on the North American continent. Flowing entirely in the
United States, it rises in northern Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for
3,730 km to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. It can be divided into
three sections:
• The Upper Mississippi, the river from its headwaters to the confluence with the
Missouri River.
• The Middle Mississippi, which is downriver from the Missouri to the Ohio
River.
• The Lower Mississippi, which flows from the Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico. The
basin of the Mississippi system spreads 2/5 US’s territory: 3.950.000 km2.
+ The Coastal System:
Derived from the Appalachian Mountain Range, the Atlantic coastal rivers are
generally short and steep. The most significant rivers are: Hudson River, Delaware
River, Philadelphia River and Savanna River.
- Effects:
+ Hydroelectric energy is extremely abundant. In 2019, hydroelectric power
produced 38% of the total renewable electricity, and 6.6% of the total U.S.
electricity. On the river bank, there appeared a large number of hydropower stations.
Hydroelectric stations exist in at least 34 US states. The largest concentration of
hydroelectric generation in the US is in the Columbia River basin.
+ Besides the high-valued hydroelectric, the Mississippi River System often
causes flooding hazards. Since 1950, floods have occurred almost every year on the
Mississippi River-Bank. The Mississippi valley holds the dubious distinction of
recording more tornadoes than any other area on Earth. These violent and often

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deadly storms usually occur over relatively small areas and are confined largely to
spring and early summer. Tornado season arrives in the Midwest between April and
June, and hurricanes are common in early summer along the southern East Coast and
Gulf of Mexico coast.

3.3. Climate:
The vast size of the USA means that the climate varies considerably from region
to region. Temperatures reach both extremes of the scale from freezing cold -80ºF in
Alaska to a piping hot 135ºF in California’s Death Valley . In general, the climate is
temperate.
- Most of the United States is marked by sharp differences between winter and
summer:
+ In winter (December - April) the northern states are the coldest, experiencing
bitter, freezing temperatures. Low temperatures are slightly warmer in January and
February. The southern states, known as the ‘sunbelt’ are quite the opposite, with
temperatures rarely falling below freezing.
+ Summers begin from June to August with sunshine and heat. It is hot in the
USA. The Pacific Northwest states are generally temperate while the south, east
coast and Midwest are more humid. Heat waves are common in the Southwest.
+ Spring and autumn are generally mild, warm and sunny with the exception of
some wet areas, the Pacific Northwest in particular. Autumn is the season for
hurricanes - the American equivalent of typhoons of the Asian Pacific - which rage
northward from the warm tropics to create havoc along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts
as far north as New England.
- In general, the climate of the U.S is divided into 4 seasons: spring, summer,
autumn, winter. The southern areas (especially California) have cool weather and the
winter is less cold than other areas. The distinctions among seasons there is also
more obvious. In contrast, the north areas do not have this obviousness but have two
distinct seasons: hot and cold. The weather here is extremely cold, dry and snowy in
winter → skiing develops.

4. Natural resources
The economy of the United States is characterized by a rich diversity of natural
resources. Natural resources are available in different parts of the United States of
America. It has huge deposits of natural gas, coal, uranium, copper, iron, phosphates,
silver, gold, mercury and many more.
National Geographic explains that the natural resources allow the economy to
continue by way of exporting many of these natural resources. These resources
contribute to millions of jobs, and they aid the United States by way of

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manufacturing and production of these resources. And these are the four main
resources:
- Coastline: America has 95,471 miles of shoreline, including the Great Lakes,
which border 26 of the 50 states.
+ The coast contributed $222.7 billion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
creating 2.6 million jobs in 2009.
+ Nearly three-quarters of these jobs are related to tourism and ocean recreation.
However, the highest paying sector is oil drilling, which pays $125,701 per worker.
The ocean also provides other industries, including ship and boat building,
transportation and shoreline construction.
+ America's large coastline meant it was not bordered by hostile governments,
which allowed the U.S. to develop peacefully without the need to incur large war
costs.
- Farmland: Unlike Australia and Canada, the U.S had temperate climates
combined with fertile soil. The early settlers found rich soil on the Great Plains, the
502,000 square mile area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains.
These large flat areas were untouched by erosion. More than two-fifths of the total
land area of the United States is devoted to farming (including pasture and range).
Most of the U.S. forestland is located in the West (including Alaska), but significant
forests also grow elsewhere.
- Water: Roughly 80% of the water used in America is withdrawn from lakes,
rivers, and streams. Although an astonishing 41% was used in the
thermoelectric-power industry to cool electricity-generating equipment, it is
returned. Agricultural irrigation uses 31%, and it is not returned. Families,
businesses, and industries used the rest. Only 20% has to be pumped out of the
ground, and this is mainly used for irrigation in the semi-arid Great Plains.
- Oil, Coal, and Gas: The US has the world's largest reserves of coal, at 491 billion
short tons.
+ This abundant source of energy helped fuel U.S. growth during the Industrial
Revolution, as it was used to drive steamships and steampowered railroads. After the
Civil War, coke (a derivative of coal) was used to fuel the iron blast furnaces that
made steel. Soon after that, coal ran the electricity generating plants and still does.

5. Demography
5.1. United State is getting bigger
❖ Population: As of April 1, 2020, the United States has a total resident
population of 331,449,281, making it the third most populous country in the world
❖ Population Density: 33.27/km2 (2020)
❖ Population Growth Rate: Population growth evenly every year.

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 Growth of the U.S. population reflect the interactions of three underlying
determinants:
• The role of human reproduction and the fertility behavior of American couples.
• Trends in disease risk and subsequent mortality.
• The net effect of international immigration to and from the United States.
❖ Effects:
- Over-population: Abundant labor resources, but bring along the problem of
unemployment.
- Immigrants bring plentiful sources of knowledge, capital and labor force,
reducing initial investment costs.

5.2. Population Distribution

- The US population is distributed unevenly:
+ Northeast, Pacific Rim region is home to the most densely populated due to
the favorable climate, rich natural resources, economic development and mining
history from the oldest, with many ports,...
+ The mountains to the west, near Canada, Alaska, population density is low
due to difficult terrain, difficult transportation and economic development remains
difficult, cold climate.
- People tends to move from the northeastern states to the Pacific coastal states
(due to the trend of economic restructuring in the South and Pacific Coast)

5.3. The United State is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse
- The United States has a racially and ethnically diverse population. The United
States Census officially recognizes six racial categories: White American, Black or
African American, Native American and Alaska Native, Asian American, Native
Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and people of two or more races; a category
called "some other race" is also used in the census and other surveys, but is not
official.
❖ Effects:

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 ➔ The diversity of cultural, ethnic composition difficult for social management,
illegal immigration
➔ The number of burglaries, murders increasing (800,000 cases in 2011). This is
also where most crime occurs
➔ Trafficking of illegal weapons, the terrorism, racism
➔ The wealth gap between American people is too large so it puts pressure on
the development of the economy.

5.4. Age and Sex Structure

The population of the United States had been relatively “young” in the first half of
the 20th century, a consequence of a history of three demographic trends acting in
concert - relatively high fertility, declining infant and childhood mortality, and high
rates of net immigration to the United States by young workers and families.

+ Difficulties: Shortage of labor in the future, welfare costs for the elderly
increased
+ Advantages: Abundant labor resources now to help develop the economic

III. Effects on the National economy and solution:

1. Agriculture
- Agriculture is a major industry in the United States, which is a net exporter of
food. The Appalachian Mountain Range facilitates the formation of the Atlantic
Coastal Plain with good soil leading to the development of agricultural areas.
- The USA contains examples of nearly every global climate => diversifies and
develops agriculture, and has different agricultural products in each different area.
- With a large amount of alluvium, it is a basis for the development of agriculture,
diversification of agricultural products such as corn, wheat, sugar cane,… and
feeding industry.

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 - However, there are usually many disasters => decline in yield and nutrient
density in key crops, as well as decreased livestock productivity.
Back in the early ‘70s, the price of food was skyrocketing because of some
reasons. So President Nixon incentivized farmers to grow more crops, especially
corn. It makes much of overproduction, low prices, surplus corn and producing corn
for no value or reason. And all that cheap corn changed the modern diet.
The beverage industry began using high-fructose corn syrup in 1980, because it is
20-70% less expensive than sugar. That leads to the numbers of people in not only
The US but also all over the world who were overweight or obese shot up like crazy.

2. Marine
* Advantages:
- Bounded by oceans => develop marine economics.
- The Great Lakes:
+ Occupying an area of 245.050km2 (width in both the UK), the lakes form a
small beach in the continent that makes the climate equable and creates favorable
conditions for the cultivation and feeding development.
+ 5 lakes form a dense network of waterways on the half of the United States,
therefore, the large sea ships from the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlanticcan go inland to
over 2,000kilometers. Economic exchanges between the United States and Canada
most often use the system.
+ The analysis found that more than 1.5 million jobs are directly connected to
the Great Lakes, generating $62 billion in wages.
* Disadvantages:
- Overpopulation: The average American uses 550,000 gallons of water annually.
The decline of water levels has coincided with an increase in water pollution.
Nationwide an estimated 40 percent of rivers, 46 percent of lakes, and 50 percent of
estuaries are too polluted for fishing and swimming.

3. Tourism
- Tourism in the United States is a large industry that serves millions of
international and domestic tourists yearly.
- The United States welcomed nearly 80 million international visitors in 2018,
with New York state the top destination.
- Tourism potentials: amusement parks, historical buildings and landmarks,
museums, galleries,...

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 4. Solution
- To reduce the gap between rich and poor, the government asked wealthy
households and large organizations to pay higher taxes.
- The welfare policies for poor people to ensure the life of them
- The US government is creating conditions for people to get rich (citizens have
the freedom to pursue economic desires, such as starting a business, investment, ...
without incurring the burden of taxes, regulations and rules -> promote competition
in business -> the quality of products and services is increasing -> promote economic
growth.)
- To reduce the number of thefts, murders, terrorism, smuggling of guns, the main
US government has build a strict and fair law.

C. Vietnam
I. Overview
1. Country and Capital
➢ Vietnam has the official name Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the country is
located in the Western area, in the center of Laos and Cambodia. Hanoi is the capital
of Vietnam and the country’s second largest city.

2. Area
➢ With over 331.690 km² of total area, Vietnam has become the 65th country in
the world.

3. Natural disasters
➢ Like the US, Vietnam is a country that suffers from many natural disasters.
Natural hazards include rare earthquakes and occasional typhoons (usually from May
to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta. Almost
every year Vietnam is devastated by storms, floods and typhoons that kill hundreds
of people and cause millions of dollars of damage.
➢ For example, an average of 430 people were killed each year by natural
disasters between 2007 - 2011 in Vietnam, with property losses estimated at 1
percent of gross domestic product.
➢ In 2008, natural disasters killed 550 people in Vietnam and caused damage
amounting to more than $700 million dollars.

II. Geographic features

1. Location
- Continent: the center of The Southeast Asian
- Coordinates: 8°34’N - 23°23’N

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 - Area: 331.212 km² => Ranked 65th place in the world.

- Coastline: 3260 km (excluding islands), 28 coastal provinces and cities with 125
districts and 12 island districts.
➔ Exchange, trade products between Vietnam and other countries not only in
Asia, but also in the world.
➔ Attract many foreign investments.
➔ Exchange culture with other countries.

2. Territory
- Vietnam is a long, narrow nation shaped like the letter ‘S’
- ​Vietnam is divided into 3 main regions:
+ The north
+ The central
+ The south
- Vietnam shares land borders with:
+ China (to the north)
+ Laos (to the west)
+ Cambodia (to the west)
- Bounded by the East Sea and Pacific Ocean to the east and north.
➔ Bounded by sea -> develop marine economics.
➔ Has shared borders with 3 countries => difficult in managing sovereignty of
territory and security of Vietnam.

3. Physical geography
3.1. Terrain
Vietnam's territory has two main typographic features: Mountainous and hilly
regions make up three quarters of area and the rest is Deltas.
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 - Mountain zones: Vietnam has four distinctive mountain zones and each has its
own unique features
+ The North-eastern zone or Viet Bac: Located on the left bank of the Red
River and opened to the North and the East: Gam Ngan Son River, Bắc Sơn, Dong
Trieu,... The low mountains occupy most of the area.
+ The North-western mountain range: Situated between Red River and Ca
River, and it is the highest terrain of Vietnam with 3 big mountain circuit northwest –
southeast (Hoang Lien Son on the East, the medium mountainous terrain with ranges
along the Ma River borders Vietnam – Laos and the mountains, natural plains,
limestone plateau.
+ The North Truong Son range: a long low mountain range running from the
western part of Thanh Hoa province to the Hai Van Pass.
+ The South Truong Son: a mountain range located in the western side of
provinces situated on the southern end of the central coast.
- Delta Zones:
- Vietnam has two major deltas:
• The Red River delta in the north: 15,000 km2
• The Mekong River delta in the south: 40,000 km2
- Besides, Vietnam also has Coastal Delta: 15,000 km2, mostly horizontal narrow
and is fragmented into many small plains.
➢ Drawbacks:
- Terrain is strongly divided; streams, canyons, slopes obstruct the traffic and
economic exchanges between the regions.
- Many disasters such as floods, erosion, landslides,…

3.2. Hydrography
- Vietnam has a dense river system with 2360 long rivers, along the coast from
north to south, every 20-25 km there is an estuary.
- Rivers contain a lot of water because of the rainy weather and a large amount of
alluvium.
- Most rivers running along the country are from the Northwest to the Southeast
connecting mountainous and midland, plain and flowing into the South Sea.
- The network of rivers:
+ The Northland has 2 main large rivers: Red River and Thai Binh River.
+ In the Middle, most rivers are short and steep: Ma River, Ca River, Giang
River,...
+ In the South, there are 2 main large rivers: Dong Nai River and Cuu Long River.

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 3.3. Climate
Vietnam in the northern regions have a humid subtropical climate, with humidity
averaging 84% throughout the year. However, because of differences in latitude and
the marked variety of topographical relief, the climate tends to vary considerably
from place to place. Vietnam has three distinct regional weather patterns:
+ The far north of Vietnam is mountainous and its high latitudes can sometimes
experience snow and freezing temperatures. In Northern Vietnam, winter (November
to April) is cool and dry and summer (May to October) is hot, humid, and rainy (July
to September has the highest rainfall).
+ Central Vietnam is hot and dry in the summer (January to August) and cool and
rainy in winter, with monsoon-level rains in October and November.
+ Southern Vietnam has constant warm temperatures. Here the seasons are simple:
rainy (May to November) and dry (November to May).
+ As in any country, weather depends on your region, but generally Vietnam
enjoys a warm, sunny climate with some temperature fluctuation from region to
region.

4. Natural resources
Vietnam has various natural resources including forest, sea, oil, gas and mineral
resources.
- Oil and Gas:
+ Vietnam’s potential crude oil reserves in the southern offshore area stand at
about 270 million tons and are likely to increase substantially with continued
exploration.
+ Vietnam has potential non-associated gas reserves of more than 360 billion
cubic meters. Proven associated gas reserves are on the order of 57 billion cubic
meters.
- Mineral Resources:
+ Vietnam’s primary coal resource, anthracite, is concentrated in Quang Ninh
Province in the Northeast. It has potential recoverable reserves of 7-8 billion tons of
which 600 million tons are shallow (within a depth of 100 meters). The country also
has an abundance of other minerals, including bauxite, iron ore, copper, etc..(gold,
precious stones, tin, chromate, apatite,...) and building materials such as granite,
marble, clay, silica sand, and graphite.
- Other Resources:
+ Vietnam is also very rich in other natural resources including significant marine
resources and tropical forest. The country has 4 world heritages recognized by
UNESCO, beautiful beaches, national ecologic forests, countryside, high-land and
historic places, which is a boost to tourism development.

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 5. Demography
❖ Population: The total resident population is 98,623,102, ranks number 15 in the
list of the world's countries by population.
❖ Population Density: Data from 2021 indicates that Vietnam’s population
density has reached the level of 314 per km2
❖ Population Growth Rate: Increased 947 thousand people per year but the rate
of natural population growth decreased.
❖ Population Distribution:
Vietnam population density also varies by zones with most of the population
concentrated in two largest agricultural centers of Vietnam which are Red River
Delta and South Eastern - Mekong River Delta. The population in Red River Delta is
higher than all other regions with 939 people/km2, followed by South Eastern with
617 people/km2 and Mekong River Delta with 426 people/km2. These regions are
the most fundamental agricultural zones in Vietnam, as well as areas where two
biggest cities of Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) are situated, so it should not
be surprising that they are the most crowded zones in Vietnam. On the other hand,
Tay Nguyen (95 people/km2), Highland and Mountainous area in the North (117
people/km2) are the sparest regions in Vietnam as their terrain and climate is more
extreme to live in.
➔ Exploit natural resources improperly.
➔ Barriers in solving job demands.
- Vietnam is a multi-nationality country with 54 ethnic groups. The Viet (Kinh)
people account for 87% of the country’s population and mainly inhabit the Red River
delta, the central coastal delta, the Mekong delta and major cities. The other 53
ethnic minority groups, totaling over 8 million people, are scattered over mountain
areas (covering two thirds of the country’s territory) spreading from the North to the
South.
- Vietnam has a young population structure, in the working age accounting for
64%, an annual increase of about 1.15 million people.
➔ Advantages: Abundant labor resources, dynamic and creative.
➔ Difficulties in getting employment.

III. Effects on the National economy

1. Agriculture
1.1. Advantages
- Vietnam is one of the top rice exporting countries in the world, but the limited
sophistication of small-scale Vietnamese farmers causes quality to suffer. Vietnam is
also the world's second largest exporter of coffee, trailing behind Brazil.
- Climate: humid tropical monsoon => develop agriculture: plant and cattle.

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 - Mountain zones are the basis for the development of tropical agriculture and
forestry.
- The surface of plateaus and valleys, plains and hills facilitate industrial crops,
feeding crops, fruit-trees and developing the feeding industry.
- Delta zones with a large amount of alluvium are the basis for the development of
tropical agriculture and diversification of agricultural products, especially rice.
1.2. Disadvantages
- Natural disasters such as storms, hot dry westerly winds, frost, harmful cold....
damage crops and reduce the quality of agricultural products.
- The terrain is rugged and difficult to mechanize in production. Phenomena such
as landslides, flash floods, frosts, etc. cause great damage to crops.
- The erratic climate regime gives rise to plant diseases, high humidity makes it
difficult to preserve agricultural products.
- Water sources have seasonal variations: floods in the rainy season, drought in the
dry season.

2. Marine
* Advantages:
- Development of marine transportation: Vietnam's sea area is wide and relatively
closed, contiguous to the waters of 8 countries.
=> As a gateway connecting sea transport routes, it is convenient for the
development of maritime services, exchanges and trade with other countries in the
world.
- Advantages in aquaculture and fishing: Vietnam's seas and islands have about
11,000 species of creatures living in 6 different marine biodiversity regions with
many rare species with high export value: abalone, pearl, mackerel, shrimp and
lobster.
=> Providing fish, shrimp, crab, seaweed... is the basis for the fishing industry.
The tidal flats of coastal lagoons are favorable for aquaculture.
- Providing abundant mineral resources, Vietnam's sea contains a large volume of
rare and precious minerals such as titanium, aluminum, iron, salt, manganese, glass
sand and rare earths.
=> Raw materials for the glass, crystal and building materials industry.
* Disadvantages
- Marine disasters occur frequently. Vietnam is also one of the five countries most
strongly affected by climate change and sea level rise, primarily in coastal areas and
small islands.
- Many minerals in difficult-to-exploit areas are still unexploited.

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 - Difficulties in maintaining sovereignty over sea and islands because of the long
coastline and many islands and archipelagos in the distance.
* Present situation
- Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, many industries of the marine economy such as
tourism, farming, fishing, and transportation have been seriously affected, especially
the tourism industry.
- However, the aquaculture and fishing industry still has impressive growth
indicators.

3. Tourism
- Viet Nam has great potential for developing tourism as it is endowed with
favorable geographical location, climate and natural conditions, including a long
coastline of more than 3,000 km along the country with green forests and majestic
landscapes. Viet Nam boasts of more than 125 beaches and ranks among the top 12
countries for the most beautiful bays in the world.
- 2016 was the first year ever in which Vietnam welcomed over 10 million
international visitors. Since then, this figure has continued to rise. More recently, in
2019, Vietnam received 18 million international arrivals.
- Tourism potentials: national parks, World Heritage sites, biosphere reserves.
- However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has suspended issuance of
all tourist visas since March 2020. The country recorded a 98% year-on-year drop in
foreign visitors for April 2020. With no reopening for tourists in sight, the
government has called for the promotion of domestic tourism.

D. Lessons for Vietnam to learn

I. Comparison
- Criteria 1: Quality of life
+ Health: be less likely to be obese but live 5.9 years less: In United States, 36.2%
of adults are obese as of 2016. In Vietnam, that number is 2.1% of people as of 2016.
Additionally, in the United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years
for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Vietnam, that number is 74 years (72
years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2020.
+ Life: have 16.9% more children but 2.3 times more likely to die during
childbirth: In the United States, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people
as of 2020. In Vietnam, there are 14.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. However,
in the United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor
as of 2017. In Vietnam, 43.0 women do as of 2017.
+ Economy: be 50.0% less likely to be unemployed but make 88.5% less money.
In the United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Vietnam, that
number is 2.2% as of 2017. On the other hand, the United States has a GDP per

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capita of $59,800 as of 2017, while in Vietnam, the GDP per capita is $6,900 as of
2017.
+ Geography: see 82.7% less coastline. The United States has a total of 19,924 km
of coastline. In Vietnam, that number is 3,444 km.
+ Expenditure: spend 14.0% more on education. The United States spends 5.0%
of its total GDP on education as of 2014. Vietnam spends 5.7% of total GDP on
education as of 2013.
- Criteria 2: Cost of living: Pay Less…
+ Pay 69.8% less For Food
+ Pay 36.7% less For Groceries
+ Pay 13.5% less For Transportation
+ Pay 67.8% less For Entertainment And Sports

II. Lesson for Vietnam

1. For the Government
- Improving Economic Regions' Competitiveness
In recent years, improving Economic Regions' Competitiveness has played an
incredibly important part in the country's socioeconomic growth strategy. However,
in the current situation, if we do not improve our competitiveness via continual
innovation, creativity, and modern science and technology, the economy would
become lethargic and backward in comparison to other countries. Simultaneously,
this will narrow the competitiveness difference between areas.
- Specialization based on each region's characteristics
To support national growth as a whole, as well as to establish links and
cooperation in socioeconomic development among economic regions. Furthermore,
it can create conditions for raising the living standards of the entire population and
achieving social fairness throughout the country as soon as possible.
- Cooperation between regions for mutual development
- Solution for 3 economics:
+ For agriculture: Improve food delivering services from mountainous areas to
other regions (by using hi-tech devices or robots...) => Solving geographic problems.
+ For marine economy: investment construction and consolidation of the sea dam
system; strengthen the communication system, tsunami early warning system and
weather forecast; develop the forest and mangrove forest system.
+ For tourism economy: Developing more types of tourism => solving weather
problems in VN.

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 2. For the Neu students
- Students should endeavor to study and train in order to build human resources
for national and international economic development collaboration.
- Quickly adapt to scientific and technological advances and apply them to
national economic development.

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