Population

According to the World Bank, Vietnam has a population today of more than 87 million. In Southeast Asia, this puts Vietnam third behind Indonesia, which has more than 231 million people. The Philippines has nearly 89 million people.

Vietnam is the most ethnically homogenous country in Southeast Asia. Roughly 90 percent of people are ethnic Vietnamese. Vietnam is also home to more than 50 ethnic minorities. Indonesia and Myanmar each have more than a 100 ethnicities.

Some 85 percent of the seven million people in Vietnam’s ethnic minorities belong to indigenous ethnic groups. These peoples have lived in the mountains of Vietnam for centuries. The largest ethnic minority groups are the Hmong and Thai tribes. Unlike in Indonesia and Myanmar, Vietnam’s ethnic minorities have nowhere near enough strength to aspire to having their own states.

Nearly 900,000 of Vietnam’s people are ethnic Chinese, called Hoa. They form the sixth-biggest ethnic group. Though there are several bigger ethnic groups in Vietnam, the Hoa suffered notably under Communist rule. Most Hoa live in the south. Following reunification, many faced tight restrictions as a result of the major role they played in the old capitalist system.