This statistic shows the biggest cities in Vietnam in 2019. In 2019, approximately nine million people lived in Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh (Ho Chi Minh City), making it the biggest city in Vietnam.

In 2024, Ho Chi Minh City was the largest municipality in Vietnam, with a population of over *** million people. Home to over eight million people, Ha Noi ranking second, followed by Hai Phong. There are five municipalities in Vietnam, which are also the leading urban cities in the country.

Population in largest city in Vietnam was reported at 9567656 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Vietnam - Population in largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2024, the population density in Ho Chi Minh City reached ***** inhabitants per square kilometer, making the largest city of Vietnam also the most crowded. Ha Noi, the capital, was much less crowded, with ***** people per square kilometer. In both Da Nang and Can Tho, this figure stayed around *** inhabitants per square kilometer.

Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in Vietnam was reported at 23.57 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Vietnam - Population in the largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Vietnam VN: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 23.394 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 23.302 % for 2016. Vietnam VN: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 23.202 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29.151 % in 1960 and a record low of 21.883 % in 1993. Vietnam VN: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted average;

In 2023, the population density in Ho Chi Minh City reached 4,513 inhabitants per square kilometer, making the largest city of Vietnam also the most crowded. Ha Noi, the capital, was much less crowded, with 2,556 people per square kilometer. In both Da Nang and Can Tho, this figure stayed around 900 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Vietnam VN: Population in Largest City data was reported at 7,870,501.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 7,604,915.000 Person for 2016. Vietnam VN: Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 2,905,317.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7,870,501.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 1,400,000.000 Person in 1960. Vietnam VN: Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; ;

In 2023, citizens of Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi had the highest monthly average monthly income per capita among Vietnam's four major cities, amounting to more than *** million Vietnamese dong. People living in Da Nang had a slightly lower monthly income per capita that year, reaching an average of **** million Vietnamese dong. In that year, the monthly average income per capita of the whole country was at **** million Vietnamese dong.

In 2024, the urban population in Vietnam stood at approximately 39 million people. The six largest urban agglomerations include Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Bien Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, and Can Tho. On the other hand, Ben Tre, Thai Binh, and Bac Giang had the lowest rates of urbanization in the country. Urbanization in Vietnam The rapid urbanization in Vietnam results in a disproportionate population density between its urban and rural areas. For instance, in 2022, Ho Chi Minh City recorded a population density of 4,481 inhabitants per square kilometer, nearly 15 times the country's average population density in the same year. The urban population is consistently increasing due to the country’s economic reforms and infrastructure development, as well as higher living standards. For example, the monthly income per capita in urban areas is nearly half as much as that in rural areas. Nevertheless, the poverty rate in Vietnam has been consistently diminishing each year, roughly at 4.2 percent as of 2022. Urban infrastructure in Vietnam Vietnam has made significant progress in developing its urban infrastructure, especially in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The expansion of highways, seaports, and airports has enhanced domestic and international connectivity, as well as greatly contributed to the country’s logistic industry. For instance, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are developing a metro system which is expected to be put into operation in 2024. The country has also invested in modern healthcare facilities, schools, and commercial centers. However, challenges such as traffic jams, limited public transportation services, and environmental pollution still require significant efforts to meet the growing demands of the Vietnamese urban population.

This horizontal bar chart displays female population (people) by capital city using the aggregation sum in Vietnam. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

In 2023, Ho Chi Minh City was the largest municipality in Vietnam, with a population of over 9.5 million people. Home to over eight million people, Ha Noi ranking second, followed by Hai Phong. There are five municipalities in Vietnam, which are also the leading urban cities in the country.

This horizontal bar chart displays universities by city using the aggregation count in Vietnam. The data is about universities.

This horizontal bar chart displays net migration (people) by capital city using the aggregation sum in Vietnam. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Abstract

The STEP (Skills Toward Employment and Productivity) Measurement program is the first ever initiative to generate internationally comparable data on skills available in developing countries. The program implements standardized surveys to gather information on the supply and distribution of skills and the demand for skills in labor market of low-income countries.

The uniquely-designed Household Survey includes modules that measure the cognitive skills (reading, writing and numeracy), socio-emotional skills (personality, behavior and preferences) and job-specific skills (subset of transversal skills with direct job relevance) of a representative sample of adults aged 15 to 64 living in urban areas, whether they work or not. The cognitive skills module also incorporates a direct assessment of reading literacy based on the Survey of Adults Skills instruments. Modules also gather information about family, health and language.

Geographic coverage

The survey covers the urban area of two largest cities of Vietnam, Ha Noi and HCMCT.

Analysis unit

The units of analysis are the individual respondents and households. A household roster is undertaken at the start of the survey and the individual respondent is randomly selected among all household members aged 15 to 64 included. The random selection process was designed by the STEP team and compliance with the procedure is carefully monitored during fieldwork.

Universe

The STEP target population is the population aged 15 to 64 included, living in urban areas, as defined by each country's statistical office. In Vietnam, the target population comprised all people from 15-64 years old living in urban areas in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCM).

The reasons for selection of these two cities include :

(i) They are two biggest cities of Vietnam, so they would have all urban characteristics needed for STEP study, and (ii) It is less costly to conduct STEP survey in these to cities, compared to all urban areas of Vietnam, given limitation of survey budget.

• The target population is not representative for the national urban population.

The following are excluded from the sample:

• Residents of institutions (prisons, hospitals, etc)
• Residents of senior homes and hospices
• Residents of other group dwellings such as college dormitories, halfway homes, workers' quarters, etc
• Persons living outside the country at the time of data collection

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

• The sample of 3405 households was selected from 227 urban Enumeration Areas (EAs) in Ha Noi (107 EAs) and Ho Chi Minh City (120 EAs). From each EA 15 households were selected, so the number of households selected in Ha Noi was 1245 HHs, and in HCM, 2160 HHs.
• The 2009 Population and Housing Census was used as a sample frame.
• Regarding PSUs (EAs), the sampling frame is the list of 15% of total EAs of the 2009 Population Census. Data items on the frame for PSU include provincecode, districtcode, commune code, and EA code; address of EA, number of households.
• Regarding ultimate sampling units (households), sampling frame is a list of (100) households in each EA. Data items on the frame for ultimate sampling units (households) include names of heads of households.

The sample frame includes the list of urban EAs and the count of households for each EA. Changes of the EAs list and household list would impact on coverage of sample frame. In a recent review of Ha Noi, there were only 3 EAs either new or destroyed from 140 randomly selected Eas (2%). GSO would increase the coverage of sample frame (>95% as standard) by updating the household list of the selected Eas before selecting households for STEP.

A detailed description of the sample design is available in section 4 of the NSDPR provided with the metadata. On completion of the household listing operation, GSO will deliver to the World Bank a copy of the lists, and an Excel spreadsheet with the total number of households listed in each of the 227 visited PSUs.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The STEP survey instruments include: (i) a Background Questionnaire developed by the WB STEP team (ii) a Reading Literacy Assessment developed by Educational Testing Services (ETS).

All countries adapted and translated both instruments following the STEP Technical Standards: 2 independent translators adapted and translated the Background Questionnaire and Reading Literacy Assessment, while reconciliation was carried out by a third translator. The WB STEP team and ETS collaborated closely with the survey firms during the process and reviewed the adaptation and translation to Vietnamese (using a back translation). - The survey instruments were both piloted as part of the survey pretest. - The adapted Background Questionnaires are provided in English as external resources. The Reading Literacy Assessment is protected by copyright and will not be published.

Cleaning operations

STEP Data Management Process 1. Raw data is sent by the survey firm 2. The WB STEP team runs data checks on the Background Questionnaire data. - ETS runs data checks on the Reading Literacy Assessment data. - Comments and questions are sent back to the survey firm. 3. The survey firm reviews comments and questions. When a data entry error is identified, the survey firm corrects the data. 4. The WB STEP team and ETS check the data files are clean. This might require additional iterations with the survey firm. 5. Once the data has been checked and cleaned, the WB STEP team computes the weights. Weights are computed by the STEP team to ensure consistency across sampling methodologies. 6. ETS scales the Reading Literacy Assessment data. 7. The WB STEP team merges the Background Questionnaire data with the Reading Literacy Assessment data and computes derived variables.

Detailed information data processing in STEP surveys is provided in the 'Guidelines for STEP Data Entry Programs' document provided as an external resource. The template do-file used by the STEP team to check the raw background questionnaire data is provided as an external resource.

Response rate

The response rate for Vietnam (urban) was 62%. (See STEP Methodology Note Table 4).

Sampling error estimates

A weighting documentation was prepared for each participating country and provides some information on sampling errors. All country weighting documentations are provided as an external resource.

Vietnam Facility Management Market size was valued at USD 2.7 Billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 5.4 Billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 9% from 2025 to 2032.

Key Market Drivers:

Rapid Urbanization and Infrastructure Development: Rapid urbanization and infrastructural development will propel the Vietnam Facility Management Market. With Vietnam’s urbanization rate expected to expand from 37.3% in 2021 to 45% by 2030, and the government investing $120 billion in infrastructure between 2021 and 2025, there will be an increase in demand for professional facility management services.

Growing Real Estate Market: The growing real estate market in Vietnam will propel the Facility Management sector. According to the Vietnam Real Estate Association, commercial real estate area in Ho Chi Minh City would rise by 18% in 2023, with more than 2.1 million square meters of new office space built.

Vietnam Real Estate & Mortgage Market Report is Segmented by Type (Residential, Retail, Logistics/Industrial, Hospitality, and Office), Value (Premium, Luxury, and Affordable), and Key Cities (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Quang Ninh, and Da Nang). The Report Offers Market Sizes and Forecasts in Value (USD) for all the Above Segments.

Abstract

The 2009 Population and Housing Census was implemented according to Prime Ministerial Decision No. 94/2008/QD-TTg dated 10 July, 2008. This was the fourth population census and the third housing census implemented in Vietnam since the nation was reunified in 1975. The Census aimed to collect basic data on the population and housing for the entire territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, to provide data for research and analysis of population and housing developments nationally and for each locality. It responded to information needs for assessing implementation of socio-economic development plans covering the period 2001 to 2010, for developing the socio-economic development plans for 2011 to 2020 and for monitoring performance on Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations to which the Vietnamese Government is committed.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

Households Individuals Dwelling

Universe

The 2009 Population and Housing Census enumerated all Vietnamese regularly residing in the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam at the reference point of 0:00 on 01 April, 2009; Vietnamese citizens given permission by the authorities to travel overseas and still within the authorized period; deaths (members of the household) that occurred between the first day of the Lunar Year of the Rat (07 February, 2008) to 31 March, 2009; and residential housing of the population.

Population and housing censuses were implemented simultaneously taking the household as the survey unit. The household could include one individual who eats and resides alone or a group of individuals who eat and reside together. For household with 2 persons and over, its members may or may not share a common budget; or be related by blood or not; or marital or adoptive relationship or not; or in combination of both. The household head was the main respondent. For information of which the head of household was unaware, the enumerator was required to directly interview the survey subject. For information on labour and employment, the enumerator was required to directly interview all respondents aged 15 and older; for questions on births, the enumerator was required to directly interview women in childbearing ages (from 15 to 49 years of age) to determine the responses. For information on housing, the enumerator was required to directly survey the household head and/or combine this with direct observation to determine the information to record in the forms.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

Sample size In the 2009 Population and Housing Census, besides a full enumeration, some indicators were collected in a sample survey. The census sample survey was designed to: (1) expand survey contents; (2) improve survey quality, especially for sensitive and complicated questions; and (3) save on survey costs. To improve the efficiency and reliability of the census sample data, the sample size was 15% of the total population of the country. The sample of the census is a single-stage cluster sample design with stratification and systematic sample selection. Sample selection is implemented in two steps: Step 1, select the strata to determine the sample size for each district. Step 2, independently and systematically select from the sample frame of enumeration areas in each district to determine the specific enumeration areas in the sample.

The sample size of the two census sample surveys in 1989 and 1999 was 5% and 3% respectively, only representative at the provincial level; sample survey indicators covered fertility history of women aged 15-49 years and deaths in the household in the previous 12 months. In the 2009 Census, besides the above two indicators, many other indicators were also included in the census sample survey. The census sample survey provides data representative at the district level. When determining sample size and allocation, the frequency of events was taken into account for various indicators including birth and deaths in the 12 months prior to the survey, and the number of people unemployed in urban areas, etc.; efforts were also made to ensure the ability to compare results between districts within the same province/municipality and between provinces/ municipalities.

Stratification and sample allocation across strata To ensure representativeness of the sample for each district throughout the country and because the population size is not uniform across districts or provinces, the Central Steering Committee decided to allocate the sample directly to 682 out of 684 districts (excluding 2 island districts) throughout the country in 2 steps:

Step 1: Determine the sampling rate f(r) for 3 regions including: - Region 1: including 132 urban districts; - Region 2: including 294 delta and coastal rural districts; - Region 3: including 256 mountainous and island districts.

Step 2: Allocate the sample across districts in each region based on the sampling rates for each region as determined in Step 1 using the inverse sampling allocation method. Through applying to this allocation method, the number of sampling units in each small district is increased adequately to ensure representativeness. The formula used to calculate the sample rate for each district in each region is provided on page 22 of the Census Report (Part1) provided as external resources.

Sampling unit and method The sampling unit is the enumeration area that was ascertained in the step to delimit enumeration areas. The sampling frame is the list of all enumeration areas that was made following the order of the list of administrative units at the commune level within each district. In this way, the whole country has 682 sample frames (682 strata).

The provincial steering committee was responsible for selecting sample enumeration areas using systematic random sampling as follows: Step 1: Take the total of all enumeration areas in the district, divide by the number of enumeration areas needed in the sampleto determine the skip (k), which is calculated with precision up to 1 decimal point. Step 2: Select the first enumeration area (b, with b = k), corresponding to the first enumeration area to be selected. Each successive enumeration area to be selected will correspond to the order number: bi = b + i x k ; here i = 1, 2, 3…. Stopping when the number of enumeration areas needed has been selected.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The questionnaires and survey materials were designed and tested three times before final approval.

Cleaning operations

The 2009 Population and Housing Census applied Intelligent Character Recognition technology/scanning technology for direct data entry from census forms to the computer to replace the traditional keyboard data entry that is commonly used in Vietnam at present. This is an advanced technology, and the first time it had been applied in a statistical survey in Vietnam. Preparatory work had to be done carefully and meticulously. Through organization of many workshops and 7 pilot applications with technical and financial assistance from the UNFPA, the new technology was mastered, and the Census Steering Committee Standing Committee approved use of this technology to process the entire results of the 2009 Population and Housing Census. The Government decided to allocate funds through the project on Modernization of the General Statistics Office using World Bank Loan funds to procure the scanning system equipment, software and technical assistance. The successful use of this technology will create a precedent for continued use of scanning technology in other statistical surveys

After checking and coding at the Provincial/municipal steering committee office, (both the complete census and the census sample survey), forms were checked and accepted then transferred for processing to one of three Statistical Computing Centres in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. Data processing was implemented in only a few locations, following standard procedures and a fixed timeline. The steering committee at each level and processing centres fully implemented their assigned responsibilities, especially the checking, transmitting and maintenance of survey forms in good condition. The Central Steering Committee collaborated with the Statistical Computer Centres to set up a plan for processing and compiling results, setting up tabulation plans, interpreting and synthesizing output tables, and developing options for extrapolating from sample to population estimates.

The General Statistics Office completed the work of developing software applications and training using ReadSoft software (the one used in pilot testing), organized training on network management and training on systems and programs for logic checks and data editing, developed a data processing protocol, integrated these systems and completed data flow management programs. The General Statistics Office collaborated with the contractor, FPT, to develop software applications, train staff, testl the system and complete the programs using the new TIS and E-form software.

Compilation of results was implemented in 2 stages. In stage 1 data were compiled from the Census Sample Survey by the end of October, 2009, and in stage 2, data were compiled from the completed census forms, with work finalized in May 2010.

Sampling error estimates

Estimates from the Census sample survey were affected by two types of error: (1) non-sampling error, and (2) sampling error. Non-sampling error is the result of errors in implementation of data collection and processing such as visiting the

Vietnam HSS: Household Size (HS): Whole Country data was reported at 3.800 Person in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.810 Person for 2014. Vietnam HSS: Household Size (HS): Whole Country data is updated yearly, averaging 4.005 Person from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2016, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.440 Person in 2002 and a record low of 3.800 Person in 2016. Vietnam HSS: Household Size (HS): Whole Country data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Statistics Office. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.H021: Household Living Standard Survey (HSS): Household Size .

In 2023, Ho Chi Minh City recorded 1,816 cleared-up divorce cases, making it the city with the highest number of divorces in Vietnam. In the same year, there were 1,209 divorce cases in Ha Noi, the capital city of Vietnam.