Vietnam is a country located on the eastern edge of the Indochinese peninsula, where it borders the East Sea and is considered the center of Southeast Asia when located at the gateway.
With a total land area of 331,212 km² and the waters under Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, occupy an area of about 1,000,000 km² in the East Sea. Due to the characteristics of the long S-shaped territory, our country has a position adjacent to 4 countries on the mainland and adjacent to the East Sea. Specifically, Vietnam’s land border is 4,639 km long, bordering China in the north, Laos and Cambodia in the west, and the Gulf of Thailand in the southwest.
Looking at the map of Vietnam, it is easy to see the S-shaped strip of our country, the distance from north to south (according to the crow flies) is 1,650 km. The central area is narrow, typically the narrowest position from east to west is in Dong Hoi – Quang Binh with a width of less than 50 km. With its location adjacent to the East Sea, Vietnam has a coastline of 3,260 km stretching from the North to the South, from Mong Cai – Quang Ninh in the North to Ha Tien in the Southwest, excluding the coast along the islands and archipelagos.
In addition to internal waters (all waters and waterways inland, and calculated from the baseline from which that country defines its territorial sea), Vietnam claims 12 nautical miles of territorial sea, adding 12 nautical miles of contiguous zone, 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone and finally continental shelf.
– The geographical coordinate system of the mainland of Vietnam is determined as follows:
- The North Pole is 23°23B, 105°20E;
- The southernmost point is 8°34B, 104°40E;
- The westernmost point is 22°22B, 102°10E;
- The easternmost point is 12°40 B, 109°24E.
– Natural geographical location: Vietnam is located in the intratropical zone of the Northern Hemisphere, near the center of Southeast Asia, considered a bridge position between the mainland and the sea due to the West bordering the land. adjacent to the sea in the East, is located at the contact point of monsoon winds and bio-currents, thus having a humid tropical monsoon climate and diverse organisms.
