# Laos and Vietnam compared

Laos and Vietnam side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 4 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/lao-vs-vnm
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Laos: 1353 — Fa Ngum is crowned king of Lan Xang
- Vietnam: 257 BCE — Thục Phán founds Âu Lạc from Nam Cương and Văn Lang

## Economy

| Metric | Laos | Observed | Vietnam | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $17 B | 2024 | $476 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $2,124 | 2024 | $4,717 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 4.1% | 2024 | 7.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 23.1% | 2024 | 3.6% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 75.1% | 2016 | 173.9% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Laos | Observed | Vietnam | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7.8 m | 2024 | 101 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 69.2 yrs | 2024 | 74.7 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 39.6% | 2024 | 38.5% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 2.4 | 2024 | 1.9 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Laos | Observed | Vietnam | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 31.1 | 2024 | 37.6 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 75.4 | 2024 | 66.0 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 40.0 | 2024 | 49.5 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 44.8 | 2024 | 50.7 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 44.2 | 2024 | 51.6 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 28.0 | 2024 | 42.8 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Laos | Observed | Vietnam | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 1.3% | 2023 | 4.6% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.33 | 2022 | 1.11 | 2021 |
| Under-5 mortality | 29.4 | 2024 | 17.3 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 69.0% | 2024 | 98.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 35.2% | 2024 | 58.6% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Laos | Observed | Vietnam | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 75.6% | 2023 | 96.1% | 2022 |
| Education spending | 1.2% | 2023 | 2.9% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 93.1% | 2025 | 106.3% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 50.5% | 2025 | 93.4% | 2022 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 14.9% | 2023 | 37.6% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | Laos | Observed | Vietnam | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.0% | 2002 | 0.4% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 16 | 2002 | 836 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 65.6% | 2024 | 84.2% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 65 | 2023 | 128 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 7.4% | 2023 | 44.3% | 2023 |

## Geography

| Metric | Laos | Observed | Vietnam | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 230,800 km² | 2023 | 313,429 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 71.5% | 2023 | 47.4% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 9.9% | 2023 | 39.2% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 3.4 | 2024 | 4.3 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 49.2% | 2022 | 24.2% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Laos | Observed | Vietnam | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 5.4% | 2021 | 2.5% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.7% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 3.9% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 1.5% | 2021 | 1.1% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 96.5% | 2023 | 99.8% | 2023 |
| Rare earths | — | — | 150 t | 2025 |
| Bauxite | — | — | 3.8 Mt | 2025 |
| Phosphate rock | — | — | 3.0 Mt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Laos | Observed | Vietnam | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 0.2% | 2013 | 1.8% | 2018 |
| Defense spending | $23 M | 2013 | $5.5 B | 2018 |
| Armed forces | 129,000 | 2020 | 522,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/LAO.md and https://terralore.co/country/VNM.md.

## Entangled histories (4 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 17 October 1887: **French Indochina established** — France unites Cochinchina, Annam, Tonkin, and Cambodia into the Indochinese Union; Laos is added in 1893, binding Vietnam into a colonial federation centered on Hanoi. (from the Vietnam chronicle; sources: French Indochina / Conquest of Vietnam)
- 1950 CE: **Founding of the Pathet Lao** — Prince Souphanouvong breaks with the Lao Issara to ally with the Viet Minh and proclaims the communist-oriented Pathet Lao ("Land of the Lao"), the future ruling movement. (from the Laos chronicle; sources: Souphanouvong; Pathet Lao)
- 1962 CE: **Geneva agreement on Lao neutrality** — An international agreement declares Laos neutral and provides for a coalition government, but the country remains a contested corridor of the Vietnam War. (from the Laos chronicle; sources: Laos: History; Indochina wars)
- 1986 CE: **New Economic Mechanism reforms** — Facing the failure of central planning, the ruling party launches market-oriented reforms, legalizing private enterprise and inviting foreign investment, echoing Vietnam's Doi Moi. (from the Laos chronicle; sources: Laos: History; Lao PDR Overview)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/LAO/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/VNM/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Laos and Vietnam compared", terralore.co/compare/lao-vs-vnm, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.