North and South Vietnam, although dramatically different in their governments and economy, were almost identical in their physical size and population. In square miles, South Vietnam was slightly larger than Florida, the 22nd largest state. North Vietnam was slightly larger than Georgia, the 24th largest state. In a 1960 census, North and South both had populations roughly the same as California, the second-most populous state at the time.
Today, the unified Vietnam is 1 27,881 square miles, slightly larger than New Mexico, the 5th largest state. Vietnam’s population in July 2020 was 97.3 million, according to a United Nations estimate, roughly 2½ times the estimated July 2020 population of California, now the most populous state.
SOURCES: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK; VIETNAM STUDIES, U.S. ARMY ENGINEERS 1965-1970, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, 1973;…