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Thailand vs Vietnam

Thailand

vs

Vietnam

Green highlights the higher value (or higher GDP per capita). Figures are approximate.

Not quite neighbours

Thailand and Vietnam are close on the map but share no border: Laos and Cambodia lie between them, and the Gulf of Thailand separates their coasts. The space in between has been the focus of their rivalry for centuries. In the 18th and 19th centuries Siam and the Vietnamese Nguyen dynasty competed for influence over Cambodia and Laos, at times fighting over them, before France colonised Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos as French Indochina.

Opposite sides of the Cold War

Their modern histories diverged sharply. Thailand, never colonised, became a US ally during the Vietnam War and hosted American air bases. After 1975 Vietnam was unified under the Communist Party, and its 1978 invasion of Cambodia put Thailand on the front line; Thailand backed the Cambodian resistance until Vietnamese troops withdrew in 1989. Relations normalised after that, and Vietnam joined ASEAN, which Thailand had co-founded, in 1995.

Two economic models

Thailand has the higher GDP per capita and an established industrial base, especially in cars and electronics, plus one of Asia's biggest tourism industries. Vietnam has grown faster since its "Doi Moi" reforms of 1986 and has become a major destination for factories, including electronics assembly. Vietnam has considerably more people, while Thailand has the larger land area. The two are also among the world's top rice exporters, often competing for the same buyers, and Vietnam is a leading producer of robusta coffee.

Culture and everyday life

Both are mainly Buddhist societies but of different traditions: Thailand follows Theravada Buddhism with a strong monastic presence, while Vietnam's heritage is Mahayana Buddhism mixed with Confucian and folk practices, and many Vietnamese describe themselves as non-religious. Thai uses its own script; Vietnamese is written in a Latin-based alphabet with diacritics. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy; Vietnam is a one-party socialist republic. Both share the UTC+7 time zone, and Bangkok–Hanoi and Bangkok–Ho Chi Minh City are short flights (see Bangkok to Hanoi).