Population Dataset in Vietnam (2000–2019)

Yin, X.^{1, 2}  Li, P.^{1, 2}  Feng, Z. M.^{1, 2*}  You, Z.^{1, 2}  Xiao, C. W.¹

1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;

2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

Abstract: Vietnam, as the third most populous country in Southeast Asia, is one of the key-node countries along the Green Silk Road. Population dataset in Vietnam (2000–2019) was developed based on the demographic data, LandScan population grid data from 2000 to 2019, geographical zone data, as well as Vietnam administrative division and their adjustment data. The dataset includes three levels: whole country, six geographical regions, and 63 provinces (cities), and the time span is 2000–2019. The dataset is archived in .shp and .xlsx data formats, and consists of 8 data files with data size of 1.41 MB (compressed into one data file, 884 KB).

Keywords: population distribution; Vietnam; provincial level; dataset; the Belt and Road Initiative

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3974/geodp.2022.01.01

CSTR: https://cstr.escience.org.cn/CSTR:20146.14.2022.01.01

Dataset Availability Statement:

The dataset supporting this paper was published and is accessible through the Digital Journal of Global Change Data Repository at: https://doi.org/10.3974/geodb.2021.06.04.V1 or https://cstr.escience.org.cn/CSTR:20146.11.2021.06.04.V1.

1 Introduction

Vietnam, an important land and neighboring country of Lao, Cambodia and China, is one of the key-node countries along the Green Silk Road. With an average growth rate of 6.5% in GDP from 2000 to 2019, Vietnam has become China’s largest trading partner among Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) countries since 2015^[1]. The fifth census of Vietnam in 2019 showed that the country had a total population of 96,208,984, and would soon become the world’s 15^th country with a population of over 100 million. Population as the key factor of climate change, disaster risk and epidemic spreading^[2–4], integrating the population distribution datasets, e.g., national, six geographical regions and 63 provinces (cities), is very useful for the development of scientific research on the Vietnam’s human-nature interrelationship.

The demographic data from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam from 2000 to 2019, and supplemented by LandScan^[5,6] dataset of OAK Ridge National Laboratory during the same period, and then used the spatial analysis method of ArcGIS software. Finally, the Population dataset in Vietnam from 2000 to 2019 is integrated.

2 Metadata of the Dataset

The metadata of the Population dataset in regions of Vietnam (2000–2019)^[7] is summarized in Table 1. It includes the dataset full name, short name, authors, year of the dataset, temporal resolution, spatial resolution, data format, data size, data files, data publisher, and data sharing policy, etc.

Table 1  Metadata summary of the Population dataset in regions of Vietnam (2000–2019)

3 Methods

3.1 Data Sources

Demographic statistics and administrative divisions (six geographical divisions and 63 provincial administrative units) are all from General Statistics Office of Vietnam[1]. Except for the mid-year census data in April 1, 2019, the data in 2000–2018 are all total population at the end of the year. In addition, the vector administrative boundaries of Vietnam’s 63 provinces (cities) are derived from Vietnam Open Development Data[2].

3.2 Data Processing

The data processing includes interpolation of missing values and spatialization of population. First, we interpolated the missing values of some provinces. The problem of missing population values in some provinces is mainly caused by the adjustment of provincial administrative divisions. From 2000 to 2019, Vietnam’s provincial units had undergone two adjustments: (1) In 2004, one municipality directly under the central government and two provinces were added. Can Tho city, the capital of Can Tho province in southern Vietnam, was separated out as a municipality directly under the central government, and the remainder of Can Tho province became Hau Giang province. In addition, a part of Lai Chau province is separated out to set up Dien Bien province, and a part of Dak Lak province is separated out to set up Dak Nong province. (2) In 2008, Ha Tay province was merged into the capital, Ha Noi city. Therefore, we employed the “Zonal statistics as table” tool in ArcGIS software to interpolate the missing values, with the specific process as follows: (1) We used the current provincial vector administrative boundaries and LandScan to calculate the total population of Hau Giang, Dien Bien and Dak Nong from 2000 to 2003, and revised by the values of former provinces of Can Tho, Lai Chau and Dak Lak. In the end, we obtained the total population of Hau Giang, Dien Bien and Dak Nong from 2000 to 2003. (2) The population of Ha Tay province before 2008 was merged into that of Ha Noi city. (3) According to the “code” attribute field of 63 provinces (cities) in Vietnam, the vectorized administrative region was linked to the province’s population from 2000 to 2019. There are six geographic regions and 63 provincial units in total. Table 2 presented the 63 provincial administrative divisions in Vietnam.

Table 2  Provincial administrative divisions in Vietnam

4 Data Results

The dataset consists of two parts: (1) Land area of Vietnam and six geographic regions as well as annual population of 63 provinces (cities) from 2000 to 2019 in the .xlsx format; (2) Spatial distribution of population of 63 provinces (cities) in Vietnam from 2000 to 2019 in shapefile format.

4.1 National Land Area and Population Change Data

The land area of Vietnam is 329,600 km², ranking 4^th in Southeast Asia. Figure 1 shows the total population and population growth rate of Vietnam from 2000 to 2019. Since the 21^st century, the population of Vietnam has increased from 77.63 million in 2000 to 96.21 million in 2019, with an average annual growth rate of about 1.20%. If calculated based on an average annual growth rate of 1%, the population of Vietnam will exceed 100 million in 2023, becoming the 15^th country with a population of over 100 million in the world. In addition, Vietnam is a country with high population density, which was 290 persons/km² in 2019, a value much higher than the world average of 60 persons/km².

Figure 1  Total population and growth rate from 2000 to 2019 in Vietnam

4.2 Regional Land Area and Population Change Data

Among the six geographic regions of Vietnam, the Northern Central Area and Central Coastal Area and the Northern Midlands and Mountain Areas are the largest two regions with a land area exceeding 90,000 km². While the Red River Delta and the South East are the smallest ones, with a land area of 21,000 km² and 23,000 km², respectively. In terms of total population, the figure for Red River Delta with the largest population exceeded 22 million in 2019, while that for the Central Highlands, the least-populous region, was less than 6 million.

Figure 2  Land area and population of six geographic regions in Vietnam

Notes: Figure 2a shows the land area of Vietnam’s six geographic regions, and Figure 2b shows their population change from 2000 to 2019. The figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 represent the Red River Delta, the Northern Midlands and Mountain Areas, the Northern Central Area and Central Coastal Area, the Central Highlands, the South East, and the Mekong River Delta, respectively.

As for the population growth rate, the South East was the fastest-growing region, with an average annual growth rate of 2.72%, while the Mekong River Delta, which showed the slowest growth, had an average annual growth rate of only 0.48%. As regards the population density, the Red River Delta was the most populous region whose population density exceeded 1,000 persons/km², followed by the South East and Mekong River Delta; while the Northern Midlands and Mountain Areas and Central Highlands were sparsely populated areas, with a population density of less than 150 persons/km² (Figure 2, Table 3).

Table 3  Population characteristics in the six geographic regions of Vietnam in 2000, 2010, and 2019

4.3 Provincial Land Area and Population Change Data

4.3.1 Land Area and Population Change Data in the Red River Delta

In terms of land area, among the 11 provinces (cities) in the Red River Delta, Quang Ninh province ranks first with an area over 6,100 km², while Bac Ninh and Hung Yen provinces have the smallest areas with less than 1,000 km². Regarding the total population, Ha Noi, the capital city of Vietnam, ranked first with a population of 8.05 million in 2019. Ha Nam and Nam Dinh were the least-populated provinces, both of which had a population less than one million. With regard to the population growth rate, Bac Ninh province and Ha Noi city grew most rapidly in population, with an average annual growth exceeding 2%. Nam Dinh was the only province that experienced negative population growth in the Red River Delta. Overall, the population density of this region was relatively high. Among the 11 provinces (cities), Ha Noi city was the most populous, with a population density over 2,400 persons/km², and Quang Ninh province was the least populated one, also with a figure over 200 persons/km² (Figure 3, Table 4).

Table 4  Population characteristics in the provinces of Red River Delta of Vietnam in 2000, 2010, and 2019

4.3.2 Land Area and Population Change Data in Provinces of the Northern Midlands and Mountain Areas

In terms of land area, among the 14 provinces in the Northern Midlands and Mountain Areas, Son La province ranks first with an area over 14,000 km², while Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, and Bac Giang provinces have the smallest areas that are less than 4,000 km². In 2019, the total

population of each province in this region were relatively small. Among th­ese provinces, Bac Giang province had the highest population of 1.8 mill­ion, and most provinces had a tot­al population of less than one million, among which Bac Kan and Lai Chau had a total population of less than 500,000. In terms of population gro­wth rate, most provinces had a relati­vely fast population growth rate. The population growth rates of Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces exceeded 2%, and that of Gao Binh, which was the slowest, also reached 0.4%. The population density of all provinces in this region were relatively low. Approximately 80% of the provinces had a population density of less than 200 persons/km², and the population density of six provinces were less than 100 persons/km² (accounting for 43%) (Figure 4, Table 5).

4.3.3 Land Area and Population Change Data in Provinces of the Northern Central Area and Central Coastal Area

In terms of land area, among the 14 provinces (cities) in the Northern Central Area and Central Coastal Area, Nghe An province ranks first with more than 14,000 km², while Da Nang city has the smallest area with less than 1,300 km². In terms of total population, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An had the largest population in 2019, both exceeding three million, while Ninh Thuan and Quang Tri had the smallest population that were only around 600,000.

Table 5  Population characteristics in the provinces of Northern Midlands and Mountain Areas of Vietnam in 2000, 2010, and 2019

Table 6  Population characteristics in provinces of the Northern Central Area and Central Coastal Area of Vietnam in 2000, 2010, and 2019

In terms of population growth rate, except Da Nang city, which had a faster growth rate of 2.45%, most provinces (accounting for 86%) had an average annual population growth rate of less than 0.7%. In terms of population density, Da Nang city had the highest population density, exceeding 880 persons/km², whereas Quang Binh province had the lowest population density, which was only 111 persons/km² (Figure 5, Table 6).

4.3.4 Land Area and Population Change Data in Provinces of the Central Highlands

In terms of land area, among the five provinces in the Central Highlands, the two provinces of Gia Lai and Dak Lak have larger land areas, with more than 15,000 km² and 13,000 km², respectively, while Dak Nong province had relatively small area, with only 6,500 km². In terms of total population, Dak Lak province had more than 1.8 million in 2019, while the total population of Kon Tum and Dak Nong provinces were relatively small, which were only about 600,000. The population growth rate of all provinces was relatively fast. The population growth rates of Kon Tum and Dak Nong provinces in 2019 both exceeded 2%, and even that of Dak Lak province, which was the slowest, also exceeded 0.75%. The population density of all provinces were below 150 persons/km², and that of Kon Tum province was less than 60 persons/km² (Figure 6, Table 7).

Table 7  Population characteristics in provinces of the Central Highlands in 2000, 2010, and 2019

4.3.5 Land Area and Population Change Data in Provinces of the South East

In terms of land area, among the six provinces (cities) in the South East, Binh Phuoc province ranks first with more than 7,000 km², while Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and Ho Chi Minh city have the smallest areas of around 2,000 km². In terms of total population, Ho Chi Minh city had the largest population of nearly nine million in 2019, while Binh Phuoc province had the smallest population of less than one million. In terms of population growth rate, all provinces grew fast, among which Binh Duong province had a population growth rate of nearly 5%, and that of Ho Chi Minh city also exceeded 2%. The population density of all provinces were relatively high. Ho Chi Minh city had a population density of more than 4,200 persons/km², and only Binh Phuoc province had a population density of less than 150 persons/km² (Figure 7, Table 8).

Table 8  Population characteristics in provinces of the South East in 2000, 2010, and 2019

4.3.6 Land Area and Population Change Data in Provinces of the Mekong River Delta

In terms of land area, among the 13 provinces (cities) in the Mekong River Delta, Kien Giang and Ca Mau province have larger land areas, exceeding 6,000 km² and 5,000 km², respectively, while Can Tho city and Vinh Long province have smaller land areas that are less than 1500 km². Most provinces in this region mainly had a population of one million to two million in 2019, and only the two provinces of Hau Giang and Bac Lieu had a population of less than one million. In terms of population growth rate, most provinces experienced slow growth. Among them, the six provinces of Vinh Long, Dong Thap, An Giang, Hau Giang, Soc Trang and Ca Mau experienced negative population growth (accounting for 46%). The population density of all provinces were relatively high. Can Tho city had a population density of more than 870 persons/km², and even that of Ca Mau province, which was the slowest, was more than 220 persons/km² (Figure 8, Table 9).

Table 9  Population characteristics in provinces of the Mekong River Delta of Vietnam in 2000, 2010, and 2019

4.4 Spatio-temporal Data of 63 Provinces (Cities) in Vietnam from 2000 to 2019

Figure 9 shows the provincial spatial distribution of population in Vietnam from 2000 to 2019. Overall, the Red River Delta in the north and the Mekong River Delta in the south are two densely populated areas, while the Truong Son Mountains in the central region is sparsely populated. For 63 provinces (cities), most provinces in Vietnam have a population of one million to two million, while the population of Ho Chi Minh city and Ha Noi city, the first and second populous province-level units, reaches 8.99 million and 8.05 million, respectively. The least-populous province is Bac Kan in the north, with a total population of only 0.31 million.

Figure 9  Provincial spatial distribution of population in Vietnam from 2000 to 2019

Note: The number in the parentheses indicates the number of provinces under the classification.

5 Discussion and Conclusion

This dataset collected the demographic data on the website of the General Statistics Office

of Vietnam from 2000 to 2019, and used the ArcGIS software to vectorize the population data in the provincial-level, and finally integrated the population dataset in Vietnam from 2000 to 2019. This dataset can provide data support for the research on the Vietnam’s human-nature interrelationship, such as climate change, disaster risk and epidemic spreading.

Author Contributions

Yin, X. was primarily responsible for the dataset design, model calculation, and manuscript writing. Feng, Z. M. designed the algorithms of dataset. Li, P., You, Z., and Xiao, C. W. contributed to the data processing and analysis.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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