The figure was officially announced by the Steering Committee for the General Census on Population and Housing (GSPH) on July 21.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung said the results of this census truly reflect the 10-year socio-economic development of the country.

“Vietnam now has a golden population for growth and development, which opens up great potential for the country to enjoy the stable development period,” he said.

“However, the golden population also poses some challenges for the future, requiring comprehensive solutions on education and training, jobs creation, health care, social welfare issued by the State,” Mr Hung added.

Since the last census conducted in 1989, Vietnam’s total population has risen by 9.532 million.

It annual growth rate in the period was 1.2 percent, 0.5 percent lower than the estimate released in 1989-1999.

The figure showed a constant decrease in the birthrate in the country over the past ten years, confirming the results from annual surveys on the change in population and family planning conducted by the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The census also shows improvement in living standards. The average living space of an individual is 16.7m2. People in the urban areas have the larger living space of 19.2m2, 1.5 times higher than those living in rural areas.

Ho Chi Minh City is the most populated place in the country with more than 7 million people in the CBD and surrounding area, it was followed by Hanoi (almost 6.5 million) and Thanh Hoa province (about 3.5 million).

Five provinces with a population of still less than 500,000 include Bac Kan, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Kon Tum and Dak Nong.

The Deputy Prime Minister urged the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the GSO to mobilise all domestic resources and make good use of international support, especially from the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA). He also asked individuals and organisations to work out policies and plans for further socio-economic development.