Vietnam is the country that looks like it's stretching: two fat deltas at either end of a coastline so thin it seems apologetic. Players usually get the curve and still blow the score, because the Red River delta in the north is a genuine bulge and most people draw the top as just another skinny section.
The shape at a glance
Vietnam is extremely tall and thin — four or five times taller than wide — shaped like a long S lying along the South China Sea. The north widens around the Red River delta into a broad head pressed against China, the middle narrows to a waist that at one point is only about 50 kilometers wide, and the south spreads out again into the wide triangular fan of the Mekong delta. The east edge is one continuous convex coastline; the west edge wiggles along Laos and Cambodia.
Step by step
- Draw a tall, thin S-curve as your spine, about five times taller than its average width, leaning so the top curls left and the bottom flares right.
- Thicken the top into a broad head around the Red River delta, with a fairly straight northern edge pressed against China.
- Slim the middle drastically into the narrow waist — much thinner than feels safe — running down along the coast.
- Keep the entire right edge as one smooth convex bow facing the South China Sea, with a gentle outward swell near the middle's end.
- Make the left edge wavier, following the mountain borders with Laos and Cambodia, and bulge it outward where Cambodia rounds the delta.
- Finish with the Mekong delta: a wide triangular fan at the bottom pointing southwest, ending in a squared-off tip.
Mistakes that cost you points
- Drawing a uniformly thin noodle and missing the broad Red River delta head in the north.
- Making the Mekong delta a rounded blob instead of a wide pointed fan.
- Under-thinning the central waist, which is startlingly narrow on the real map.
- Straightening the S — the curve's bow toward the sea is the country's whole identity.
Place it on the map
Vietnam is the coastal strip on the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with China on its northern head, and Laos and Cambodia running down its entire western back. Everything east of that wiggly back line, down to the sea, is Vietnam.
Pro tip: Measure the waist against the deltas as you draw: the thin middle is roughly a third the width of either end. Getting that 1:3 ratio right captures most of the shape's area relationships in one glance.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you draw Vietnam from memory?
- Start with the overall box — is Vietnam wider than tall or the reverse — then place its signature feature first and build the rest of the outline around it. Finish with the coastline details, then compare against the real border in a free practice round to get a 0-100 score.
- How hard is it to draw Vietnam?
- Vietnam rates as medium difficulty. The S-curve is iconic and drawable, but the two delta bulges and the impossibly thin waist are easy to miscalibrate.