The average height in Vietnam might surprise you as they are not as short as lots of Westerners might think. Let’s check the exact average height in this article.
A lot of individuals have indeed felt spellbound when looking at check-in pictures of tourists from Western countries and realizing the clear difference in height. Particularly, Vietnamese people seem to look far shorter and smaller than ordinary people from Western nations.
So, what is the exact average height in Vietnam? Generally speaking, Vietnamese locals have improved their height a little bit when compared to the height of folks from Western countries. The statistics were from recent years, but it seems to be a little bit small. Let’s delve into this blog post to know the medium tallness of Vietnamese.
Key Takeaway
- According to the statistics by the Ministry of Health in Hanoi, Vietnamese ranks the 4th tallest individuals in the Southeast Asia region. Three countries with an average height taller than the Vietnamese include Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. In reality, this is because of the improved nutrition for mothers and children.
- Vietnamese have become taller during the last 200 years. However, the increased level in this country is not as fast as that in a few Asian nations.
- The average height of Vietnamese people is approx. 5 feet 2.6 inches (or around 159.01 cm).
- The average height of Vietnamese males is approx. 5 feet 4.74 inches (or around 164.44 cm).
- The average height of Vietnamese females is approx. 5 feet 4.74 inches (or around 164.44 cm).
The Average Height in Vietnam During The Years
If you are interested in the average height of people around the world, you can take a look at the average men height of the world, which compares the average height of men across different countries. This can help you understand how the height of Vietnamese people compares to other countries.
1975 – 2000 Period
As per the figure from the 2000 Nutrition Census, the medium tallness of young Vietnamese females is 152.3 cm (approx. 4 feet 11.9 inches) and that of males is 162.3 cm (approx. 5 feet 3.9 inches).
Back in 1975, the average height of Vietnamese young females and males was only 150 cm (approx. 4 feet 11 inches) and 160 cm (approx. 5 feet 3 inches), respectively. Accordingly, Vietnamese experienced an increase of approx. 2.3 cm during the period 1975-2000.
It is also widely said that the Vietnamese undergo the lowest medium tallness in the Southeast Asia region. Having said that, people from this country are still a little bit taller than those from Indonesia and the Philippines.
2000 – 2010 Period
When compared to the previous period, this time saw a substantial change in the average height of Vietnamese males. In particular, they experienced an increase of approx. 2.1 cm in height, with an average height of 164.4 cm.
Vietnamese females, on the flip side, had just a 1.1 cm increase in their average height. Particularly, their medium tallness increased from 152.3 cm (approx. 4 feet 11.9 inches) in 2000 to 153.4 cm (approx. 5 feet 0.4 inches) in 2010.
With this significant growth in height, Vietnam has risen to 182 out of 200 countries worldwide in terms of height. When compared to other nations in the Southeast Asia region, Vietnamese are also taller than people from a lot of countries in this area. Specifically, they are shorter than Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
2010 – 2020 Period
Based on the data from the National Nutrition Census of the National Institute of Nutrition’s report during the 2019-2020 period, Vietnamese have seen a significant change in the average height of both males and females.
In particular, young Vietnamese males have experienced a drastic increase of 3.7 cm in height when compared to the average height in 2010. Particularly, they increased from 164.4 cm (approx. 5 feet 4.7 inches) in 2010 to 168.1 cm (approx. 5 feet 6.2 inches) in 2020.
The average height of young Vietnamese females has also increased, but it is not as fast as that of their male counterparts. Specifically, their medium tallness increased by only 2.6 cm, which is from 154.8 cm (approx. 5 feet 0.9 inches) in 2010 to 156.2 cm (approx. 5 feet 1.5 inches) in 2020.
According to experts, this period undergoes extremely rapid growth, which is comparable to the golden age of the Japanese during the 1955-1995 period.
Factors And Outlook To Enhance Vietnamese Average Height Over The Periods
The period from 2000 ahead
Influence of war
As a lot of you might know, the war in Vietnam ended in 1975. Having said that, its effect on the subsequent ages of Vietnamese is still exceptionally great. Accordingly, the average height of young Vietnamese girls and boys was found to be far shorter than the normal height of the WHO (widely known as the World Health Organization).
Basically, this was due to the shortage of nutrition, weak economy, and low level of education during those days. What’s more, Vietnamese kids underwent an incredibly high rate of undernourishment. Accordingly, this has a significant impact on the medium height in Vietnamese later.
In addition to these reasons, there is another common cause that makes Vietnamese typically short in stature during this period. Generally speaking, Vietnamese females tended to get married relatively early during these times, often at the age of 16 years old and over.
What’s more, they seemed to give a lot of births and thick births as well. Together with the shortage of enough nutrition while getting pregnant, the average height growth of kids and females was significantly affected.
Exercise routine
Besides the effects of war, exercise habits also play a major role in the average height in Vietnam. In particular, during those previous years, Vietnamese adolescents were found to be less engaged in physical activities. As a consequence, this slowed the growth of bone cells, obstructing the process of increasing bone length.
The period from 2000 to These Days
During this period, Vietnamese youth experienced a drastic increase in average height. Accordingly, this is mainly because of the great economic development. At the same time, the government also introduced a lot of activities and policies to raise awareness of Vietnamese. More importantly, the state even introduced many nutrition intercessions, let’s say, development support plans during the first 1,000 days of babies’ life.
Particularly, the overall height growth witnessed an extremely high increase level thanks to the nutrition intercession program for students. Some such activities include taking vitamin supplementation, deworming, etc.
After a short period of applying those practical actions, the Vietnamese have undergone a dramatic increase in average height. As a result, this makes Vietnam one of the nations having the perfect medium tallness in the Southeast Asia region. Therefore, if the state continues to implement such nutrition interventions, we can make sure that the medium height of Vietnamese people will definitely keep increasing.
Let’s look back at the period before 2000, Vietnamese medium tallness was considered to be less short than that of a lot of other nations all over the world. Having said that, the average height of Vietnamese has seen positive shifts from the period of 2000 ahead. In particular, it is expected that the average height in Vietnam will keep increasing at a better rate with prompt nutrition intercessions and essential supplements as well.
How To Develop Taller Vietnamese Kids
Based on the master Plan to increase the stature as well as physical health of Vietnamese, the major goal is to raise the medium tallness of Vietnamese to 167 cm (approx. 5 feet 5.7 inches) by the age of 18 years old in 2020. Therefore, the project will pay more attention to physical activities as well as nutrition. Of course, as a lot of you might know, physical activities are among the most effective ways to raise the medium height of Vietnamese people. Let’s now dig into these two ways.
Physical fitness
According to experts, frequent physical activities are always considered among the most effective and healthiest ways to develop bones in kids. Based on a few studies, kids who are not engaged in any physical activities, just sitting on sofas watching TV or simply studying for a long time, tend to have shorter average height than those who have regular physical activity.
As a result, it is strongly suggested that kids should avoid sitting for over 2 hours each day to prevent the process of height development.
What’s more, it is recommended that kids have enough sleep during the evening, don’t sleep later than 10 pm, and take a nap between 30 and 45 minutes during the day. All of these actions are widely considered advantageous for their height growth. Besides, experts suggest not leaving any kind of electronic devices, such as computers, cell phones, TV, etc., in the kids’ bedrooms. This is basically because they might affect their sleep quality.
For those who don’t know, the Vietnamese government has had a thorough project to conquer the rate of stunting and undernourishment. According to the World Health Organization, a kid’s height at the age of 3 years old is a critical element in grownup height. As a consequence, it is essential to help kids to develop to the proper height from an early age. This way, they will have a greater chance to develop far taller when reaching adulthood.
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Nutrition
As a lot of you might know, nutrition is widely considered an essential element that helps increase height growth in human beings. Basically, nutrition plays an important role in our body, creating beneficial conditions to develop better well-being. In addition, it aids in preventing illnesses linked to food. Besides, it is even useful for faster recovery after illness.
Even so, kids are suggested not to consume too much food and not in moderation. Generally speaking, this is because it might easily result in overweight or, sometimes, even obesity in children. As a result, it affects the process of maximum height development. Moreover, kids should avoid these foods if they want to be healthier and taller. Some of them include processed foods, fast foods, or industrial foods. This is because these types of food typically contain a lot of saturated fat, salt, and sugar as well.
Carbonated water and soft drinks are not also recommended for kids as these beverages might also influence the overall height growth of kids.
