Brussels
161 km²
Hanoi
3,359 km²
Belgium
Vietnam
Area Comparison
Brussels is 20.9x smaller than Hanoi
Population Comparison
Brussels has 6.4x fewer people than Hanoi
In terms of area, Hanoi is 20.9x the size of Brussels. Hanoi spans 3,359 km² (1,297 mi²) while Brussels covers 161 km² (62 mi²) — a difference of 3,198 km². You could fit Brussels inside Hanoi approximately 20 times.
To put Brussels's size in perspective, its area of 161 km² is roughly the same size as Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, Hanoi at 3,359 km² is about 1.2x smaller than Rhode Island.
Brussels's footprint is roughly about 23,000 American football fields, 80 times the area of Monaco, or 47 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Hanoi works out to about 470,000 American football fields, 57 times the area of Manhattan, or 32 times the area of Paris.
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country. It is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, and is separate from the Flemish Region (Flanders), within which it forms an enclave, and the Walloon Region (Wallonia), located less than 4 km (2.5 mi) south.
Known as "Capital of Europe", Brussels covers 161 km² with a population of 1.3 million. The city was established in 1989. Brussels is known for Grand Place, Manneken Pis, Atomium, among other attractions.
The Brussels-Capital Region comprises 19 municipalities and forms an enclave entirely within the Flemish Region.
Hanoi is the capital and second-most populous municipality of Vietnam. It encompasses an area of 3,358.6 km2 (1,296.8 mi2), and as of 2025 has a population of 8,807,523. Hanoi had the second-highest gross regional domestic product of all Vietnamese provinces and municipalities at US$48 billion in 2023, behind Ho Chi Minh City. It hosts 78 foreign embassies, the headquarters of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA), its Vietnam National University system, and other governmental organizations.
Nicknamed "City Between Rivers", Hanoi has an area of 3,359 km² and is home to 8.1 million people. The city dates back to 1010. Visitors come for Hoan Kiem Lake, Old Quarter, Temple of Literature, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Hanoi Metro.
Hanoi encompasses 3,358.6 square kilometers and had a population of nearly 8.8 million as of 2025.
Brussels has a population density of 7,826 people per km² — a densely populated city. Hanoi, with 2,397 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Brussels is dramatically more crowded, with 3.3x the population density.
Size Ratio
Brussels fits inside Hanoi ~20 times
Density Gap
Brussels is 3.3x more densely populated
History
Hanoi is ~979 years older
Brussels covers 161 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Minneapolis (149 km²), Washington D.C. (177 km²), Miami (143 km²), Stockholm (188 km²), or Buenos Aires (203 km²).
Hanoi covers 3,359 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Karachi (3,527 km²), Cairo (3,085 km²), Dubai (4,114 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), or Moscow (2,511 km²).
The straight-line distance from Brussels to Hanoi is 8,978 km (5,579 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 4m.
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