Cape Town
2,455 km²
Hanoi
3,359 km²
South Africa
Vietnam
Area Comparison
Cape Town is 1.4x smaller than Hanoi
Population Comparison
Cape Town has 2.1x fewer people than Hanoi
Hanoi is significantly larger, covering 1.4 times the area of Cape Town. Hanoi spans 3,359 km² (1,297 mi²) while Cape Town covers 2,455 km² (948 mi²) — a difference of 904 km².
To put Cape Town's size in perspective, its area of 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow. Meanwhile, Hanoi at 3,359 km² is about 1.2x smaller than Rhode Island.
Cape Town's footprint is roughly about 344,000 American football fields, 42 times the area of Manhattan, or 23 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Hanoi, by comparison, equals about 470,000 American football fields, 57 times the area of Manhattan, or 32 times the area of Paris.
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's second-largest city by population, after Johannesburg, and the largest city in the Western Cape. The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.
Known as "The Mother City", Cape Town covers 2,455 km² with a population of 3.8 million. The city was established in 1652. Cape Town is known for Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island, among other attractions.
Cape Town is South Africa's oldest city, founded in 1652 and home to the seat of the national Parliament.
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.
Often called "City Between Rivers", Hanoi has an area of 3,359 km² and is home to 8.1 million people. Its history stretches 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.
Cape Town has a population density of 1,540 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Hanoi, with 2,397 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Hanoi is noticeably denser, packing 1.6 times more people per square kilometer.
Density Gap
Hanoi is 1.6x more densely populated
History
Hanoi is ~642 years older
Cape Town covers 2,455 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Moscow (2,511 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Ho Chi Minh City (2,061 km²), or Shenzhen (1,997 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 Cape Town to Hanoi is 11,065 km (6,876 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~13h 31m.
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