Hanoi
3,359 km²
Nairobi
696 km²
Vietnam
Kenya
Area Comparison
Hanoi is 4.8x larger than Nairobi
Population Comparison
Hanoi has 1.7x more people than Nairobi
In terms of area, Hanoi is 4.8x the size of Nairobi. Hanoi spans 3,359 km² (1,297 mi²) while Nairobi covers 696 km² (269 mi²) — a difference of 2,663 km². You could fit Nairobi inside Hanoi approximately 4 times.
To put Hanoi's size in perspective, its area of 3,359 km² is about 1.2x smaller than Rhode Island. Meanwhile, Nairobi at 696 km² is about 1.1x smaller than New York City.
Picture Hanoi another way: its area is large enough to fit about 470,000 American football fields, 57 times the area of Manhattan, or 32 times the area of Paris. For Nairobi, that's about 97,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 times the area of Paris.
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.
Known as "City Between Rivers", Hanoi covers 3,359 km² with a population of 8.1 million. The city was established in 1010. Hanoi is known for Hoan Kiem Lake, Old Quarter, Temple of Literature, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Hanoi Metro.
Hanoi encompasses 3,358.6 square kilometers and had a population of nearly 8.8 million as of 2025.
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya, located in the south-central part of the country. As of 2024, it has a population of 4.8 million and a metropolitan population of 5.7 million, making it the 11th most populous city in Africa. Nicknamed the "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi is uniquely notable for being the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries. Its name originates from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, meaning "place of cool waters".
Nicknamed "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi has an area of 696 km² and is home to 4.7 million people. Its history stretches back to 1899. Visitors come for Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Nairobi Commuter Rail.
Nairobi is the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries.
Looking beyond city limits, the Hanoi metropolitan area covers 3,359 km², which is 4.8x larger than greater Nairobi at 696 km². The Hanoi metro area is also more populous, with 8.1 million people compared to 4.7 million.
Hanoi has a population density of 2,397 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Nairobi, with 6,796 people per km², is a densely populated city. Nairobi is noticeably denser, packing 2.8 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Hanoi in Asia versus Nairobi in Africa. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Hanoi has a humid subtropical climate while Nairobi experiences subtropical highland conditions. Summers are notably different: Hanoi averages 30°C compared to 20°C in Nairobi. When it's noon in Hanoi, it's 8:00 AM in Nairobi — a 4-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Nairobi fits inside Hanoi ~4 times
Density Gap
Nairobi is 2.8x more densely populated
Time Difference
4 hours apart
History
Hanoi is ~889 years older
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).
Nairobi covers 696 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Tehran (730 km²), Jakarta (662 km²), Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), or Hyderabad (650 km²).
The straight-line distance from Hanoi to Nairobi is 7,891 km (4,903 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 47m.
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