II.

Population

Metropolitan Hanoi had a population of 3,056,146 in 1989. Most residents are ethnic Vietnamese, and Vietnamese is the common language (see Austro-Asiatic Languages). Since 1875, foreigners living in northern Vietnam have been concentrated in Hanoi; there are now several thousand Asian and European diplomats and businesspeople living in the city. Since the 1980s, rapid and uncontrolled migration into Hanoi from other areas of Vietnam and the arrival of numerous foreigners has created severe housing problems. Economic and social problems have also developed as Hanoi has tried to absorb poor migrants who seek employment in the city.