Determining the Southeast Asian country most similar to Central Asia requires considering various social, cultural, economic, and political factors.
One way to answer this complex question is by analyzing the data from the Country Similarity Index. The index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries, using a variety of statistics from five broad categories: demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography.
According to the Index, Vietnam and Indonesia stand out as being the most similar Southeast Asian countries to Central Asia, but for different reasons. On the other end of the spectrum, Singapore has the least amount of traits in common with Central Asian countries.
(Central Asian countries defined as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan)
Vietnam’s government has many traits in common with the governments in Central Asia. Indonesia’s demographics have some aspects that are similar to Central Asia. However, neither country is especially similar overall to Central Asia.
Vietnam
Vietnam operates under a single-party system where the Communist Party is the only legal political party. Most Central Asian countries were part of the Soviet Union. Nowadays, many have a single party that is dominant as well. The ruling parties in these countries often limit political opposition and restrict freedom of expression. Their communist ideology discouraged religious practices, so these countries have many atheists.
The Most Similar Countries to Vietnam
Indonesia
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. With the exception of Mongolia, Central Asian countries are predominately Muslim. As a result, male circumcision is commonly practiced in Indonesia and Central Asia. Furthermore, both Indonesia and some Central Asian countries have relatively youthful populations. In addition, the people in countries are not especially wealthy.
