Vietnam is ranked 39th among the safest places in the world, according to the 2009 Global Peace Index (GPI), an annual ranking of the world’s nations on their peacefulness.

The index was collated by the Economist Intelligence Unit for a new thinktank called the Institute for Economics and Peace. It is composed of 23 indicators, including foreign wars, internal and external conflicts, respect for human rights, the number of murders, the number of people in jail, the arms trade, and degrees of democracy.

Iceland has lost its title as the most peaceful place in the world, rated fourth in the top five most peaceful countries, including New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Austria. Meanwhile, Iraq remains at the bottom of the list, bellow Afghanistan and Somalia.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Vietnam comes after Malaysia (26th) but far ahead of Indonesia (67th), the Philippines (114th), Thailand (118th) and Myanmar (126th).

The US ranks 83rd due to its high prison population and heavy military spendings.

VietNamNet/VOV