Vietnam ranked 95th in the happiness list of 156 countries.

Vietnam ranked 95th, after neighboring China (86) or some Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand (46), Philippines (71). The top 4 countries are all Nordic countries, when Finland surpassed Norway to become the first country, followed by Norway, Denmark and Iceland, according toGuardian.

The report was released today by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.The rankings are based on six factors: gross domestic product per capita, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, social support and corruption.

Finland, a country of 5.5 million that just 150 years ago suffered Europe's last famine, is ranked as the world's most stable, safest, and best-run country. It also has the lowest corruption rate, the most progressive society, and the most trustworthy police and banking system. For the first time, the United Nations tested the happiness of immigrants in each country, and Finland also scored highest.

The country with the biggest drop in happiness was Venezuela. Meanwhile, Burundi, a country in East Africa, was the least happy country due to ethnic conflict, a long civil war and a coup. Notably, five other African countries, including Rwanda, Yemen, Tanzania, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, reported lower happiness than Syria (150).

This year's report devotes a special chapter to explaining why the US, despite its higher GDP, has a lower happiness index, falling four places from last year to 18th place. The report notes that the "social and political system" in the US creates greater income inequality than other rich countries, along with other factors such as public health crises as major factors in the decline in the happiness index.

“The United States is in the midst of a complex and worsening public health crisis involving obesity, substance abuse and depression,” said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and one of the report’s authors.

“It’s remarkable that Finland scored so highly in this year’s report,” said Meik Wiking, a researcher at the Happiness Research Institute in Denmark. “Gross GDP per capita in Finland is lower than in its Nordic neighbors and much lower than in the United States. Finns are very good at turning wealth into prosperity. In the Nordic countries in general, we pay the highest taxes in the world, but the majority of people still support it because they see it as a valuable investment in quality of life.”

"Free health care, free education go a long way towards happiness. In the Nordic countries, Bernie Sanders is not considered a progressive, but just an ordinary person," Wiking added, referring to the US Democratic senator and 2016 presidential candidate.

10 happiest countries in the world 2018

(Numbers in parentheses are 2017 rankings)

1. Finland (5)

2. Norway(1)

3. Denmark(2)

4. Iceland (3)

5. Switzerland (4)

6. Netherlands (6)

7. Canada (7)

8. New Zealand (8)

9. Sweden (10)

10. Australia (9)

10 least happy countries in the world 2018

147. Malawi (136)

148. Haiti (145)

149. Liberia (148)

150. Syria (152)

151. Rwanda (151)

152. Yemen (146)

153. Tanzania (153)

154. South Sudan (147)

155. Central African Republic (155)

156. Burundi (154)