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Vietnam

Country Profile

Local Time: UTC +7h

Capital City: Hanoi (Ha Noi)

Other Cities: Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon; 5.4 million), Hai Phong (1.8 million), Da Nang (720 000)

Geography:
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea.
Area: 331 114 sq. km. (127 243 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Varies from mountainous to coastal delta.
Border countries: Cambodia, China, Laos

Climate: Tropical monsoon.

Government:
Type: Communist Party-dominated constitutional republic.
Independence: 2 September 1945.
New constitution: 15 April 1992.

People:
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Vietnamese.
Population: 83.5 million.
Ethnic Groups: Vietnam is a multi-nationality country with 54 ethnic groups. Viet (Kinh) (87%), Chinese (3%), Tay, Thai, Muong, Hoa, Khmer, Nung, other mountain groups.
Religions: Buddhism, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian, animism, Islam.
Languages: Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer, mountain area languages.
Literacy: 91%

Business

Currency: Dong (VND)

Natural resources: Phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower.

Agriculture products: Paddy rice, coffee, fish and seafood, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas, poultry.

Industries: Food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, coal, steel, paper.

Exports partners: USA 19.8%, Japan 13.7%, China 8.4%, Australia 7%, Germany 5.7%, Singapore 4.8%, UK 4.6% (2004)

Imports partners: China 13.6%, Japan 11.5%, Singapore 11.5%, Taiwan 10.2%, South Korea 9.8%, Thailand 6.7%, Hong Kong 4.4%, USA 4.1%, Malaysia 4.1% (2004)

Internet Links

Official Sites of Viet Nam
The National Assembly of Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Diplomatic Missions
Permanent Mission of the S.R of Vietnam to the United Nations

Embassy of Vietnam in the U.S.

Vietnamese Embassies & Consulates Abroad

Foreign Embassies and Consulates General in Vietnam

Visa and Customs

Maps
Map of Vietnam

Introduction

Vietnam

Background: France occupied all of Vietnam by 1884. Independence was
declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until
1954 when they were defeated by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH,
who took control of the north. US economic and military aid to South
Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government,
but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in
1973. Two years later North Vietnamese forces overran the south. Economic
reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult as aging
Communist Party leaders have only grudgingly initiated reforms necessary
for a free market.

Geography Vietnam

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of
Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 106 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area: total: 329,560 sq km land: 325,360 sq km water: 4,200 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries: total: 4,639 km border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km,
China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km

Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season
(mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)

Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly,
mountainous in far north and northwest

Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point:
Ngoc Linh 3,143 m

Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate,
offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 17% permanent crops: 5% other: 78% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive
flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

Environment - current issues: logging and slash-and-burn agricultural
practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water
pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater
contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization
and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and
Ho Chi Minh City

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: extending 1,650
km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point

People Vietnam

Population: 81,098,416 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:   31.6% (male 13,259,152; female 12,392,089) 15-64 years:
(male 1,749,531; female 2,675,865) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.43% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 20.89 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.14 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 29.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:   72.5 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.24% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 100,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,500 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural) adjective: Vietnamese

Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese, Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Cham,
mountain groups

Religions: Buddhist, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian (predominantly Roman
Catholic, some Protestant), indigenous beliefs, Muslim

Languages: Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a
second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages
(Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 93.7% male: 96.5% female: 91.2% (1995 est.)

Government Vietnam

Country name: conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
conventional short form: Vietnam local short form: Viet Nam abbreviation:
SRV local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam

Government type: Communist state

Capital: Hanoi

Administrative divisions: 58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), and
3 municipalities* (thu do, singular and plural); An Giang, Bac Giang,
Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh
Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Da
Nang, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Hai Phong*,
Ha Nam, Ha Noi*, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Ho Chi Minh*, Hung Yen,
Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai,
Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen,
Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang,
Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue,
Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai

Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Constitution: 15 April 1992

Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil law system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Tran Duc LUONG (since 24
September 1997) elections: president elected by the National Assembly
from among its members for a five-year term; election last held 24
September 1997 (next to be held when National Assembly meets following
legislative elections in May 2002); prime minister appointed by the
president from among the members of the National Assembly; deputy
prime ministers appointed by the prime minister head of government:
Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 25 September 1997); First Deputy
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 29 September 1997); Deputy Prime
Ministers Vu KHOAN (since NA) and Pham Gia KHIEM (since 29 September 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime
minister and ratification of the National Assembly election results:
Tran Duc LUONG elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (498 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections:
last held 19 May 2002 (next to be held 2007) election results: percent
of vote by party - CPV 90%, other 10% (the 10% are not CPV members but
are approved by the CPV to stand for election); seats by party - CPV 447,
CPV-approved 51

Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected
for a five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of
the president)

Political parties and leaders: only party - Communist Party of Vietnam
or CPV [Nong Duc MANH, general secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders: none

International organization participation: ACCT, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN,
CCC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nguyen
Tam CHIEN consulate(s) general: San
[1] (202) 861-0737 chancery:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Raymond F. BURGHARDT embassy: 7 Lang Ha Road, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [84]
(4) 772-1500 FAX: [84] (4) 772-1510 consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City

Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center

Economy Vietnam

Economy - overview: Vietnam is a poor, densely populated country that
has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support
from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally planned
economy. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to 1996 in moving
forward from an extremely low starting point - growth averaged around 9%
per year from 1993 to 1997. The 1997 Asian financial crisis highlighted
the problems in the Vietnamese economy but, rather than prompting reform,
reaffirmed the government's belief that shifting to a market oriented
economy leads to disaster. GDP growth of 8.5% in 1997 fell to 6% in 1998
and 5% in 1999. Growth then rose to 6.8% in 2000 and dropped back to
4.7% in 2001 against the background of global recession. These numbers
mask some major difficulties in economic performance. Many domestic
industries, including coal, cement, steel, and paper, have reported
large stockpiles of inventory and tough competition from more efficient
foreign producers. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities have moved slowly
in implementing the structural reforms needed to revitalize the economy
and produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The US-Vietnam
Bilateral Trade Agreement entered into force near the end of 2001 and is
expected to significantly increase Vietnam's exports to the US. The US
is assisting Vietnam with implementing the legal and structural reforms
called for in the agreement.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $168.1 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,100 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25% industry: 35% services:
40% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 37% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 29.9% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.1 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.3% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 38.2 million (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 67%, industry and services 33%
(1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 25% (1995 est.)

Budget: revenues: $5.3 billion expenditures: $5.6 billion, including
capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (1999 est.)

Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine building, mining,
cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, coal, steel, paper

Industrial production growth rate: 10.4% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production: 25.775 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 40.74% hydro: 59.26%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 23.97 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: paddy rice, corn, potatoes, rubber, soybeans,
coffee, tea, bananas, sugar; poultry, pigs; fish

Exports: $15.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Exports - commodities: crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber,
tea, garments, shoes

Exports - partners: Japan 18.1%, China 10.6%, Australia 8.8%, Singapore
6.1%, Taiwan 5.2%, Germany 5.1%, US 5.1% (2000)

Imports: $15.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products,
fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles

Imports - partners: Singapore 17.7%, Japan 14.4%, Taiwan 12.1%, South
Korea 11.1%, China 9.1%, Thailand 5.2%, Hong Kong 3.9% (2000)

Debt - external: $13.2 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient: $2.1 billion in credits and grants pledged
by international donors for 2000

Currency: dong (VND)

Currency code: VND

Exchange rates: dong per US dollar - 15,085 (January 2002), 14,725
(2001), 14,168 (2000), 13,943 (1999), 13,268 (1998), 11,683 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Vietnam

Telephones - main lines in use: 2.6 million (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 730,155 (2000)

Telephone system: general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable
effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication
system, but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more
modern neighbors domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized
and connected to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic
cable or microwave radio relay networks; since 1991, main lines in use
have been substantially increased and the use of mobile telephones is
growing rapidly international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik
(Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 65, FM 7, shortwave 29 (1999)

Radios: 8.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: at least 7 (plus 13 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions: 3.57 million (1997)

Internet country code: .vn

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000)

Internet users: 160,000 (2001)

Transportation Vietnam

Railways:   209 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges
(2001)

Highways: total: 93,300 km paved: 23,418 km unpaved: 69,882 km (1996)

Waterways: 17,702 km note: more than 5,149 km are navigable at all
times by vessels up to 1.8 m draft

Pipelines: petroleum products 150 km

Ports and harbors: Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City,
Ha Long, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Vinh, Vung Tau

Merchant marine: total: 153 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 782,912
GRT/1,173,186 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered
here as a flag of convenience: Cambodia 1, Japan 1, Singapore 1, United
Kingdom 2 (2002 est.) ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 113, chemical tanker
1, combination bulk 1, container 5, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 20,
refrigerated cargo 2

Airports: 34 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047
m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to
2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 8 (2001)

Military Vietnam

Military branches: People's Army of Vietnam (includes Ground Forces,
People's Navy Command [including Naval Infantry], Air and Air Defense
Force, Coast Guard)

Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 22,220,891 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 13,978,653
(2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 961,124
(2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $650 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.5% (FY98)

Transnational Issues Vietnam

Disputes - international: Vietnam disputes several offshore islands
with Cambodia, preventing delimitation of a maritime boundary; Cambodia
accuses Vietnam of territorial encroachments and initiating armed border
incidents in seven provinces; demarcation of boundaries with Laos is
nearing completion, but Laos protests Vietnamese squatters; involved
in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia,
Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei; maritime boundary with China in
the Gulf of Tonkin still awaits ratification; Paracel Islands occupied
by China but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; demarcation of the land
boundary with China has commenced, but details of the alignment have
not been made public

Illicit drugs: minor producer of opium poppy with 2,300 hectares
cultivated in 2001, capable of producing 15 metric tons of opium;
probable minor transit point for Southeast Asian heroin; domestic
opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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