|
|
|
Background:
|
The
conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was
completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in
1887. 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withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.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.
Despite the return of peace, for over two decades the
country experienced little economic growth because of
conservative leadership policies. Since 2001, Vietnamese
authorities have committed to economic liberalization
and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the
economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven
industries. The country continues to experience protests
from the Montagnard ethnic minority population of the
Central Highlands over loss of land to Vietnamese
settlers and religious persecution. |
|
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:
|
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin |
|
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: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore
oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower |
|
Land use:
|
arable
land: 19.97%
permanent crops: 5.95%
other: 74.08% (2001) |
|
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, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
|
Geography - note:
|
extending
1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km
across at its narrowest point |
|
Population:
|
83,535,576 (July 2005 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14
years: 27.9% (male 12,065,777/female 11,212,299)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 27,406,456/female
28,024,250)
65 years and over: 5.8% (male 1,889,585/female
2,937,209) (2005 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total:
25.51 years
male: 24.47 years
female: 26.68 years (2005 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.04%
(2005 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
17.07
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
6.2
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-0.43
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at
birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total:
25.95 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 70.61 years
male: 67.82 years
female: 73.6 years (2005 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.94
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
0.4%
(2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
220,000
(2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
9,000
(2003 est.) |
|
Major infectious diseases:
|
degree
of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria,
Japanese encephalitis, and plague are high risks in some
locations
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2004) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun:
Vietnamese (singular and plural)
adjective: Vietnamese |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Kinh
(Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome
1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999
census) |
|
Religions:
|
Buddhist
9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%,
Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)
|
|
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: 90.3%
male: 93.9%
female: 86.9% (2002) |
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Socialist Republic of
Vietnam
conventional short form: Vietnam
local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet
Nam
local short form: Viet Nam
abbreviation: SRV |
|
Government type:
|
Communist
state |
|
Capital:
|
Hanoi
|
|
Administrative divisions:
|
59
provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5
municipalities (thu do, singular and plural)
: provinces: 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, Cao Bang,
Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia
Lai, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hau
Giang, Hoa Binh, 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
: municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong,
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh |
|
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)
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 (8 August 2002) and Pham Gia KHIEM
(since 29 September 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president based on
proposal of prime minister and ratification of National
Assembly
elections: president elected by the National
Assembly from among its members for a five-year term;
election last held 25 July 2002 (next to be held when
National Assembly meets following legislative elections
in 2007); prime minister appointed by the president from
among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime
ministers appointed by the prime minister
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
(observer), APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief
of mission: Ambassador Nguyen Tam CHIEN
chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400,
Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737
FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917
consulate(s) general: San Francisco |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
chief
of mission: Ambassador Michael W. MARINE
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 - overview:
|
Vietnam
is a densely-populated, developing country that in the
last 30 years 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 1997 in
moving forward from an extremely low level of
development and significantly reducing poverty. Growth
averaged around 9% per year from 1993 to 1997. The 1997
Asian financial crisis highlighted the problems in the
Vietnamese economy and temporarily allowed opponents of
reform to slow progress towards a market oriented
economy. GDP growth of 8.5% in 1997 fell to 6% in 1998
and 5% in 1999. Growth then rose to 7% in 2000-04 even
against the background of global recession. Since 2001,
however, Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their
commitment to economic liberalization and international
integration. They have moved to implement the structural
reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce
more competitive, export-driven industries. However,
equitization of state-owned enterprises and reduction in
the proportion of non-performing loans has fallen behind
schedule. Vietnam's membership in the ASEAN Free Trade
Area (AFTA) and entry into force of the US-Vietnam
Bilateral Trade in December 2001 have led to even more
rapid changes in Vietnam's trade and economic regime.
Vietnam's exports to the US doubled in 2002 and again in
2003. Vietnam is working toward accession to the WTO in
2005. Among other benefits, accession will allow Vietnam
to take advantage of the phase out of the Agreement on
Textiles and Clothing, which eliminated quotas on
textiles and clothing for WTO partners on 1 January
2005. Vietnam is working to promote job creation to keep
up with the country's high population growth rate.
However, in 2004, high levels of inflation prompted
Vietnamese authorities to tighten monetary and fiscal
policies. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$227.2
billion (2004 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
7.7%
(2004 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2004 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 21.8%
industry: 40.1%
services: 38.1% (2004 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
42.98
million (2004 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture 63%, industry and services 37% (2000 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate:
|
1.9%
(2004 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
28.9%
(2002 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):
|
9.5%
(2004 est.) |
|
Investment (gross fixed):
|
36.6% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $10.66 billion
expenditures: $13.09 billion, including capital
expenditures of $1.8 billion (2004 est.) |
|
Public debt:
|
65.9% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
|
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 |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
16% (2004
est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
34.48
billion kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil
fuel: 43.7%
hydro: 56.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
32.06
billion kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh
(2002) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh
(2002) |
|
Oil - production:
|
359,400
bbl/day (2004 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
185,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA |
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
650
million bbl (2004 est.) |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
1.3
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
1.3
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
192.6
billion cu m (2004) |
|
Current account balance:
|
$-2.061
billion (2004 est.) |
|
Exports:
|
$23.72
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
crude
oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea,
garments, shoes |
|
Exports - partners:
|
US 20.2%,
Japan 13.6%, China 9%, Australia 7%, Germany 5.9%,
Singapore 4.8%, UK 4.6% (2004) |
|
Imports:
|
$26.31
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery
and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel
products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles |
|
Imports - partners:
|
China
13.7%, Taiwan 11.3%, South Korea 10.8%, Japan 10.5%,
Singapore 10.5%, Thailand 6.2%, Hong Kong 4% (2004) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$6.51
billion (2004 est.) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$16.55
billion (2004 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$2.8
billion in credits and grants pledged by international
donors for 2000 (2004) |
|
Currency (code):
|
dong
(VND) |
|
Currency code:
|
VND |
|
Exchange rates:
|
dong per
US dollar - 15,746 (2004), 15,510 (2003), 15,280 (2002),
14,725 (2001), 14,168 (2000) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar
year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
4.402
million (2003) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
2.742
million (2003) |
|
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; main lines have been substantially increased,
and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly
international: country code - 84; 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 hosts:
|
340
(2003) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
|
5 (2000)
|
|
Internet users:
|
3.5
million (2003) |
|
Railways:
|
total:
2,600 km
standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge
dual gauge: 253 km three-rail track combining
1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (2004) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
93,300 km
paved: 23,418 km
unpaved: 69,882 km (1999 est.) |
|
Waterways:
|
17,702 km
(5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2004)
|
|
Pipelines:
|
condensate/gas 432 km; gas 210 km; oil 3 km; refined
products 206 km (2004) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Hai
Phong, Ho Chi Minh City |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
194 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,170,621 GRT/1,798,376
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 18, cargo 142, chemical
tanker 3, container 2, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker
22, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 11 (2005) |
|
Airports:
|
24 (2004
est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
21
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
People's
Army of Vietnam: Ground Forces, People's Navy Command
(includes Naval Infantry), Air and Air Defense Force,
Coast Guard |
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
18 years
of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 2 years (2004) |
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 21,341,813 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 16,032,358 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
|
males:
915,572 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$650
million (FY98) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
2.5%
(FY98) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
southeast
Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check
the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest
Vietnamese squatters and armed encroachments along
border; in 2004 Laotian-Vietnamese boundary commission
agrees to erect missing markers in two adjoining
provinces; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary
proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary
delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in
June 2004, implementation has been delayed; China
occupies Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and
Taiwan; involved in complex dispute with China,
Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei over
the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased
tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of
conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Vietnam
continues to expand construction of facilities in the
Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil
companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed
a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in
the Spratly Islands |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
minor
producer of opium poppy; probable minor transit point
for Southeast Asian heroin; domestic
opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems |
|
This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
|
|
| |
|
|
