 |
|
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government, but US armed forces were withdrawn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
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of
the continental margin
contiguous zone: 12 nm
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: 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:
|
82,689,518
(July 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14
years: 29.4% (male 12,524,098; female
11,807,763)
15-64 years: 65% (male 26,475,156; female
27,239,543)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 1,928,568;
female 2,714,390) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total:
24.9 years
male: 24 years
female: 25.9 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.3%
(2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
19.58
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
6.14
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-0.45
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at
birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004
est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total:
29.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.)
male: 33.71 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 70.35 years
male: 67.86 years
female: 73.02 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
2.22
children born/woman (2004 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.) |
|
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: 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
abbreviation: SRV
local short form: Viet Nam |
|
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,
Ha Noi, 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 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
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 |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral
National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (498 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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
elections: last held 19 May 2002 (next to be
held 2007) |
|
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, CP, 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, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief
of mission: Ambassador Nguyen Tam Chien
chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400,
Washington, DC 20036
consulate(s) general: San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917
telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737 |
|
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 - 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
would lead to disaster. GDP growth of 8.5% in 1997
fell to 6% in 1998 and 5% in 1999. Growth then rose
to 6% to 7% in 2000-02 even 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. Since the Party elected new leadership in
2001, Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their
commitment to economic liberalization and have moved
to implement the structural reforms needed to
modernize the economy and to 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 - $203.7 billion (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
7.2%
(2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing
power parity - $2,500 (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture:
21.8%
industry: 39.7%
services: 38.5% (2003 est.) |
|
Investment (gross fixed):
|
33% of
GDP (2003) |
|
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):
|
3.1%
(2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
45.74
million (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture
63%, industry and services 37% (2000 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
6.1%
(2003 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues:
$8.689 billion
expenditures: $9.718 billion, including
capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (2003 est.) |
|
Public debt:
|
64.3%
of GDP (2003) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
paddy
rice, corn, potatoes, rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea,
bananas, sugar; poultry, pigs, fish |
|
Industries:
|
food
processing, garments, shoes, machine-building,
mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires,
oil, coal, steel, paper |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
16%
(2003 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
29.8
billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil
fuel: 43.7%
hydro: 56.3%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
27.71
billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh
(2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh
(2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
356,700
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
185,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA
(2001) |
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA
(2001) |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
1.4
billion bbl (1 January 2002) |
|
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 (1 January 2002) |
|
Current account balance:
|
$-1.781
billion (2003) |
|
Exports:
|
$19.88
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
crude
oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea,
garments, shoes |
|
Exports - partners:
|
US
20.9%, Japan 13.2%, Australia 6.9%, China 6.2%,
Germany 5.5%, Taiwan 4.8%, Singapore 4.4%, UK 4.2%
(2003 est.) |
|
Imports:
|
$22.5
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery
and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel
products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles |
|
Imports - partners:
|
China
13.6%, Taiwan 11.9%, Japan 11.2%, South Korea 10.8%,
Singapore 10.3%, US 5.7%, Thailand 5.4%, Hong Kong
4.2% (2003 est.) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
|
$6.357
billion (2003) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$14.69
billion (2003) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$2.8
billion in credits and grants pledged by
international donors for 2000 (2004) |
|
Currency:
|
dong (VND) |
|
Currency code:
|
VND |
|
Exchange rates:
|
dong
per US dollar - 15,279.5 (2003), 15,279.5 (2002),
14,725.2 (2001), 14,167.7 (2000), 13,943.2 (1999) |
|
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
dual gauge: 253 km three-rail track combining
1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (2003)
narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge |
|
Highways:
|
total:
93,300 km
paved: 23,418 km
unpaved: 69,882 km (1999 est.) |
|
Waterways:
|
17,702
km
note: more than 5,149 km are navigable at all
times by vessels up to 1.8 m draft |
|
Pipelines:
|
condensate/gas
432 km; gas 210 km; oil 3 km; refined products 206
km (2003) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Cam
Ranh, Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long,
Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Vinh, Vung Tau |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
194 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,170,621 GRT/1,798,376
DWT
by type: bulk 16, cargo 135, chemical tanker
1, container 8, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker
25, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 1,
specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: Cambodia 1, Germany 1, Japan
2, South Korea 1, United Kingdom 3
registered in other countries: 11 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports:
|
19
(2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
16
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.)
|
|
Military branches:
|
People's
Army of Vietnam: Ground Forces, People's Navy
Command (including Naval Infantry), Air and Air
Defense Force, Coast Guard |
|
Military manpower - military age:
|
17
years of age (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - availability:
|
males
age 15-49: 23,438,858 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service:
|
males
age 15-49: 14,694,574 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - reaching military age
annually:
|
males:
853,197 (2004 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$650
million (FY98) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
2.5%
(FY98)
|
| Transnational
Issues |
Vietnam |
|
Disputes - international:
|
demarcation
of the land boundary with China continues, but
maritime boundary and joint fishing zone agreement
remains unratified; Cambodia and Laos protest
Vietnamese squatters and armed encroachments along
border; 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 |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
minor
producer of opium poppy; probable minor transit
point for Southeast Asian heroin; domestic
opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems
|
|
