Profile - Vietnam

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Vietnam

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10/4/2008https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/vm.html


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Introduction Vietnam

Background: The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declaredindependence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its1954 defeat by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under theGeneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the Communist

North and anti-Communist South. US economic and military aid to SouthVietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government,but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the Southreuniting the country under Communist rule. Despite the return of peace,for over a decade the country experienced little economic growthbecause of conservative leadership policies. However, since theenactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986,Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economicliberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize theeconomy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The

country continues to experience protests from various groups - such asthe Protestant Montagnard ethnic minority population of the CentralHighlands and the Hoa Hao Buddhists in southern Vietnam overreligious persecution. Montagnard grievances also include the loss ofland to Vietnamese settlers.

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 kmland: 325,360 sq kmwater: 4,200 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

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

Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of thecontinental margin

Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainyseason (May to September) and warm, dry season




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(October to 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 mhighest 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: 20.14%permanent crops: 6.93%other: 72.93% (2005)

Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 891.2 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal(domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 71.39 cu km/yr (8%/24%/68%)

per capita: 847 cu m/yr (2000)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 practicescontribute to deforestation and soil degradation; waterpollution and overfishing threaten marine lifepopulations; groundwater contamination limits potablewater supply; growing urban industrialization andpopulation migration are rapidly degradingenvironment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Environment - internationalagreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, ClimateChange-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, EndangeredSpecies, Environmental Modification, HazardousWastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, ShipPollution, Wetlandssigned, but not ratified: none of the selectedagreements

Geography - note: extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only50 km across at its narrowest point

People Vietnam

Population: 86,116,560 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.6% (male 11,418,642/female 10,598,184)15-64 years: 68.6% (male 29,341,216/female 29,777,696)65 years and over: 5.8% (male 1,925,609/female 3,055,212) (2008 est.)

Median age: total: 26.9 yearsmale: 25.8 yearsfemale: 28 years (2008 est.)




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Populationgrowth rate:

0.99% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 16.47 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration

rate:

-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortalityrate:

total: 23.61 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 24.01 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 23.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancyat birth:

total population:71.33 yearsmale: 68.52 years

female: 74.33 years (2008 est.)

Total fertilityrate:

1.86 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adultprevalence rate:

0.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS -people living

with HIV/AIDS:

220,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS -deaths: 9,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectiousdiseases:

degree of risk: highfood or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoidfevervectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, andplaguewater contact disease: leptospirosisnote: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in thiscountry; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possibleamong US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

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%, Protestant0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)

Languages: Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second




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language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages(Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 90.3%male: 93.9%female: 86.9% (2002 est.)

School lifeexpectancy(primary to

tertiaryeducation):

total: 10 yearsmale: 11 yearsfemale: 10 years (2000)

Educationexpenditures:

1.8% of GDP (1991)

Government Vietnam

Country name: conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

conventional short form: Vietnamlocal long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Namlocal short form: Viet Namabbreviation: SRV

Governmenttype:

Communist state

Capital: name: Hanoigeographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 Etime difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)

Administrativedivisions: 59 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho,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, DongThap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, HauGiang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, LaiChau, 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, TraVinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Baimunicipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh

Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)

Nationalholiday:

Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Constitution: 15 April 1992

Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil law system; has not




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accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executivebranch:

chief of state: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006); VicePresident Nguyen Thi DOAN (since 25 July 2007)head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June

2006); Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh HUNG (since 28June 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung HAI (since 2 August2007), Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien NHAN (since 2 August2007), Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia KHIEM (since 28 June 2006),and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh TRONG (since 28 June 2006)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president based on proposal of primeminister and confirmed by National Assemblyelections: president elected by the National Assembly from among itsmembers for five-year term; last held 27 June 2006 (next to be held in2011); prime minister appointed by the president from among themembers of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed bythe prime minister; appointment of prime minister and deputy prime

ministers confirmed by National Assemblyelection results: Nguyen Minh TRIET elected president; percent ofNational Assembly vote - 94%; Nguyen Tan DUNG elected primeminister; percent of National Assembly vote - 92%

Legislativebranch:

unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (500 seats; members electedby popular vote to serve five-year terms)elections: last held 20 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012)election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPV 450,non-party CPV-approved 42, self-nominated 1; note - 493 candidateswere elected; CPV and non-party CPV-approved delegates weremembers of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front

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

Political partiesand leaders:

Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH]; other partiesproscribed

Politicalpressure

groups andleaders:

8406 Bloc; Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV; People's DemocraticParty Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracynote: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by thegovernment

Internationalorganizationparticipation:

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW,UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomaticrepresentation

in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Le Cong PHUNGchancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917




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consulate(s) general: San Francisco

Diplomaticrepresentation

from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael W. MICHALAKembassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoimailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002telephone: [84] (4) 850-5000FAX: [84] (4) 850-5010

consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City

Flagdescription:

red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center

Economy Vietnam

Economy -overview:

Vietnam is a densely-populated developing country that in the last 30years has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financialsupport from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally-plannedeconomy. Economic stagnation marked the period after reunificationfrom 1975 to 1985. In 1986, the Sixth Party Congress approved a broadeconomic reform package that introduced market reforms and set thegroundwork for Vietnam's improved investment climate. Substantialprogress was achieved from 1986 to 1997 in moving forward from anextremely low level of development and significantly reducing poverty.The 1997 Asian financial crisis highlighted the problems in theVietnamese economy and temporarily allowed opponents of reform toslow progress toward a market-oriented economy. GDP growth averaged6.8% per year from 1997 to 2004 even against the background of theAsian financial crisis and a global recession. Since 2001, Vietnameseauthorities have reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalizationand international integration. They have moved to implement thestructural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce

more competitive, export-driven industries. The economy grew 8.5% in2007. Vietnam's membership in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA)and entry into force of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement inDecember 2001 have led to even more rapid changes in Vietnam's tradeand economic regime. Vietnam's exports to the US increased 900% from2001 to 2007. Vietnam joined the WTO in January 2007, following overa decade long negotiation process. WTO membership has providedVietnam an anchor to the global market and reinforced the domesticeconomic reform process. Among other benefits, accession allowsVietnam to take advantage of the phase-out of the Agreement on Textilesand Clothing, which eliminated quotas on textiles and clothing for WTOpartners on 1 January 2005. Agriculture's share of economic output hascontinued to shrink, from about 25% in 2000 to less than 20% in 2007.Deep poverty, defined as a percent of the population living under $1 perday, has declined significantly and is now smaller than that of China,India, and the Philippines. Vietnam is working to create jobs to meet thechallenge of a labor force that is growing by more than one-and-a-halfmillion people every year. In an effort to stem high inflation which tookoff in 2007, early in 2008 Vietnamese authorities began to raisebenchmark interest rates and reserve requirements. Hanoi is targeting aneconomic growth rate of 7.5-8% during the next four years.




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GDP(purchasing

power parity):

$221.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (officialexchange rate):

$70.02 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real

growth rate:

8.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita(PPP):

$2,600 (2007 est.)

GDP -composition by

sector:

agriculture: 19.5%industry: 42.3%services: 38.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 46.42 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - byoccupation:

agriculture: 55.6%industry: 18.9%

services: 25.5% (July 2005)

Unemploymentrate:

4.3% (2007 est.)

Populationbelow poverty

line:

14.8% (2007 est.)

Householdincome or

consumption bypercentage

share:

lowest 10%: 2.9%highest 10%: 28.9% (2004)

Distribution offamily income -

Gini index:

37 (2004)

Inflation rate(consumer

prices):

8.3% (2007 est.)

Investment(gross fixed):

37.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget: revenues: $18.62 billion

expenditures: $19.71 billion (2007 est.)Public debt: 42% of GDP (2007 est.)

Agriculture -products:

paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugarcane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish, seafood

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

Industrial 10.6% (2007 est.)




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productiongrowth rate:

Electricity -production:

59.01 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity -production by

source:

fossil fuel: 43.7%hydro: 56.3%nuclear: 0%other: 0% (2001)

Electricity -consumption:

51.35 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity -exports:

0 kWh (2007)

Electricity -imports:

0 kWh (2007)

Oil - production: 324,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil -consumption:

271,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports: 315,700 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - imports: 271,100 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - provedreserves:

3.3 billion bbl (1 January 2007 est.)

Natural gas -production:

6.86 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas -consumption: 6.86 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas -exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas -imports:

0 cu m (2007)

Natural gas -proved

reserves:

184.7 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account

balance:

-$6.993 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $48.56 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports -commodities:

crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes

Exports -partners:

US 22.4%, Japan 12%, Australia 7.4%, China 6.3%, Germany 5.1%,Singapore 4.2% (2007)

Imports: $58.92 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)




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Imports -commodities:

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products,raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles

Imports -partners:

China 20.9%, Singapore 11.4%, Taiwan 10.8%, Japan 10%, South Korea7.7%, Thailand 6.7%, Malaysia 4.1%, Hong Kong 4% (2007)

Economic aid -

recipient:

$5.4 billion in credits and grants pledged by the 2007 Consultative Group

meeting in Hanoi (2007)Reserves of

foreignexchange and

gold:

$23.87 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external: $21.83 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of directforeign

investment - athome:

$32.74 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of directforeign

investment -abroad:

$NA

Market value ofpublicly traded

shares:

$NA

Currency(code):

dong (VND)

Currency code: VND

Exchange rates: dong per US dollar - 16,119 (2007), 15,983 (2006), 15,746 (2005), NA(2004), 15,510 (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Vietnam

Telephones -main lines in

use:

10.8 million (2007)

Telephones -mobile cellular:

33.2 million (2007)

Telephonesystem:

general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort intomodernization and expansion of its telecommunication system, but itsperformance continues to lag behind that of its more modern neighborsdomestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected toHanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable ormicrowave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantiallyincreased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidlyinternational: country code - 84; a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3,the C2C, and Thailand-Vietnam-Hong Kong submarine cable systems;




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the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable system, scheduled forcompletion by the end of 2008, will provide new access links to Asia andthe US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)

Radiobroadcast

stations:

AM 65, FM 7, shortwave 29 (1999)

Radios: 8.2 million (1997)

Televisionbroadcast

stations:

67 (includes 61 relay, provincial, and city TV stations) (2006)

Televisions: 3.57 million (1997)

Internet countrycode:

.vn

Internet hosts: 106,772 (2007)

Internet ServiceProviders(ISPs):

5 (2000)

Internet users: 17.87 million (2007)

Transportation Vietnam

Airports: 44 (2007)

Airports - withpaved runways:

total: 37over 3,047 m: 92,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 13914 to 1,523 m: 10 (2007)

Airports - withunpaved

runways:

total: 71,524 to 2,437 m: 1914 to 1,523 m: 3under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines: condensate/gas 432 km; gas 510 km; oil 49 km; refined products 206 km(2007)

Railways: total: 2,600 kmstandard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gaugenarrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gaugedual gauge: 253 km three-rail track combining 1.435 m and 1.000-mgauges (2006)

Roadways: total: 222,179 kmpaved: 42,167 kmunpaved: 180,012 km (2004)




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Waterways: 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2005)

Merchantmarine:

total: 359 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,154,881 GRT/3,324,373 DWTby type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 35, cargo 259, chemical tanker 9,container 12, liquefied gas 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleumtanker 31, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1foreign-owned: 1 (Hong Kong 1)

registered in other countries: 56 (Honduras 1, Liberia 5, Mongolia 21,Panama 23, Tuvalu 5, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports andterminals:

Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City

Military Vietnam

Militarybranches:

People's Armed Forces: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (includesPeople's Navy Command (with naval infantry, coast guard), Air and AirDefense Force (Kon Quan Nhan Dan), Border Defense Command),People's Public Security Forces, Militia Force, Self-Defense Forces(2005)

Military serviceage and

obligation:

18 years of age (male) for compulsory military service; females mayvolunteer for active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 2years (3 to 4 years in the navy); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 yearsof age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Forces (2006)

Manpoweravailable for

military service:

males age 16-49: 24,586,328females age 16-49: 24,335,132 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit formilitary service:

males age 16-49: 18,849,274females age 16-49: 20,575,884 (2008 est.)

Manpowerreachingmilitarily

significant ageannually:

male: 903,734female: 845,306 (2008 est.)

Militaryexpenditures:

2.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational

IssuesVietnam

Disputes -

international:

southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the

spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamese squatters andarmed encroachments along border; an estimated 300,000 Vietnameserefugees reside in China; establishment of a maritime boundary withCambodia is hampered by unresolved dispute over the sovereignty ofoffshore islands; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceedsslowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheriesagreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed;China occupies the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan;involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan,




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and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration onthe Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions butfalls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several ofthe disputants; Vietnam continues to expand construction of facilities inthe Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China,the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marineseismic activities in the Spratly Islands

Illicit drugs: minor producer of opium poppy; probable minor transit point forSoutheast Asian heroin; government continues to face domesticopium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems despitelongstanding crackdowns

This page was last updated on 2 October, 2008


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