from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Vietnam
Introduction
Background: The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was
completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina
in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War
II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat
by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva
Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the Communist
North and anti-Communist South. 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forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement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 reuniting the country under Communist
rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade
the country experienced little economic growth because
of conservative leadership policies. However, since the
enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in
1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to
increased 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
various groups - such as the Protestant Montagnard
ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands and
the Hoa Hao Buddhists in southern Vietnam over
religious persecution. Montagnard grievances also
include the loss of land to Vietnamese settlers.
Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf
of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos,
and Cambodia
Geographic 16 00 N, 106 00 E
coordinates:
Map Southeast Asia
references:
Area: total: 329,560 sq km
land: 325,360 sq km
water: 4,200 sq km
Area - slightly larger than New Mexico
comparative:
Land total: 4,639 km
boundaries: border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km,
Laos 2,130 km
Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: 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 (May to September) and warm, dry season (October
to March)
Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands;
hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Elevation lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
Natural phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate,
resources: offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 20.14%
permanent crops: 6.93%
other: 72.93% (2005)
Irrigated 30,000 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive
hazards: flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Environment - logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices
current contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water
issues: 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 - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: 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 - extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only
note: 50 km across at its narrowest point
People
Population: 84,402,966 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27% (male 11,826,457/female 10,983,069)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 28,055,941/female 28,614,553)
65 years and over: 5.8% (male 1,924,562/female
2,998,384) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 25.9 years
male: 24.8 years
female: 27.1 years (2006 est.)
Population 1.02% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 16.86 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 6.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 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 (2006 est.)
Infant total: 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 25.54 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 24.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 70.85 years
expectancy at male: 68.05 years
birth: female: 73.85 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.91 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0.4% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 220,000 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 9,000 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Major degree of risk: high
infectious food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea,
diseases: 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
note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal
risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could
occur among US personnel who have close contact with
infected birds or poultry (2005)
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)
Government
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 Communist state
type:
Capital: name: Hanoi
geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time)
Administrative 59 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5
divisions: 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, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha
Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, 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 Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
holiday:
Constitution: 15 April 1992
Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil law
system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27
branch: June 2006); Vice President Truong My HOA (since 25 July
2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG
(since 27 June 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh
HUNG (since 28 June 2006), 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 prime minister and confirmed by National
Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly
from among its members for five-year term; election
last held 27 June 2006; prime minister appointed by the
president from among the members of the National
Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime
minister; appointment of prime minister and deputy
prime ministers confirmed by National Assembly
election results: Nguyen Minh TRIET elected president;
percent of National Assembly vote - 94%; Nguyen Tan
DUNG elected prime minister; percent of National
Assembly vote - 92%
Legislative unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (498 seats;
branch: 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 Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected for a
branch: five-year term by the National Assembly on the
recommendation of the president)
Political only party - Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong
parties and Duc MANH]
leaders:
Political none
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACCT (observer), APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, EAS,
organization FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
participation: IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Nguyen Tam CHIEN
representation chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington,
in the US: DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737
FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917
consulate(s) general: San Francisco
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Michael W. MARINE
representation embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
from the US: 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 red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
description:
Economy
Economy - Vietnam is a densely-populated, developing country that
overview: 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 toward a market-oriented economy. GDP growth
averaged 6.8% per year from 1997 to 2004 even against
the background of the Asian financial crisis and a
global recession, and growth hit 8% in 2005. 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. Vietnam's membership in the ASEAN Free
Trade Area (AFTA) and entry into force of the
US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement 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 hopes to
become a member of the WTO in 2006. Among other
benefits, accession would 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.
Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to
shrink, from about 25% in 2000 to 21% in 2005. Deep
poverty, defined as a percent of the population living
under $1 per day, has declined significantly and is now
smaller than that of China, India, and the Philippines.
Vietnam is working to promote job creation to keep up
with the country's high population growth rate.
However, high levels of inflation have prompted
Vietnamese authorities to tighten monetary and fiscal
policies.
GDP $235.2 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $43.75 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 8.5% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $2,800 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 20.9%
composition by industry: 41%
sector: services: 38.1% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 44.39 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 56.8%
by occupation: industry: 37%
services: 6.2% (July 2005)
Unemployment 2.4% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population 19.5% (2004 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 3.6%
income or highest 10%: 29.9% (1998)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 36.1 (1998)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 8.3% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 33.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $11.64 billion
expenditures: $12.95 billion; including capital
expenditures of $1.8 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt: 48.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper,
products: soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas;
poultry; fish, seafood
Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building;
mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer,
glass, tires, oil, paper
Industrial 17.2% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 46.2 billion kWh (2004)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 43.7%
production by hydro: 56.3%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 52 billion kWh (2004)
consumption:
Electricity - NA kWh
exports:
Electricity - NA kWh
imports:
Oil - 400,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
production:
Oil - 216,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 600 million bbl (2005 est.)
reserves:
Natural gas - 6.342 billion cu m (2005 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 6.342 billion cu m (2005 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2005 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - NA cu m
imports:
Natural gas - 192.6 billion cu m (2005)
proved
reserves:
Current $-309 million (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $32.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea,
commodities: garments, shoes
Exports - US 21.2%, Japan 13.3%, Australia 8.4%, China 7.5%,
partners: Singapore 5.3%, Germany 5% (2005)
Imports: $36.88 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - machinery and equipment, petroleum products,
commodities: fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement,
motorcycles
Imports - China 16.3%, Singapore 12.8%, Taiwan 11.7%, Japan
partners: 10.4%, South Korea 9.9%, Thailand 6.8% (2005)
Reserves of $8.863 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $20.16 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $2.8 billion in credits and grants pledged by
recipient: international donors for 2000 (2004)
Currency dong (VND)
(code):
Currency code: VND
Exchange dong per US dollar - 15,746 (2005), (2004), 15,510
rates: (2003), 15,280 (2002), 14,725 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 15.845 million (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 9.593 million (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable
system: 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 AM 65, FM 7, shortwave 29 (1999)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 8.2 million (1997)
Television 6 (plus 61 provincial TV stations) (2006)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 3.57 million (1997)
Internet .vn
country code:
Internet 12,114 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 5 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 13.1 million (2006)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 32 (2006)
Airports - total: 26
with paved over 3,047 m: 8
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - total: 6
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Pipelines: condensate/gas 432 km; gas 163 km; oil 50 km; refined
products 206 km (2006)
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 (2005)
Roadways: total: 222,179 km
paved: 42,167 km
unpaved: 180,012 km (2004)
Waterways: 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m
draft) (2005)
Merchant total: 267 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,423,936 GRT/
marine: 2,191,858 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 23, cargo 202, chemical tanker 4,
container 5, liquefied gas 5, petroleum tanker 24,
refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, specialized
tanker 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)
registered in other countries: 17 (Antigua and Barbuda
1, Honduras 1, Mongolia 8, Panama 4, Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines 1, unknown 2) (2006)
Ports and Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City
terminals:
Military
Military People's Armed Forces: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN)
branches: (includes People's Navy Command (with naval infantry,
coast guard), Air and Air Defense Force (Kon Quan Nhan
Dan), Border Defense Command), People's Public Security
Forces, Militia Force, Self-Defense Forces (2005)
Military 18 years of age (male) for compulsory military service;
service age females may volunteer for active duty military service;
and conscript service obligation - 2 years (3-4 years in
obligation: the navy); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of
age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Forces
(2006)
Manpower males age 18-49: 21,341,813
available for females age 18-49: 21,430,808 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 16,032,358
for military females age 18-49: 17,921,241 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 915,572
reaching females age 18-49: 864,161 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $650 million (FY98)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 2.5% (FY98)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - southeast Asian states have enhanced border
international: surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia
and Laos protest Vietnamese squatters and armed
encroachments along border; after years of Cambodia
claiming Vietnam had moved or destroyed boundary
markers, in 2005, after much domestic debate, Cambodia
ratified an agreement with Vietnam that settled all but
a small portion of the land boundary; establishment of
a maritime boundary with Cambodia is hampered by
unresolved dispute over offshore islands; 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; government continues
to face domestic opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction
problems despite longstanding crackdowns