Vietnam

§1. 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  attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn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.

§2. Vietnam Geography

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 km²
  land: 325,360 km²
  water: 4,200 km²

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 (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 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: 20.14%
  permanent crops: 6.93%
  other: 72.93% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  30,000 km² (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

§3. Vietnam 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 growth rate:
  1.02% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  16.86 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  6.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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 mortality rate:
  total: 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 25.54 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 24.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 70.85 years
  male: 68.05 years
  female: 73.85 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.91 children born/woman (2006 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
  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)

§4. Vietnam 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 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, 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, 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, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA,
  IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, 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 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 Street, 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

§5. Vietnam Economy

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 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. 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 (purchasing power parity):
  $253.2 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $44.66 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  8.4% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $3,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 20.9%
  industry: 41%
  services: 38.1% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  44.39 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 56.8%, industry 37%, services 6.2% (July 2005)

Unemployment rate:
  5.5% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  19.5% (2004 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):
  8.4% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  38.7% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $11.64 billion
  expenditures: $12.95 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.8
    billion (2005 est.)

Public debt:
  75.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
  paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, 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 production growth rate:
  17.2% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
  46.2 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - consumption:
  52 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
  NA kWh

Electricity - imports:
  NA kWh

Oil - production:
  400,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  216,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
  600 million bbl (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production:
  6.342 billion m³ (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  79.8 billion m³ (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  0 m³ (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  NA m³

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  192.6 billion m³ (2005)

Current account balance:
  $-1.695 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $32.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 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:
  $36.88 billion f.o.b. (2005 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:
  $7.503 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $19.17 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $2.8 billion in credits and grants pledged by international donors for 2000
  (2004)

Currency (code):
  dong (VND)

Exchange rates:
  dong per US dollar - 15,746 (2005), (2004), 15,510 (2003), 15,280 (2002),
  14,725 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Vietnam Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  10,124,900 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  4.96 million (2004)

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)

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

Internet country code:
  .vn

Internet hosts:
  3,611 (2005)

Internet users:
  5.87 million (2005)

§7. Vietnam Transportation

Airports:
  28 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 23
  over 3,047 m: 7
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
  914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 5
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 2
  under 914 m: 2 (2005)

Pipelines:
  condensate/gas 432 km; gas 210 km; oil 3 km; refined products 206 km (2004)

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)

Roadways:
  total: 215,628 km (2000)

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

Merchant marine:
  total: 235 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,290,526 GRT/1,961,403 DWT
  by type: bulk carrier 21, cargo 176, chemical tanker 4, container 4,
    liquefied gas 5, petroleum tanker 21, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll
    off 1, specialized tanker 1
  foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)
  registered in other countries: 12 (Cyprus 1, Honduras 1, Mongolia 7, Panama
    2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City

§8. Vietnam Military

Military branches:
  People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN): Ground Forces, People's Navy Command
    (including 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 - two years (three-four years in the navy) (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)

§9. Vietnam Transnational Issues

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; 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


<Factbook 2006>
