Vietnam

Physical. Vietnam is located in Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea, between Cambodia and China. It covers an area slightly larger than New Mexico. The climate is tropical in the south with monsoons in the north. There is a hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and a warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March). The terrain is a low flat delta in the south and north, with central highlands and hilly, mountainous formations in the far north and northwest. Natural resources include phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, and hydropower.
 

People. Over 84.4 million people live in Vietnam. Vietnamese is the official language though many inhabitants also speak English. Some French, Khmer, and mountain area languages are also spoken. The country is primarily Vietnamese (86%), with Chinese, Hmong, Tai, Khmer, Cham, and mountain group minorities. A number of religious groups are present in Vietnam including Buddhist, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous, Islam, Protestant, Cao Dai, and Hoa Hao but the largest part of the population (81%) professes to practicing no religion.
 

Government. The country's official name is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Its capital, Hanoi, is located in the center of northern Vietnam. Vietnam is a communist state with only one political party, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until 1954 when Communist forces under Ho Chi Minh defeated the French. Then 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military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. In 1975, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under Communist rule. The current constitution was ratified on April 15, 1992. Vietnam’s president is elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a five-year term of office. The country has 50 provinces (administrative regions).
 

Economy. The economy of Vietnam was devastated by 30 years of war up to 1975, after which rigid economic policies and a trade boycott enforced by the US combined to stifle development. Since the end of the boycott in 1994, and the introduction of liberalizing and deregulating measures by the government, the Vietnamese economy underwent significant growth. GDP growth averaged 6.8% per year from 1997 to 2004. Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalization and international integration and reaching several trade agreements has to even more rapid changes in the trade and economic regimes. The gross domestic product (GDP) is comprised of: agriculture (21%), industry (41%), and services (38%).
 

Areas of Concern. Deforestation, groundwater contamination, soil degradation, overfishing and degrading urban environments are Vietnam's primary environmental concerns. 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 tight monetary and fiscal policies.
 

For more information, you may write to the chancery at 1233 20th Street NW–Suite 501, Washington, DC 20036; check the U.S. State Department or World Factbook country sites; or type in the country's name on the Internet using a broad-based World Wide Web search engine.
 

Vietnam statistics

Geography
Area: 329,560 sq km
Capital: Hanoi (3,084,000 - 2004)
Environmental concerns: deforestation and soil degradation; threatened marine life populations; groundwater contamination; degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
Geographical features: low, flat delta in south and north with central highlands and hilly, mountainous regions in the far north and northwest
Climate: tropical in south with monsoons in the north where the hot, rainy season (May to September) contrasts the warm, dry season (October to March)

People
84,403,000 (July 2006 est.) Kinh or Viet (86%), Tay, Thai, Muong (2% each), Khome, Hoa, Nun and Hmong (1% each), others 4.1% (1999 census)
Annual growth rate: 1.02% (2006 est.)
Major languages are Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer and mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Religions: Buddhist (9%), Catholic (7%), Hoa Hao (1.5%), Cao Dai (1%), Protestant (0.5%), Muslim (0.1%), none (81%) (1999 census)

Health and social issues
Life expectancies: male 68; female 74
Infant mortality: 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births
Population below the poverty line: 19.5% (2004 est.)
1 physician to 2,444 people (2004)
HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: 0.4% (2003 est.)
90.3% of adults are literate
Compulsory education (Ages): 6-11; free (2004)

Communication and transportation
10,124,900 (2004) main telephone lines in use
5.87 million (2005) Internet users
215,628 km (2000) of roadways
2,600 km railroads
28 (2005) airports
177,000 motor vehicles (2004)

Government
Vietnam is a communist state.
The chief of state is President Tran Duc Luong (since 24 September 1997). The head of government is Prime Minister Phan Van Khai (since 25 September 1997).
Universal suffrage at 18 years of age

Military
Military expenditures as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 2.5% (FY98).
Current disputes: enhanced border surveillance due to avian flu; border disputes with Cambodia, Laos, China; disputes with China and Cambodia over offshore islands (Spratly and Paracel 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

Economy
Currency: dong
Per capita GDP: $2,800 (2005 est.)
GDP: $232.2 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 8.4% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 8.4% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (57%), industry (37%) services (6%) (2005)

Resources and industry
Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower
Agriculture: paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish, seafood
Industry: food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, paper
Exports: $32.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports: $36.88 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Suggested web sites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/vietnam
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/vntoc.html