About Vietnam
Vietnam
Introduction
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military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.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, the persecution and mass exodus of individuals - many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants - and growing international isolation. 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 small-scale protests from various groups, the vast majority connected to land-use issues and the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. Various ethnic minorities, such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region, have also held protests.
Geography
Location
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
Geographic Coordinates: 16 10 N, 107 50 E
Area
Total Area: 331,210 sq km Rank: 65
Land Area: 310,070 sq km
Water Area: 21,140 sq km
Comparison: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land Boundaries: 4,639 km
Bordering Countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km
Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)
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
Elevations
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, timber, hydropower
Land Use
Arable land: 20.14%
Permanent Crops: 6.93%
Other: 72.93% (2005)
Irrigated Land: 30,000 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources: 891.2 cu km (1999)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 71.39 cu km/yr (8%/24%/68%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 847 cu m/yr (2000)
Environment
Natural Hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Environmental 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
Environmental 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
Geography Notes
extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point
People
Population: 88,576,758 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 13
Age Structure
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 12,069,408/female 11,033,738)
15-64 years: 68.3% (male 30,149,986/female 30,392,043)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 1,892,505/female 3,039,078) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 26.4 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 1.137% (2010 est.) Rank: 116
Birth Rate: 17.73 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 115
Death Rate: 5.98 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 163
Net Migration Rate: -0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 100
Urbanization
Urban Population: 28% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 22.26 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 95
Life Expectancy at Birth: 71.71 years Rank: 127
Fertility Rate: 1.93 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 135
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.5% (2007 est.) Rank: 73
People living with HIV/AIDS: 290,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 24
HIV/AIDS Deaths: 24,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 20
Degree of Risk for Major Infectious Diseases: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne Diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and plague
Water Contact Diseases: leptospirosis
Nationality and Culture
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)
Religion: 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)
Education
Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 90.3% Male: 93.9% Female: 86.9% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 10 years Male: 11 years Female: 10 years (2000)
Education expenditures: 1.8% of GDP (1991) Rank: 171
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 (Ha Noi) Geographic Coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E
Administrative divisions
58 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, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, 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, Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City
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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive Branch
Chief of State: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006); Vice President 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 28 June 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung HAI (since 2 August 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien NHAN (since 2 August 2007), 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; last election held 27 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011); 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 Branch
unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (493 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 20 May 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
Election Results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPV 450, non-party CPV-approved 42, self-nominated 1; note - 493 candidates were elected; CPV and non-party CPV-approved delegates were members of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front
Judicial branch
Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president for a five-year term)
Politics
Political Parties and Leaders: Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders: 8406 Bloc; Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV; People's Democratic Party Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracy
Note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by the government
International Organization Participation: ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CICA (observer), 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, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Flag Description: red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center; red symbolizes revolution and blood, the five-pointed star represents the five elements of the populace - peasants, workers, intellectuals, traders, and soldiers - that unite to build socialism
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. 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 joined the WTO in January 2007 following more than a decade-long negotiation process. WTO membership has provided Vietnam an anchor to the global market and reinforced the domestic economic reform process. Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to shrink from about 25% in 2000 to about 21% in 2009. Deep poverty has declined significantly and Vietnam is working to create jobs to meet the challenge of a labor force that is growing by more than one million people every year. The global recession has hurt Vietnam's export-oriented economy with GDP growing less than the 7% per annum average achieved during the last decade. In 2009 exports fell nearly 10% year-on-year, prompting the government to consider adjustments to tariffs to limit the trade deficit. The government has used stimulus spending, including a subsidized lending program, to help the economy through the global financial crisis, and foreign donors have pledged $8 billion in new development assistance for 2010. Domestic investment grew 16% while committed foreign direct investment fell 70%, a steep reduction after 5 years of growth. Nevertheless, the weaker economy, current account deficit, and subdued foreign investment environment means Vietnam's managed currency, the dong, faced downward pressure through 2009, leading the government to devalue it by more than 5% in December.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $256.9 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 42
GDP - real growth rate: 5.3% (2009 est.) Rank: 23
GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,900 (2009 est.) Rank: 165
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 21.3% Industry: 40% Services: 38.7% (2009 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 48.26 million (April 2009 est.) Rank: 11
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 51.8% Industry: 15.4% Services: 32.7% (30 April 2009)
Unemployment Rate: 6.5% (April 2009 est.) Rank: 60
Poverty
Population below poverty line: 12.3% (2009 est.)
Transnational Issues
International Disputes: 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; an estimated 300,000 Vietnamese refugees reside in China; establishment of a maritime boundary with Cambodia is hampered by unresolved dispute over the sovereignty of offshore islands; the decade-long demarcation of the China-Vietnam land boundary was completed in 2009; China occupies the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; involved in complex dispute with Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan 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
