Map of Vietnam | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: France occupied all of Vietnam by 1884. Independence was declared after World War II but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by communist forces under HO Chi Minh who took control of the north. 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military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.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. Economic reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult as aging Communist Party leaders have only grudgingly initiated reforms necessary for a free market.


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Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, between China and Cambodia

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 106 00 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 329,560 km²
Land: 325,360 km²
Water: 4,200 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 4,639 km
Border countries: (3) Cambodia 1,228 km; , China 1,281 km; , Laos 2,130 km

Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-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
Extremes highest point: Ngoc Linh 3,143 m

Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests

Land use
Arable land: 17%
Permanent crops: 4%
Permanent pastures: 1%
Forests and woodland: 30%
Other: 48% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 18,600 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding

Geography


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Population: 75,123,880 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 1.51% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Vietnamese

Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Muong, Tai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham

Languages: Vietnamese (official), Chinese, English, French, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Religions: Buddhist, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islam, Protestant, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 36% (male 13,713,340; female 12,946,322)
15-64 years: 59% (male 21,547,228; female 22,997,231)
65 years and over: 5% (male 1,573,823; female 2,345,936) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.51% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 22.3 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 6.8 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.41 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 37.2 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 67.38 years
Male: 65.03 years
Female: 69.86 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 93.7%
Male: 96.5%
Female: 91.2% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Conventional short form: Vietnam
Local long form: Cong Hoa Chu Nghia Viet Nam
Local short form: Viet Nam
Abbreviation: SRV

Government type: Communist state

Capital: Hanoi

Administrative divisions: 50 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thu do, singular and plural); An Giang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Can Tho, Cao Bang, Dac Lac, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Bac, Ha Giang, Ha Noi*, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Hung, Hai Phong*, Ho Chi Minh*, Hoa Binh, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Minh Hai, Nam Ha, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Song Be, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phu, Yen Bai
Note: eight existing provinces (Bac Thai, Ha Bac, Hai Hung, Minh Hai, Nam Ha, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Song Be, and Vinh Phu) may have been abolished and from their territory 15 new provinces and one new municipality* (Bac Can, Bac Giang, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Ca Mau, Da Nang City*, Ha Nam, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Phu Tho, Quang Nam, Thai Nguyen, and Vinh Phuc) may have been created

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Le Duc ANH (since 23 September 1992)
Head of government: Prime Minister Vo Van KIET (since 9 August 1991); First Deputy Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 10 August 1991); Deputy Prime Ministers Nguyen KHANH (since NA February 1987) and Tran Duc LUONG (since NA February 1987)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister and ratification of the National Assembly
Elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a five-year term; election last held 23 September 1992 (next to be held when National Assembly meets following legislative elections in July 1997); prime minister appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime minister
Election results: Le Duc ANH elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (395 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 19 July 1992 (next to be held 20 July 1997)
Election results: percent of vote by party - CPV or CPV-approved 100%; seats by party - CPV or CPV-approved 395

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

International organization participation: ACCT, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, Mekong Group, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Le Van BANG
In the us chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,036, Suite 501
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas "Pete" Peterson
From the us embassy: 7 Lang Ha Road, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
From the us mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96,521-0002
From the us telephone: [84] (4) 8,431,500
From the us FAX: [84] (4) 8,350,484 or 8,431,510

Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Vietnam is a poor, densely populated country that 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 has been achieved over the past 10 years in moving forward from an extremely low starting point. Economic growth continued at a strong pace during 1996 with industrial output rising by 14% and real GDP expanding by 9.4%. Foreign direct investment rose to an estimated $2.3 billion for the year, up by about 30% from 1995. These positive numbers, however, masked some major difficulties that are emerging in economic performance. Many domestic industries, including coal, cement, steel, and paper, reported large stockpiles of inventory and tough competition from more efficient foreign producers. Vietnam's trade deficit widened to $4 billion in 1996, up over 80% from a year ago. While disbursements of aid and foreign direct investment have risen, they are not large enough to finance the rapid increase in imports and it is widely believed that Vietnam may be using short-term trade credits to bridge the gap - a risky strategy that could result in a foreign exchange crunch during 1997. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities continue to move very slowly toward implementing the structural reforms needed to revitalize the economy and produce more competitive, export-driven industries. Privatization of state enterprises remains bogged down in political controversy, while the country's dynamic private sector is denied both financing and access to markets. Reform of the banking sector is proceeding slowly, raising concerns that the country will be unable to tap sufficient domestic savings to maintain current high levels of growth. Administrative and legal barriers are also causing costly delays for foreign investors and are raising similar doubts about Vietnam's ability to maintain the inflow of foreign capital. Ideological bias in favor of state intervention and control of the economy is slowing progress toward a more liberalized investment environment.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 9.4% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,470 (1996 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 28%
Industry: 28%
Services: 44% (1996 est.)

Agriculture products: paddy rice, corn, potatoes, rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas; poultry, pigs; fish

Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil

Industrial production growth rate: 14% (1996 est.)

Labor force
Total: 32.7 million
By occupation agriculture: 65%
By occupation industry and services: 35% (1990 est.)

Unemployment rate: 25% (1995 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $4.67 billion
Expenditures: $5 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.36 billion (1995 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports
Total value: $7.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: crude oil, rice, marine products, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes
Partners: Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, France, South Korea

Imports
Total value: $11.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: petroleum products, machinery and equipment, steel products, fertilizer, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles
Partners: Singapore, South Korea, Japan, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $7.3 billion Western countries; $4.5 billion CEMA debts primarily to Russia; $9 billion to $18 billion nonconvertible debt (former CEMA, Iraq, Iran)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1 - 11,100 (December 1996), 11,193 (1995 average), 11,000 (October 1994), 10,800 (November 1993), 8,100 (July 1991)


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Electricity
Capacity: 5.32 million kW (1994)
Production: 11.78 billion kWh (1994)
Consumption per capita: 154 kWh (1995 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 800,000 (1995 est.)

Telephone system: while Vietnam's telecommunication sector lags far behind other countries in Southeast Asia, Hanoi has made considerable progress since 1991 in upgrading the system; Vietnam has digitized all provincial switch boards, while fiber-optic and microwave transmission systems have been extended from Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City to all provinces; the density of telephone receivers nationwide doubled from 1993 to 1995, but is still far behind other countries in the region; Vietnam's telecommunications strategy aims to increase telephone density to 30 per 1,000 inhabitants by the year 2000 and authorities estimate that approximately $2.7 billion will be spent on telecommunications upgrades through the end of the decade
Domestic: NA
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $544 million (1995)
Percent of gdp: 2.7% (1995)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 48 (1994 est.)
With paved runways total: 36
With paved runways over 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With paved runways under 914 m: 7 (1994 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 12
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 5 (1994 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: petroleum products 150 km

Railways
Total: 2,835 km (in addition, there are 224 km not restored to service after war damage)
Standard gauge: 151 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 2,454 km 1.000-m gauge
Other gauge: 230 km NA-m dual gauge (three rails)

Roadways

Waterways: 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 m draft

Merchant marine
Total: 121 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 534,937 GRT/863,307 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 100, chemical tanker 1, oil tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
Note: Vietnam owns an additional 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 107,592 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Honduras, Malta, Panama, and Vanuatu (1996 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei; unresolved maritime boundary with Thailand; maritime boundary dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands in the South China Sea occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; offshore islands and sections of boundary with Cambodia are in dispute

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: key growing areas in Vietnam cultivated 3,150 hectares of poppy in 1996, producing 25 tons of opium; opium producer and increasingly important transit point for Southeast Asian heroin destined for the US and Europe; growing opium addiction; possible small-scale heroin production