Map of Vietnam | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

top of page


Background:


top of page


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

Geographic coordinates: 16 10 N, 107 50 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 331,210 km²
Land: 310,070 km²
Water: 21,140 km²
Comparative: about three times the size of Tennessee; slightly larger than New Mexico
Country comparison total: 4,616 km
Country comparison border countries: (3) Cambodia 1,158 km; China 1,297 km; Laos 2,161 km

Land boundaries
Total: 4,616 km
Border countries: (3) Cambodia 1,158 km; China 1,297 km; Laos 2,161 km

Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 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
Highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
Lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 398 m

Natural resources: antimony, phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 34.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 20.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 12.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 2.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land forest: 45% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 20.2% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 46,000 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km: Sông Tiên Giang (Mekong) river mouth (shared with China [s], Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia) - 4,350 km; Pearl river source (shared with China [m]) - 2,200 km; Red river mouth (shared with China [s]) - 1,149 km
By length in km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds area km²: Pacific Ocean drainage: Mekong (805,604 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 1.21 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 3.07 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 77.75 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 884.12 billion m³ (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

Geography
Note 1: extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point
Note 2: Son Doong in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is the world's largest cave (greatest cross sectional area) and is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume; it currently measures a total of 38.5 million m³ (about 1.35 billion cu ft); it connects to Thung cave (but not yet officially); when recognized, it will add an additional 1.6 million m³ in volume; Son Doong is so massive that it contains its own jungle, underground river, and localized weather system; clouds form inside the cave and spew out from its exits and two dolines (openings, or sinkhole skylights, created by collapsed ceilings that allow sunlight to stream in)


top of page


Population
Distribution: though it has one of the highest population densities in the world, the population is not evenly dispersed; clustering is heaviest along the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin, with the Mekong Delta (in the south) and the Red River Valley (in the north) having the largest concentrations of people
Total: 105,758,975
Male: 53,109,175
Female: 52,649,800 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: 0.89% (2024 est.)
Below poverty line: 4.8% (2020 est.)
Below poverty line note: % of population with income below national poverty line

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

Ethnic groups: Kinh (Viet) 85.3%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.9%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.4%, Mong 1.4%, Nung 1.1%, other 5.5% (2019 est.)
Note: 54 ethnic groups are recognized by the Vietnamese Government

Languages: Vietnamese (official); English (often as a second language); some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain-area languages (including Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Major-language samples: Dữ kiện thế giới, là nguồn thông tin cơ bản không thể thiếu. (Vietnamese); Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Catholic 6.1%, Buddhist 5.8%, Protestant 1%, other 0.8%, none 86.3% (2019 est.)
Note: most Vietnamese are culturally Buddhist

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.2% (male 12,953,719/female 11,579,690)
15-64 years: 68.5% (male 36,591,845/female 35,887,201)
65 years and over: 8.3% (2024 est.) (male 3,563,611/female 5,182,909)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 45.6
Youth dependency ratio: 32.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 12.7
Potential support ratio: 7.8 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 33.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 32 years
Female: 34.2 years

Population growth rate: 0.89% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 14.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 5.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: though it has one of the highest population densities in the world, the population is not evenly dispersed; clustering is heaviest along the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin, with the Mekong Delta (in the south) and the Red River Valley (in the north) having the largest concentrations of people

Urbanization
Urban population: 39.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.7% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 9.321 million Ho Chi Minh City, 5.253 million HANOI (capital), 1.865 million Can Tho, 1.423 million Hai Phong, 1.221 million Da Nang, 1.111 million Bien Hoa (2023)

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; air pollution; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 20.89 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 192.67 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 110.4 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 124 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 13.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 73.5 years
Female: 78.9 years

Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 72.8% (2020)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.2% of population
Unimproved rural: 4.5% of population
Unimproved total: 3.1% of population (2020 est.)
Unimproved urban: 0.8% of population

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density: 3.2 beds/1,000 population (2013)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 98.7% of population
Improved rural: 90% of population
Improved total: 93.3% of population
Unimproved urban: 1.3% of population
Unimproved rural: 10% of population
Unimproved total: 6.7% of population (2020 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 2.1% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 3.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 3.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 24.8% (2020 est.)
Male: 47.4% (2020 est.)
Female: 2.2% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 11.6% (2020)

Education expenditures: 4.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95.8%
Male: 97%
Female: 94.6% (2019)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 6.2% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 6.5% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 5.9% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment


top of page


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
Former: Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam); abbreviation: SRV
Etymology: 'Viet nam' translates as 'Viet south,' where 'Viet' is an ethnic self identification dating to a second century B.C. kingdom and 'nam' refers to its location in relation to other Viet kingdoms

Government type: communist party-led state

Capital
Name: Hanoi (Ha Noi)
Geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E
Time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the city has had many names in its history going back to A.D. 1010 when it first became the capital of imperial Vietnam; in 1831, it received its current name of Ha Noi, meaning 'between the rivers', which refers to its geographic location

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, Dak Lak, Dak 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 (Hanoi), Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Dependent areas

Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day (National Day), 2 September (1945)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted 28 November 2013, effective 1 January 2014
Amendments: proposed by the president, by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee, or by at least two thirds of the National Assembly membership; a decision to draft an amendment requires approval by at least a two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership, followed by the formation of a constitutional drafting committee to write a draft and collect citizens’ opinions; passage requires at least two-thirds majority of the Assembly membership; the Assembly can opt to conduct a referendum

Legal system: civil law system
Note: the civil code of 2005 reflects a European-style civil law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Vietnam
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Luong CUONG (since 21 Oct 2024)
Head of government: Prime Minister Pham Minh CHINH (since 26 July 2021)
Cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, confirmed by the National Assembly, and appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a single 5-year term; prime minister recommended by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers confirmed by the National Assembly and appointed by the president
Note: in August 2024, To LAM was elected general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the country’s most powerful position

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (500 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 23 May 2021 (next to be held in spring 2,026)
Elections results: percent of vote by party - CPV 97.2%, 2.8% non-party; seats by party - CPV 486, non-party 14; composition- 342 men, 151 women, percentage women 30.6%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme People's Court (consists of the chief justice and 13 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: chief justice elected by the National Assembly upon the recommendation of the president for a 5-year, renewable term; deputy chief justice appointed by the president from among the judges for a 5-year term; judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly for 5-year terms
Subordinate courts: High Courts (administrative, civil, criminal, economic, labor, family, juvenile); provincial courts; district courts; Military Court
Note: the National Assembly Standing Committee can establish special tribunals upon the recommendation of the chief justice

Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV

International organization participation: ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, CICA, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (2024)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: chief of mission: Ambassador Nguyen Quoc DZUNG (since 19 April 2022)
In the us chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737
In the us fax: [1] (202) 861-0917
In the us email address and website: vanphong@vietnamembassy.us; [link]
In the us consulates general: Houston, San Francisco
In the us consulates: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Marc KNAPPER (since 11 February 2022)
From the us embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Hanoi
From the us mailing address: 4,550 Hanoi Place, Washington, DC 20,521-4,550
From the us telephone: [84] (24) 3,850-5,000
From the us fax: [84] (24) 3,850-5,010
From the us email address and website: ACShanoi@state.gov; [link]
From the us consulates general: Ho Chi Minh City

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

National symbols: yellow, five-pointed star on red field; lotus blossom; national colors: red, yellow

National anthem
Name: 'Tien quan ca' (The Song of the Marching Troops)
Lyrics/music: Nguyen Van CAO
Note: adopted as the national anthem of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945; it became the national anthem of the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976; although it consists of two verses, only the first is used as the official anthem

National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 8 (5 cultural, 2 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected world heritage site locales:


top of page


Economy overview: lower middle-income socialist East Asian economy; rapid economic growth since Đổi Mới reforms; strong investment and productivity growth; tourism and manufacturing hub; TPP signatory; declining poverty aside from ethnic minorities; systemic corruption

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $1.354 trillion (2023 est.); $1.289 trillion (2022 est.); $1.192 trillion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 5.05% (2023 est.); 8.12% (2022 est.); 2.55% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: $13,700 (2023 est.); $13,100 (2022 est.); $12,200 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 54.8% (2022 est.)
Government consumption: 8.9% (2022 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 30.8% (2022 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.8% (2022 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 93.8% (2022 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -90% (2022 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 12% (2023 est.)
Industry: 37.1% (2023 est.)
Services: 42.5% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products: rice, vegetables, sugarcane, cassava, maize, pork, fruits, bananas, coffee, coconuts (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, mobile phones

Industrial production growth rate: 3.74% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 56.149 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 1.6% (2023 est.); 1.54% (2022 est.); 2.39% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 6.2% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 6.5% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 5.9% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Population below poverty line: 4.8% (2020 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $42.247 billion (2014 est.)
Expenditures: $38.025 billion (2014 est.)
Note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 24.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt: 58.5% of GDP (2017 est.)
Note: official data; data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Revenue
From forest resources: 1.49% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0.35% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.25% (2023 est.); 3.16% (2022 est.); 1.83% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on 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: $25.09 billion (2023 est.); $1.402 billion (2022 est.); -$4.628 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Exports: $374.265 billion (2023 est.); $385.241 billion (2022 est.); $340.126 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: US 29%, China 15%, South Korea 6%, Japan 6%, Hong Kong 3% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: broadcasting equipment, garments, telephones, integrated circuits, machine parts (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $339.767 billion (2023 est.); $369.746 billion (2022 est.); $338.327 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: China 38%, South Korea 17%, Japan 5%, Taiwan 4%, Thailand 4% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, telephones, fabric (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $86.54 billion (2022 est.); $109.371 billion (2021 est.); $94.834 billion (2020 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 85.04 million kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 251.549 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Exports: 628.664 million kWh (2022 est.)
Imports: 1.515 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 17.084 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 56.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources solar: 11.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources wind: 1.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 29.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Coal
Production: 43.614 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Consumption: 83.116 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Exports: 1.032 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 40.534 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 3.36 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 187,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 494,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 4.4 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 7.676 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Consumption: 7.676 billion m³ (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 699.426 billion m³ (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 297.826 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 219.167 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 63.759 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 14.9 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 39.117 million Btu/person (2022 est.)


top of page


Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2.391 million (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 137.412 million (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures: 1.8% of GDP (2023 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2022 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2021 est.); 2.4% of GDP (2020 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military and security forces: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; aka Vietnam People's Army, VPA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes naval infantry), Air Defense Force, Border Defense Force, Vietnam Coast Guard; Vietnam People's Ministry of Public Security; Vietnam Civil Defense Force (2024)
Note 1: the People's Public Security Ministry is responsible for internal security and controls the national police, a special national security investigative agency, and other internal security units, including specialized riot police regiments
Note 2: the Vietnam Coast Guard was established in 1998 as the Vietnam Marine Police and renamed in 2013; Vietnam officially established a maritime self-defense force (civilian militia) in 2010 after the National Assembly passed the Law on Militia and Self-Defense Forces in 2009; the Vietnam Department of Fisheries Resources Surveillance (DFIRES; under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), established in 2013, is responsible for fisheries enforcement, aquatic conservation roles, and is designated as Vietnam's standing agency for combating illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing; it is armed, allowed to use force if necessary, and works in tandem with the Vietnam Coast Guard

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service for men and women (in practice only men are drafted); service obligation is between 24 (Army, Air Defense) and 36 (Navy and Air Force) months (2023)

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 5 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 224
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 47,049,671 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 481.37 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: VN

Airports: 42 (2024)

Heliports: 25 (2024)

Pipelines: 72 km condensate, 398 km condensate/gas, 955 km gas, 128 km oil, 33 km oil/gas/water, 206 km refined products, 13 km water (2013)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 195,468 km
Paved: 148,338 km
Unpaved: 47,130 km (2013)

Waterways: 47,130 km (2011) (30,831 km weight under 50 tons)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 35,475 (2022)
Note: Vietnam's stateless ethnic Chinese Cambodian population dates to the 1970s when thousands of Cambodians fled to Vietnam to escape the Khmer Rouge and were no longer recognized as Cambodian citizens; Vietnamese women who gave up their citizenship to marry foreign men have found themselves stateless after divorcing and returning home to Vietnam; the government addressed this problem in 2009, and Vietnamese women are beginning to reclaim their citizenship

Illicit drugs: a transshipment and destination country for all types of illegal drugs; most transshipments destined for other Asian countries and not the United States; heroin transits from Thailand, Laos, and Burma for domestic use and shipping to r countries in Southeast Asia, Oceania, China and Taiwan; methamphetamine and amphetamine type stimulants from Burma locally consumed and shipped; South American cocaine locally consumed and distributed to Southeast Asia and Oceania