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military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.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 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 Communist leaders however maintain control on political expression and have resisted outside calls to improve human rights. The country continues to experience small-scale protests from various groups the vast majority connected to land-use issues calls for increased political space 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.

Geographic coordinates: 16 10 N 107 50 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 331,210 km²
Rank: 66
Land: 310,070 km²
Water: 21,140 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 4,639 km
Border countries: (3) Cambodia 1228 km; China 1281 km; Laos 2,130 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
Extremes lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

Natural resources: phosphates coal manganese rare earth elements 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: 46,000 km² (2008)

Total renewable water resources: 891.2 km³ (1999)

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

Geography
Note: extending 1650 km north to south the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point

Population: 90,549,390 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 14
Growth rate: 1.077% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 109
Below poverty line: 10.6% (2010 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Vietnamese
Adjective: Vietnamese

Ethnic groups: Kinh (Viet) 85.7% Tay 1.9% Thai 1.8% Muong 1.5% Khmer 1.5% Mong 1.2% Nung 1.1% others 5.3% (2009 census)

Languages: Vietnamese (official) English (increasingly favored as a second language) some French Chinese and Khmer mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

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)

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.2%
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 31,301,879/female 31,419,306)
65 years and over: 5.5% (male 1,921,652/female 3,092,589) (2011 est.)

Median age
Total: 27.8 years
Male: 26.8 years
Female: 28.9 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.077% (2011 est.)
Rank: 109

Birth rate: 17.07 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 118

Death rate: 5.96 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 163

Net migration rate: -0.35 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 132

Urbanization
Urban population: 30% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.117 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 20.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 94
Male: 21.27 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 20.48 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.18 years
Rank: 129
Male: 69.72 years
Female: 74.92 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.91 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 137

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 1.224 physicians/1000 population (2008)
Rank: 90

Hospital bed density: 2.87 beds/1000 population (2008)
Rank: 80

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 73
People living with hivaids: 280,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 21
Deaths: 14,000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 21

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
Water contact disease: leptospirosis
Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2000)
Rank: 70

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 20.2% (2008)
Rank: 36

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 49

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 94%
Male: 96.1%
Female: 92% (2009 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 10 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 10 years (2001)

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
Name: Hanoi
Geographic coordinates: 21 02 N 105 51 E
Time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

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: 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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Trong Tan SANG ; Vice President Nguyen Thi DOAN (25 July 2007)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 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 Vu Van NINH (since 3 August 2011) and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan PHUC (since 3 August 2011)
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 July 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 (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 22 May 2011 (next to be held in May 2016)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPV 458 non-party CPV-approved 38 self-nominated 4; note - 500 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)

Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nguyen Phu TRONG]; other parties proscribed

International organization participation: ADB APEC ARF ASEAN CICA 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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Nguyen Quoc CUONG
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 consulate general: Houston San Francisco
In the us consulate: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador David B. SHEAR
From the us embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street Ba Dinh District Hanoi
From the us mailing address: PSC 461 Box 400 FPO AP 96,521-0002
From the us telephone: [84] (4) 3,850-5,000
From the us fax: [84] (4) 3,850-5,010
From the us consulate 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

National anthem
Name: 'Tien quan ca'
Lyricsmusic: 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

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. While Vietnam's economy remains dominated by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) which still produce about 40% of GDP 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. Vietnam became an official negotiating partner in the developing Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement in 2010. Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to shrink from about 25% in 2000 to about 20% in 2010 while industry's share increased from 36% to 41% in the same period. 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 in 2009-10 growing less than the 7% per annum average achieved during the last decade. In 2010 exports increased by more than 25% year-on-year but the trade deficit remained high prompting the government to consider administrative measures to limit the trade deficit. Vietnam's managed currency the dong continues to face downward pressure due to a persistent trade imbalance and since 2008 the government devalued it by 20% through a series of small devaluations. Foreign donors pledged nearly $8 billion in new development assistance for 2011. However the government's strong growth-oriented economic policies have caused it to struggle to control one of the region's highest inflation rates which reached 11.8% in 2010. Vietnam's economy also faces challenges from falling foreign exchange reserves an undercapitalized banking sector and high borrowing costs. The near-bankruptcy and subsequent default of the SOE Vinashin a leading shipbuilder led to a ratings downgrade of Vietnam's sovereign debt exacerbating Vietnam's borrowing difficulties.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 42
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 39

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 166
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 20.6%
Industry: 41.1%
Services: 38.3% (2010 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: 14% (2010 est.)
Rank: 12

Labor force: 47.37 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 12
By occupation agriculture: 53.9%
By occupation industry: 20.3%
By occupation services: 25.8% (2009)

Unemployment rate: 4.6% (2009 est.)
Rank: 40

Population below poverty line: 10.6% (2010 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.2%
Highest 10: 30.2% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index: 36.1 (1998)
Rank: 80

Budget
Revenues: $29.23 billion
Expenditures: $34.95 billion (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -5.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 153

Taxes and other revenues: 28.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
Rank: 106

Public debt: 49.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 40

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7% (2009 est.)
Rank: 195

Central bank discount rate: 8% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 41

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 10.068% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 105

Stock of narrow money: $30.6 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 55

Stock of broad money: $103.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 47

Stock of domestic credit: $110.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 43

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 60

Current account balance: -$6.117 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 184

Exports: $57.1 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 40
Commodities: clothes shoes marine products crude oil electronics wooden products rice machinery
Partners: US 20% Japan 10.7% China 9.8% South Korea 4.3% (2010 est.)

Imports: $65.4 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 36
Commodities: machinery and equipment petroleum products steel products raw materials for the clothing and shoe industries electronics plastics automobiles
Partners: China 23.8% South Korea 11.6% Japan 10.8% Taiwan 8.4% Thailand 6.7% Singapore 4.9% (2010 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $16.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 68

Debt external: $28.67 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 68

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $66.95 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 42

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $5.3 billion (31 December 2008)
Rank: 53

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 97.3 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 33
Consumption: 85.6 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 32
Exports: 535 million kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 3.85 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 9.4 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 43
Consumption: 10.3 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 46
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 201
Imports: 905,800 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 72
Proven reserves: 192.5 billion m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 47

Telephones
Main lines in use: 16.4 million (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 18
Mobile cellular: 154 million (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 7

Telephone system
General assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system
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 increased and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly
International: country code - 84; a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 the C2C and Thailand-Vietnam-Hong Kong submarine cable systems; the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable system scheduled for completion by the end of 2008 will provide new access links to Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)

Broadcast media: government controls all broadcast media exercising oversight through the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC); government-controlled national television provider Vietnam Television (VTV) operates a network of 9 channels with several regional broadcasting centers; programming is relayed nationwide via a network of provincial and municipal TV stations; law limits access to satellite TV but many households are able to access foreign programming via home satellite equipment; government-controlled Voice of Vietnam the national radio broadcaster broadcasts on 6 channels and is repeated on AM FM and shortwave stations throughout Vietnam (2008)

Internet
Country code: .vn
Hosts: 129,318 (2010)
Hosts rank: 73
Users: 23.382 million (2009)
Users rank: 17

Military expenditures: 2.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 62

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for male compulsory military service; females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (3 to 4 years in the navy); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Forces (2006)

Airports: 44 (2010)
Rank: 97
With paved runways total: 37
With paved runways over 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 7
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3 (2010)

Heliports: 1 (2010)

Pipelines: condensate 28 km; condensate/gas 10 km; gas 216 km; refined products 206 km (2010)

Railways
Total: 2,347 km
Rank: 65
Standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)

Roadways
Total: 171,392 km
Rank: 29
Paved: 125,789 km
Unpaved: 45,603 km (2008)

Waterways: 17,702 km (5,000 km are navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2011)
Rank: 7

Merchant marine
Total: 537
Rank: 21
By type: barge carrier 1 bulk carrier 103 cargo 330 chemical tanker 24 container 20 liquefied gas 7 passenger 1 passenger/cargo 1 petroleum tanker 46 refrigerated cargo 2 roll on/roll off 1 specialized tanker 1
Registered in other countries: 84 (Cambodia 1 Honduras 1 Liberia 3 Mongolia 34 Panama 37 Taiwan 1 Tuvalu 6 unknown 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Cam Pha Port Da Nang Hai Phong Ho Chi Minh City Phu My Quy Nhon

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; Cambodia accuses Vietnam of a wide variety of illicit cross-border activities; Progress on a joint development area with Cambodia is hampered by an unresolved dispute over sovereignty of offshore islands; 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; Brunei claims a maritime boundary extending beyond as far as a median with Vietnam thus asserting an implicit claim to Lousia Reef; 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 addic