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military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.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 maintain tight control on political expression but have demonstrated some modest steps toward better protection of human rights. The country continues to experience small-scale protests the vast majority connected to either land-use issues calls for increased political space or the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. The small-scale protests in the urban areas are often organized by human rights activists but many occur in rural areas and involve various ethnic minorities such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands H'mong in the Northwest Highlands and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region.

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
Rank: 66
Comparative: about three times the size of Tennesee; slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 4,616 km
Border countries: (3) Cambodia 1158 km; China 1297 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
Mean elevation: 398 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m: 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 arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 34.8%
Forest: 45%
Other: 20.2%

Irrigated land: 46,000 km² (2012)

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: 95,261,021 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 15
Growth rate: 0.95% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 120
Below poverty line: 11.3% (2012 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% Hoa 1% other 4.3% (2009 est.)

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 7.9% Catholic 6.6% Hoa Hao 1.7% Cao Dai 0.9% Protestant 0.9% Muslim 0.1% none 81.8% (2009 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.84%
15-24 years: 16.69%
25-54 years: 45.22%
55-64 years: 8.24%
65 years and over: 6.01% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 42.5%
Youth dependency ratio: 32.9%
Elderly dependency ratio: 9.6%
Potential support ratio: 10.4%

Median age
Total: 30.1 years
Male: 28.9 years
Female: 31.2 years
Rank: 114

Population growth rate: 0.95% (2016 est.)
Rank: 120

Birth rate: 15.7 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 124

Death rate: 5.9 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 169

Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 116

Urbanization
Urban population: 33.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 2.95% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: Ho Chi Minh City 7.298 million; HANOI (capital) 3.629 million; Can Tho 1.175 million; Haiphong 1.075 million; Da Nang 952,000; Bien Hoa 834,000 (2015)

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: 1.11 male/female
0-14 years: 1.11 male/female
15-24 years: 1.08 male/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male/female
55-64 years: 0.85 male/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female

Infant mortality rate
Total: 17.8 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 18.2 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 17.4 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 95

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.4 years
Male: 70.9 years
Female: 76.2 years
Rank: 132

Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 148

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 78.1% (2011)

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 1.19 physicians/1000 population (2013)

Hospital bed density: 2 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.48% (2015 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 70
People living with hivaids: 255,100 (2015 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 22
Deaths: 8,900 (2015 est.)
Deaths rank: 22

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever malaria and Japanese encephalitis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 3.5% (2014)
Rank: 186

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 12.1% (2013)
Rank: 60

Education expenditures: 6.3% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 33

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 94.5%
Male: 96.3%
Female: 92.8%

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
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 state

Capital
Name: Hanoi
Geographic coordinates: 21 02 N 105 51 E
Time difference: UTC+7

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 Hai Phong Ho Chi Minh City

Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day 2 September (1945)

Constitution: several previous; latest adopted 15 April 1992 effective 1 January 1995; amended 2001 2013 (2016)

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 Tran Dai QUANG ; Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc THINH (since 7 April 2016)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan PHUC ; Deputy Prime Ministers Truong Hoa BINH (since 9 April 2016) Vuong Dinh HUE (since 9 April 2016) Vu Duc DAM (since 13 November 2013) Trinh Dinh DUNG (since 9 April 2016) Pham Binh MINH (since 13 November 2013)
Cabinet: Cabinet proposed by prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by National Assembly from among its members for a single 5-year term; election last held on 2 April 2016 ; prime minister appointed by the president from among members of the National Assembly confirmed by National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime minister confirmed by National Assembly
Election results: Tran Dai QUANG elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 98.9%; Nguyen Xuan PHUC elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 91.0%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi
Elections: last held on 22 May 2016
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPV 475 non-party CPV-approved 19 self-nominated 2; note - 496 candidates were elected

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme People's Court
Judge selection and term of office: chief justice elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president for a 5-year renewable term; other judges appointed by the president for 5-year terms
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeals; administrative civil criminal economic and labor courts; Central Military Court; People's Special Courts; note - the National Assembly can establish special tribunals

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

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 UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Pham Quang VINH
In the us chancery: 1233 20th Street NW Suite 400 Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] 861-0737
In the us FAX: [1] 861-0917
In the us consulate general: Houston San Francisco
In the us consulate: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ted G. OSIUS III
From the us embassy: Rose Garden Building 170 Ngoc Khanh St. Hanoi
From the us mailing address: 7 Lang Ha Street Ba Dinh District Hanoi; 4,550 Hanoi Place Washington DC 20,521-4,550
From the us telephone: [84] 3,850-5,000
From the us FAX: [84] 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; lotus blossom; national colors: red yellow

National anthem
Name: 'Tien quan ca'
Lyrics and 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

Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 36

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 19

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 161

Gross national saving:
Rank: 39

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 66.7%
Government consumption: 6.3%
Investment in fixed capital: 24.8%
Investment in inventories: 3.9%
Exports of goods and services: 89.4%
Imports of goods and services: -91.1%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 17.4%
Industry: 38.8%
Services: 43.7%

Agriculture products: rice coffee rubber 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 mobile phones

Industrial production growth rate: 9.6% (2015 est.)
Rank: 13

Labor force: 54.45 million (2015 est.)
Rank: 12
By occupation agriculture: 48%
By occupation industry: 21%
By occupation services: 31%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 30

Population below poverty line: 11.3% (2012 est.)

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

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 77

Budget
Revenues: $45.96 billion
Expenditures: $54.67 billion
Surplus or deficit: -4.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 152

Taxes and other revenues: 24% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 128

Public debt:
Note: official data; data cover general government debt and includes debt instruments issued 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 intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental 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
Rank: 71

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 68

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 31

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 115

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 46

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 37

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 40

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 58

Current account balance:
Rank: 40

Exports:
Rank: 28
Commodities: clothes shoes electronics seafood crude oil rice coffee wooden products machinery
Partners: US 21.2% China 13.3% Japan 8.4% South Korea 5.5% Germany 4.1% (2015)

Imports:
Rank: 28
Commodities: machinery and equipment petroleum products steel products raw materials for the clothing and shoe industries electronics plastics automobiles
Partners: China 34.1% South Korea 14.3% Singapore 6.5% Japan 6.4% Hong Kong 5.1% Thailand 4.5% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 48

Debt external:
Rank: 55

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 45

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 64

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 2,600,000
Access electrification total population: 99%
Access electrification urban areas: 100%
Access electrification rural areas: 98%
Production: 135 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 32
Consumption: 125 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 32
Exports: 1.5 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 54
Imports: 4.1 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 51
Installed generating capacity: 39 million kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 34
Generation sources fossil fuels: 48.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 150
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 205
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 50.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 48
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 114

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 333,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 32
Crude oil exports: 163,100 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 32
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 145
Crude oil proven reserves: 4.4 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 25

Refined petroleum
Products production: 141,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 64
Products consumption: 392,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 34
Products exports: 27,740 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 67
Products imports: 211,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 24

Natural gas
Production: 8.99 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Production rank: 45
Consumption: 8.99 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 48
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 207
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 77
Proven reserves: 699.4 billion m³ (1 January 2016 es)
Proven reserves rank: 30

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 142 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 36

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 5.9 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6
Fixed lines rank: 28
Mobile cellular total: 122 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 129
Mobile cellular rank: 10

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 completed in 2009 provided new access links to Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (2015)

Broadcast media: government controls all broadcast media exercising oversight through the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC); government-controlled national TV 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
Users total: 49.741 million
Users percent of population: 52.7%
Users rank: 16

Military expenditures:
Rank: 33

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for male compulsory and voluntary military service; females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscription typically takes place twice annually and service obligation is 18 months (Army Air Defense) 2 years (Navy and Air Force); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Force service; males may enroll in military schools at age 17 (2013)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 140
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 29,944,771
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 384,470,240 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: VN (2016)

Airports: 45 (2013)
Rank: 97
With paved runways total: 38
With paved runways over 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 13
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
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

Heliports: 1 (2013)

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

Railways
Total: 2,600 km
Standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge; 253 km mixed gauge
Narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge
Rank: 63

Roadways
Total: 195,468 km
Paved: 148,338 km
Unpaved: 47,130 km
Rank: 24

Waterways: 47,130 km (30,831 km weight under 50 tons) (2011)
Rank: 4

Merchant marine
Total: 579
By type: barge carrier 1 bulk carrier 142 cargo 335 chemical tanker 23 container 19 liquefied gas 7 passenger/cargo 1 petroleum tanker 48 refrigerated cargo 1 roll on/roll off 1 specialized tanker 1
Registered in other countries: 86 (2010)
Rank: 20

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Cam Pha Port Da Nang Haiphong Phu My Quy Nhon
River port: Ho Chi Minh
Container port: Haiphong (1,018,794) Saigon New Port (3,071,777)

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; Economic Exclusion Zone negotiations with Indonesia are ongoing and the two countries in Fall 2011 agreed to work together to reduce illegal fishing along their maritime boundary

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 11,000 ; 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: minor producer of opium poppy; probable minor transit point for Southeast Asian heroin; government continues to face domestic opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems despite longstanding crackdowns; enforces the death penalty for drug trafficking