VIETNAM
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VIETNAM
@Vietnam:Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of
Tonkin, and South China Sea, between China and Cambodia
Map references: Southeast Asia
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VIETNAM - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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Ho Chi Minh City 3,420,000 10.46N,106.43E 84- GMT+7
HANOI 2,674,000 21.01N,105.52E 84- GMT+7
Haiphong 1,279,000 20.50N,106.41E 84- GMT+7
Da Nang 492,000 16.04N,108.14E 84- GMT+7
Nha Trang 216,000 12.15N,109.10E 84- GMT+7
Qui Nhon 214,000 13.47N,109.11E 84- GMT+7
Hue 209,000 16.28N,107.35E 84- GMT+7
Can Tho 183,000 10.03N,105.46E 84- GMT+7
Nam Dinh 161,000 20.25N,106.10E 84- GMT+7
Vinh 154,000 18.40N,105.40E 84- GMT+7
My Tho 120,000 10.21N,106.21E 84- GMT+7
Cam Ranh 118,000 11.54N,109.14E 84- GMT+7
Vung Tau 108,000 10.21N,107.04E 84- GMT+7
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Area:
total area: 329,560 sq km
land area: 325,360 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: total 3,818 km, Cambodia 982 km, China 1,281 km, Laos
1,555 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
International disputes: maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined;
involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands 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 occupied by China but claimed
by Vietnam and Taiwan
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
Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate,
offshore oil deposits, forests
Land use:
arable land: 22%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 1%
forest and woodland: 40%
other: 35%
Irrigated land: 18,300 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices are
contributing to deforestation; soil degradation; water pollution and
overfishing threatening marine life populations; inadequate supplies
of potable water because of groundwater contamination
natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive
flooding
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
Nuclear Test Ban
@Vietnam:People
Population: 74,393,324 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (female 13,225,916; male 13,918,321)
15-64 years: 59% (female 22,353,710; male 21,223,739)
65 years and over: 5% (female 2,236,453; male 1,435,185) (July 1995
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.71% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 26.25 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 7.6 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 44.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.72 years
male: 63.66 years
female: 67.91 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.21 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural)
adjective: Vietnamese
Ethnic divisions: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Muong, Thai, Meo,
Khmer, Man, Cham
Religions: Buddhist, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs,
Islam, Protestant
Languages: Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese, English, Khmer,
tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1989)
total population: 88%
male: 93%
female: 83%
Labor force: 32.7 million
by occupation: agricultural 65%, industrial and service 35% (1990
est.)
@Vietnam:Government
Names:
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
Digraph: VM
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
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
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 Minister Nguyen KHANH (since NA February 1987); Deputy
Prime Minister Tran Duc LUONG (since NA February 1987)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president on proposal of the prime
minister and ratification of the Assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Quoc-Hoi): elections last held 19 July 1992 (next
to be held NA July 1997); results - VCP is the only party; seats -
(395 total) VCP or VCP-approved 395
Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court
Political parties and leaders: only party - Vietnam Communist Party
(VCP), DO MUOI, general secretary
Member of: ACCT, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), CCC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Liaison Officer Le Van BANG
liaison office: address NA, Washington, DC
mailing address: NA
telephone: NA
FAX: NA
note: negotiations between representatives of the US and Vietnam
concluded 28 January 1995 with the signing of an agreement to
establish liaison offices in Hanoi and Washington
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Liaison Officer James HALL
liaison office: address NA, Hanoi
mailing address: NA
telephone: NA
FAX: NA
note: negotiations between representatives of the US and Vietnam
concluded 28 January 1995 with the signing of an agreement to
establish liaison offices in Hanoi and Washington
Flag: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
Economy
Overview: Vietnam has made significant progress in recent years moving
away from the planned economic model toward a more effective
market-based economic system. Most prices are now fully decontrolled,
and the Vietnamese currency has been effectively devalued and floated
at world market rates. In addition, the scope for private sector
activity has been expanded, primarily through decollectivization of
the agricultural sector and introduction of laws giving legal
recognition to private business. Nearly three-quarters of export
earnings are generated by only two commodities, rice and crude oil.
Led by industry and construction, the economy did well in 1993 and
1994 with output rising 7% and 9% respectively. However, the
industrial sector remains burdened by noncompetitive state-owned
enterprises the government is unwilling or unable to privatize.
Unemployment looms as a serious problem with roughly 20% of the work
force without jobs and with population growth swelling the ranks of
the labor force yearly.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $83.5 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 8.8% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,140 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.4% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.6 billion
expenditures: $4.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1994 est.)
Exports: $3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum, rice, agricultural products, marine products,
coffee
partners: Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, South Korea
Imports: $4.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum products, machinery and equipment, steel
products, fertilizer, raw cotton, grain
partners: Singapore, Japan, South Korea, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan
External debt: $4 billion Western countries; $4.5 billion CEMA debts
primarily to Russia;
Industrial production: growth rate 13% (1994 est.); accounts for 21%
of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 2,200,000 kW
production: 9.7 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 125 kWh (1993)
Industries: food processing, textiles, machine building, mining,
cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil
Agriculture: accounts for 36% of GDP; paddy rice, corn, potatoes make
up 50% of farm output; commercial crops (rubber, soybeans, coffee,
tea, bananas) and animal products 50%; since 1989 self-sufficient in
food staple rice; fish catch of 943,100 metric tons (1989 est.); note
- the third largest exporter of rice in the World, behind the US and
Thailand
Illicit drugs: opium producer and increasingly important transit point
for Southeast Asian heroin destined for the US and Europe; growing
opium addiction; small-scale heroin producer
Economic aid:
recipient: $2 billion in credits and grants pledged by international
donors for 1995, Japan largest contributor with $650 million pledged
for 1995
Currency: 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu
Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1 - 11,000 (October 1994), 10,800
(November 1993), 8,100 (July 1991), 7,280 (December 1990), 3,996
(March 1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Vietnam:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 3,059 km (including 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)
Highways:
total: 85,000 km
paved: 9,400 km
unpaved: gravel, improved earth 48,700 km; unimproved earth 26,900 km
Inland waterways: 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at
all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft
Pipelines: petroleum products 150 km
Ports: Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hon Gai, Qui Nhon, Nha
Trang
Merchant marine:
total: 109 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 449,963 GRT/932,837 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 92, oil tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 3,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
Airports:
total: 48
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 8
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 13
with paved runways under 914 m: 7
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5
with unpaved runways under 914 m: 5
@Vietnam:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; 2 telephones/1,000 persons; the
inadequacies of the obsolete switching equipment and cable system are
a serious constraint on the business sector and on economic growth,
and restrict access to the international links that Vietnam has
established with most major countries; the telephone system is not
generally available for private use
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 3 satellite earth stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 228, shortwave 0
radios: 7 million (1991)
Television:
broadcast stations: 36 (repeaters 77)
televisions: 2.5 million (1991)
@Vietnam:Defense Forces
Branches: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; includes Ground forces, Navy
(includes Naval Infantry), and Air Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 18,799,370; males fit for
military service 11,913,116; males reach military age (17) annually
742,394 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $435 million, 2.5% of
GDP (1994)
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