Vietnam

Communist stateIndependence 2 September 1945 (from France)

Vietnam as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 115 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalHanoi
LocationSoutheastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea, between Laos and the
1994

Every edition of Vietnam

Populationas each edition published it
73.1 million July 1994 est. · 66.17m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.78% 1994 est. · 1.85% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 24.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 65.1 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.33 children per woman 1994 est. · 3.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
45.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 50 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,000 1993 est. · $230 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
7% 1993 est. · 7.4% in 1993

Geography

Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea, between Laos and the | Philippines

24 fields
Coastline
3,444km
(excludes islands)
Land boundaries
3,818km
total · Cambodia 982 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 1,555 km
Irrigated land
18,300sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea, between Laos and the Philippines

Map references

Asia, Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

329,560 sq km

land area

325,360 sq km

comparative area

slightly larger than New Mexico

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or the edge of 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

arable land

22%

permanent crops

2%

meadows and pastures

1%

forest and woodland

40%

other

35%

current issues

  • deforestation;
  • soil degradation;
  • water pollution and overfishing threatening marine life populations

natural hazards

occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding

international agreements

  • party to - Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands;
  • signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

People

21 fields
Population
73,103,898
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 1.78% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
27.13Death
7.76Net migration
-1.53
Labor force
32.7million
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990)

Infant mortality rate

45.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

65.41 years

male

63.37 years

female

67.58 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.33 children born/woman (1994 est.)

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, Islamic, Protestant

Languages

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

total population

88%

male

93%

female

83%

by occupation

agricultural 65%, industrial and service 35% (1990 est.)

Government

Communist state

25 fields

Legislature, 395 seatsseats by party

VCP or VCP-approved 395

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

Type

Communist state

Capital

Hanoi

Administrative divisions

50 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thanh pho, 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, 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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

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), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

none; Ambassador Le Van BANG is the Permanent Representative to the UN

Flag

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

Economy

Vietnam has made significant progress in recent years moving away from | the planned economic model toward a more effective market-based | economic system.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,000
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
7%
(1993 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 15% (1992); accounts for 20% of GDP
Unemployment rate
25%
(1993 est.)

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 with output rising perhaps 7%. However, the industrial sector remains burdened by uncompetitive state-owned enterprises the government is unwilling or unable to privatize. Unemployment looms as a serious problem with roughly 25% of the workforce without jobs and with population growth swelling the ranks of the unemployed yearly.

National product

GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $72 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$1.9 billion

expenditures

$2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

Exports

$2.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

petroleum, rice, agricultural products, marine products, coffee

partners

Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Germany, Indonesia

Imports

$3.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

petroleum products, steel products, railroad equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain

partners

Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan

External debt

  • $3.4 billion Western countries;
  • $4.5 billion CEMA debts primarily to Russia;
  • $700 million commercial debts (1993 est.)

capacity

3,300,000 kW

production

9 billion kWh

consumption per capita

130 kWh (1992)

Industries

food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil

Agriculture

  • accounts for almost 40% 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.)

Illicit drugs

minor opium producer and secondary transit point for Southeast Asian heroin destined for the US and Europe

recipient

$1.9 billion in credits and grants pledged by international donors for 1994, Japan largest contributor with $550 million

Currency

1 new dong (D) = 100 xu

Exchange rates

new dong (D) per US$1 - 10,800 (November 1993), 8,100 (July 1991), 7,280 (December 1990), 3,996 (March 1990); note - 1985-89 figures are end of year

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

15 fields

Networkskm

Railroads
3,059Inland waterways
17,702
Railroads: ; 2,454 1.000-meter gauge, 151 km 1.435-meter (standard) gauge, 230 km dual gauge (three rails), and 224 km not restored to service after war damage · Inland waterways: ; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft

Railroads

3,059 km total; 2,454 1.000-meter gauge, 151 km 1.435-meter (standard) gauge, 230 km dual gauge (three rails), and 224 km not restored to service after war damage

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

Merchant marine

101 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 460,225 GRT/741,231 DWT, bulk 3, cargo 86, oil tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1

total

100

usable

100

with permanent-surface runways

50

with runways over 3,659 m

0

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

10

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

20

Telecommunications

  • the inadequacies of the obsolete switching equipment and cable system is a serious constraint on the business sector and on economic growth, and restricts access to the international links that Vietnam has established with most major countries;
  • the telephone system is not generally available for private use (25 telephones for each 10,000 persons);
  • 3 satellite earth stations;
  • broadcast stations - NA AM, 288 FM;
  • 36 (77 repeaters) TV;
  • about 2,500,000 TV receivers and 7,000,000 radio receivers in use (1991)

Defense Forces

4 fields

People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) including

Ground, Navy (including Naval Infantry), Air Force

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 18,281,483;
  • fit for military service 11,602,318;
  • reach military age (17) annually 762,943 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GNP

Affiliation

(territory of the US)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Vietnam.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/vietnam/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →