Vietnam
Socialist Republic of VietnamCong Hoa Chu Nghia Viet Nam
Communist stateIndependence 2 September 1945 (from France)
Vietnam as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 108 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
France occupied all of Vietnam by 1884. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by communist forces under HO Chi Minh, who took control of the north. 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military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.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. Economic reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult as aging Communist Party leaders have only grudgingly initiated reforms necessary for a free market.
Geography
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
17 fieldsLand useshare of 329,560 sq km
Location
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
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 and gas deposits, forests, hydropower
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
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2000 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 33% (male 13,353,828; female 12,516,289)
- 15-64 years:
- 62% (male 23,691,412; female 24,951,397)
- 65 years and over:
- 5% (male 1,696,708; female 2,564,239) (2000 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.95 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.66 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Languages
Vietnamese (official), Chinese, English, French, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Government
Communist state; President Tran Duc LUONG (since 24 September 1997) and Vice President Nguyen Thi BINH (since NA October 1992); Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 25 September 1997)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi, 450 seats, elected 20 July 1997seats by party
Percent of vote
Country name
- 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
Administrative divisions
58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thu do, singular and plural); 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, Can Tho, Cao Bang, Dac Lac, Da Nang, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Hai Phong*, Ha Nam, Ha Noi*, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Ho Chi Minh*, 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
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Tran Duc LUONG (since 24 September 1997) and Vice President Nguyen Thi BINH (since NA October 1992)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 25 September 1997);
- First Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 29 September 1997);
- Deputy Prime Ministers Nguyen Cong TAN (since 29 September 1997), Nguyen Manh CAM (since 29 September 1997), and Pham Gia KHIEM (since 29 September 1997)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister and ratification of the National Assembly
- elections:
- president elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a five-year term;
- election last held 25 September 1997 (next to be held when National Assembly meets following legislative elections in NA 2002);
- prime minister appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly;
- deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime minister
- election results:
- Tran Duc LUONG elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (450 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 20 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - CPV 92%, other 8% (the 8% are not CPV members but are approved by the CPV to stand for election);
- seats by party - CPV or CPV-approved 450
Judicial branch
Supreme People's Court, chief justice is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president
Political parties and leaders
only party - Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Le Kha PHIEU, general secretary]
International organization participation
ACCT, APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador LE VAN BANG
- chancery:
- 1233 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, Suite 400
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 861-0737
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 861-0917
- consulate(s) general:
- San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Douglas B. "Pete" PETERSON
- embassy:
- 7 Lang Ha Road, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
- mailing address:
- PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002
- telephone:
- [84] (4) 8431500
- FAX:
- [84] (4) 8350484
- consulate(s) general:
- Ho Chi Minh City
Economy
Vietnam is a poor, densely populated country that 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.
31 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1998 est.)
Electricity
Economy - overview
Vietnam is a poor, densely populated country that 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. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to 1996 in moving forward from an extremely low starting point - growth averaged around 9% per year from 1993 to 1997.
The 1997 Asian financial crisis highlighted the problems existing in the Vietnamese economy but, rather than prompting reform, reaffirmed the government's belief that shifting to a market oriented economy leads to disaster. GDP growth of 8.5% in 1997 fell to 4% in 1998 and rose slightly to an estimated 4.8% in 1999.
These numbers masked some major difficulties that are emerging in economic performance. Many domestic industries, including coal, cement, steel, and paper, have reported large stockpiles of inventory and tough competition from more efficient foreign producers. Foreign direct investment has fallen dramatically, from $8.3 billion in 1996 to about $1.6 billion in 1999.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities have slowed implementation of the structural reforms needed to revitalize the economy and produce more competitive, export-driven industries. Privatization of state enterprises remains bogged down in political controversy, while the country's dynamic private sector is denied both financing and access to markets.
Reform of the banking sector - considered one of the riskiest in the world - is proceeding slowly, raising concerns that the country will be unable to tap sufficient domestic savings to finance growth. Administrative and legal barriers are also causing costly delays for foreign investors and are raising similar doubts about Vietnam's ability to attract additional foreign capital.
Industries
food processing, garments, shoes, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, coal, steel, paper
Agriculture - products
- paddy rice, corn, potatoes, rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas;
- poultry, pigs;
- fish
Imports - commodities
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles
Debt - external
- $7.3 billion Western countries;
- $4.5 billion CEMA debts primarily to Russia;
- $9 billion to $18 billion nonconvertible debt (former CEMA, Iraq, Iran)
Economic aid - recipient
$2 billion in credits and grants pledged by international donors for 1999 and again for 2000
Exchange rates
new dong (D) per US$1 - 14,020 (January 2000), 13,900 (December 1998), 11,100 (December 1996), 11,193 (1995 average), 11,000 (October 1994), 10,800 (November 1993)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- while Vietnam's telecommunication sector lags far behind other countries in Southeast Asia, Hanoi has made considerable progress since 1991 in upgrading the system;
- Vietnam has digitalized all provincial switch boards, while fiber-optic and microwave transmission systems have been extended from Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City to all provinces;
- the density of telephone receivers nationwide doubled from 1993 to 1995, but is still far behind other countries in the region
- domestic:
- NA
- international:
- satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 2,652 km
- standard gauge:
- 166 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 2,249 km 1.000-m gauge
- dual gauge:
- 237 km NA-m gauges (three rails) (1998)
Waterways
17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 m draft
Merchant marine
- total:
- 133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 616,115 GRT/941,611 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 7, cargo 103, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 1, liquified gas 1, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 4 (1999 est.)
Military
People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (includes Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Force), Coast Guard
7 fieldsMilitary branches
People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (includes Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Force), Coast Guard
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined;
- involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei;
- maritime boundary with Thailand resolved, August 1997;
- maritime boundary dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin;
- Paracel Islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan;
- offshore islands and sections of boundary with Cambodia are in dispute;
- agreement on land border with China was signed in December 1999, but details of alignment have not been made public
Illicit drugs
- minor producer of opium poppy with 2,100 hectares cultivated in 1999, capable of producing 11 metric tons of opium;
- probably minor transit point for Southeast Asian heroin destined for the US and Europe;
- growing opium/heroin addiction;
- possible small-scale heroin production [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Vietnam.” The World Factbook 2000. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/vietnam/2000.