Vietnam

• low, flat delta in south and north;
• central highlands;
• hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

total:

71.39 cu km/yr (8%/24%/68%)

per capita:

847 cu m/yr (2000)

• 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

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

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.115 male(s)/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 (2010 est.)

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)

noun:

Vietnamese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Vietnamese

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

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

name:

Hanoi (Ha Noi)

geographic coordinates:

21 02 N, 105 51 E

time difference:

UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006); Vice President Nguyen Thi DOAN (since 25 July 2007)

head of government:

• Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June 2006);
• Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh HUNG (since 28 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 Pham Gia KHIEM (since 28 June 2006), and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh TRONG (since 28 June 2006)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by president based on proposal of prime minister and confirmed by National Assembly; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

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 January 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%

• 8406 Bloc;
• Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV;
• People's Democratic Party Vietnam or PDP-VN;
• Alliance for Democracy

note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by the government

chief of mission:

Ambassador Le Cong PHUNG

chancery:

1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 861-0737

FAX:

[1] (202) 861-0917

consulate(s) general:

Houston, New York, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador Michael W. MICHALAK

embassy:

7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

mailing address:

PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002

telephone:

[84] (4) 3850-5000

FAX:

[84] (4) 3850-5010

consulate(s) general:

Ho Chi Minh City

• 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

agriculture:

51.8%

industry:

15.4%

services:

32.7% (April 2009)

lowest 10%:

3.1%

highest 10%:

29.8% (2006)

• paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas;
• poultry;
• fish, seafood

• food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building;
• mining, coal, steel;
• cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, paper

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)

• 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)

total:

2,347 km

country comparison to the world: 67

standard gauge:

178 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

2,169 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

total:

171,392 km

country comparison to the world: 29

paved:

125,789 km

unpaved:

45,603 km (2008)

• the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships;
• numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;
• hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia;
• crews have been murdered or cast adrift

• 18 years of age (male) for 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)

males age 16-49:

25,402,395

females age 16-49:

24,834,928 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

20,153,269

females age 16-49:

20,980,830 (2010 est.)

male:

877,075

female:

816,076 (2010 est.)

• 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;
• 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;
• involved in complex dispute with Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan over the Spratly Islands;
• 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

• 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