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

noun:

Vietnamese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Vietnamese

at birth:

1.117 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 (2011 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)

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 Trong Tan SANG (since 25 June 2011); Vice President Nguyen Thi DOAN (25 July 2007)

head of government:

• Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 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 Vu Van NINH (since 3 August 2011), and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan PHUC (since 3 August 2011)

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 July 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 Nguyen Quoc CUONG

chancery:

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

telephone:

[1] (202) 861-0737

FAX:

[1] (202) 861-0917

consulate(s) general:

Houston, San Francisco

consulate:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador David B. SHEAR

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:

53.9%

industry:

20.3%

services:

25.8% (2009)

lowest 10%:

3.2%

highest 10%:

30.2% (2008)

• 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)

• condensate 28 km;
• condensate/gas 10 km;
• gas 216 km;
• refined products 206 km (2010)

total:

2,347 km

country comparison to the world: 65

standard gauge:

178 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

2,169 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)

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 for male 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:

25,649,738

females age 16-49:

24,995,692 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

20,405,847

females age 16-49:

21,098,102 (2010 est.)

male:

847,743

female:

787,341 (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;
• 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

current situation:

• Vietnam is a source and, to a lesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and conditions of forced labor;
• Vietnam is a source country for men and women who migrate abroad for work in the construction, fishing, agriculture, mining, logging, and manufacturing sectors, primarily in Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, Laos, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan, as well as in China, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Russia, and elsewhere in the Middle East, and some of these workers subsequently face conditions of forced labor;
• Vietnamese women and children are subjected to forced prostitution throughout Asia

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - the government passed new anti-trafficking legislation and a new five-year national action plan on trafficking;
• nevertheless, while a number of structural reforms were carried out during the year, there remained a lack of tangible progress in the prosecution of trafficking offenders and protection of trafficking victims;
• the government also did not take steps to increase its efforts to address the problem of internal trafficking (2011)

• 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