Vietnam

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

agricultural land:

34.8%;

• arable land 20.6%;
• permanent crops 12.1%;
• permanent pasture 2.1%

forest:

45%

other:

20.2% (2011 est.)

total:

82.03 cu km/yr (1%/4%/95%)

per capita:

965 cu m/yr (2005)

• 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:

1.11 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.11 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.85 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.63 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis

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 (2013)

total number:

2,545,616

percentage:

16% (2006 est.)

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)

• several previous;
• latest adopted 15 April 1992, effective 1 January 1995;
• amended 2001, 2013 (2014)

chief of state:

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

head of government:

• Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June 2006);
• Deputy Prime Ministers Hoang Trung HAI (since 2 August 2007), Vu Van NINH (since 3 August 2011), Nguyen Xuan PHUC (since 3 August 2011), Vu Duc DAM (since 13 November 2013), Pham Binh MINH (since 13 November 2013)

cabinet:

Cabinet proposed by prime minister, appointed by the president, and confirmed by the National Assembly

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by National Assembly from among its members for a single 5-year term;
• election last held on 25 July 2011 (next to be held in July 2016);
• prime minister appointed by the president from among members of the National Assembly, confirmed by National Assembly;
• deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime minister, confirmed by National Assembly

election results:

• Truong Tan SANG (CPV) elected president;
• percent of National Assembly vote - 97%;
• Nguyen Tan DUNG elected prime minister;
• percent of National Assembly vote - 94%

description:

unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (500 seats; members directly elected by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 22 May 2011 (next to be held in May 2016)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - CPV 458, non-party CPV-approved 38, self-nominated 4;
• note - 500 candidates were elected;
• the 496 CPV and non-party CPV-approved delegates were members of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front and were vetted prior to the election

highest court(s):

Supreme People's Court (consists of the chief justice and 13 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president for a 5-year, renewable term;
• other judges appointed by the president for 5-year terms

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeals;
• administrative, civil, criminal, economic, and labor courts;
• Central Military Court;
• People's Special Courts;
• note - the National Assembly can establish special tribunals

• 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 Pham Quang VINH (since 23 February 2015)

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 Ted G. OSIUS III (since 16 December 2014)

embassy:

Rose Garden Building, 170 Ngoc Khanh St., Hanoi

mailing address:

7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi; 4550 Hanoi Place, Washington, DC 20521-4550

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

• yellow, five-pointed star on red field;
• lotus blossom;
• national colors: red, yellow

• rice, coffee, rubber, 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, mobile phones

agriculture:

48%

industry:

21%

services:

31% (2012)

lowest 10%:

3.2%

highest 10%:

30.2% (2008)

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, completed in 2009, provided new access links to Asia and the US;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2011)

• government controls all broadcast media exercising oversight through the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC);
• government-controlled national TV 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 72 km;
• condensate/gas 398 km;
• gas 955 km;
• oil 128 km;
• oil/gas/water 33 km;
• refined products 206 km;
• water 13 km (2013)

total:

2,600 km

standard gauge:

178 km 1.435-m gauge; 253 km mixed gauge

narrow gauge:

2,169 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 64

total:

195,468 km

paved:

148,338 km

unpaved:

47,130 km (2013)

country comparison to the world: 24

total:

579

by type:

barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 142, cargo 335, chemical tanker 23, container 19, liquefied gas 7, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 48, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1

registered in other countries:

86 (Cambodia 1, Kiribati 2, Mongolia 33, Panama 43, Taiwan 1, Tuvalu 6) (2010)

country comparison to the world: 20

major seaport(s):

Cam Pha Port, Da Nang, Haiphong, Phu My, Quy Nhon

river port(s):

Ho Chi Minh (Mekong)

container port(s) (TEUs):

Haiphong (1,018,794), Saigon New Port (3,071,777)

• 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

• 18-25 years of age for male compulsory and voluntary military service;
• females may volunteer for active duty military service;
• conscription typically takes place twice annually and service obligation is 18 months (Army, Air Defense), 2 years (Navy and Air Force);
• 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Force service;
• males may enroll in military schools at age 17 (2013)

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;
• Economic Exclusion Zone negotiations with Indonesia are ongoing, and the two countries in Fall 2011 agreed to work together to reduce illegal fishing along their maritime boundary

stateless persons:

• 11,000 (2013);
• note - Vietnam's stateless ethnic Chinese Cambodian population dates to the 1970s when thousands of Cambodians fled to Vietnam to escape the Khmer Rouge and were no longer recognized as Cambodian citizens;
• Vietnamese women who gave up their citizenship to marry foreign men have found themselves stateless after divorcing and returning home to Vietnam;
• the government addressed this problem in 2009, and Vietnamese women are beginning to reclaim their citizenship

• 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;
• enforces the death penalty for drug trafficking