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VIETNAMLocation: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 106 00 E Map references: Southeast Asia Area: Area—comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico Land boundaries: Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands) Maritime claims: 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 Elevation extremes: Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests Land use: Irrigated land: 18,600 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding 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, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban PeoplePopulation: 76,236,259 (July 1998 est.) Age structure: Population growth rate: 1.43% (1998 est.) Birth rate: 21.55 births/1,000 population (1998 est.) Death rate: 6.69 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.) Net migration rate: -0.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.) Sex ratio: Infant mortality rate: 36.02 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.) Life expectancy at birth: Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1998 est.) Nationality: Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Muong, Tai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham Religions: Buddhist, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islam, Protestant, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao Languages: Vietnamese (official), Chinese, English, French, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) Literacy: GovernmentCountry name: Data code: VM Government type: Communist state National capital: Hanoi Administrative divisions: 50 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thu do, 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-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phu, Yen Bai note: eight existing provinces (Bac Thai, Ha Bac, Hai Hung, Minh Hai, Nam Ha, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Song Be, and Vinh Phu) may have been abolished and from their territory 15 new provinces and one new municipality* (Bac Can, Bac Giang, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Ca Mau, Da Nang City*, Ha Nam, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Phu Tho, Quang Nam, Thai Nguyen, and Vinh Phuc) may have been created Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France) National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945) Constitution: 15 April 1992 Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (450 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms) 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 (CPV), Le Kha PHIEU, general secretary International organization participation: will become a member at the next APEC meeting in the fall of 1998, ACCT, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant) Diplomatic representation in the US: Diplomatic representation from the US: Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center EconomyEconomy—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 has been achieved over the past 10 years in moving forward from an extremely low starting point. Economic growth continued at a strong pace during 1997 with industrial output rising by 12% and real GDP expanding by 8.5%. These positive numbers, however, masked some major difficulties that are emerging in economic performance. Many domestic industries, including coal, cement, steel, and paper, reported large stockpiles of inventory and tough competition from more efficient foreign producers, giving Vietnam a trade deficit of $3.3 billion in 1997. While disbursements of aid and foreign direct investment have risen, they are not large enough to finance the rapid increase in imports; and it is widely believed that Vietnam may be using short-term trade credits to bridge the gap—a risky strategy that could result in a foreign exchange crunch. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities continue to move slowly toward implementing 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 is proceeding slowly, raising concerns that the country will be unable to tap sufficient domestic savings to maintain current high levels of growth. Administrative and legal barriers are also causing costly delays for foreign investors and are raising similar doubts about Vietnam's ability to maintain the inflow of foreign capital. Ideological bias in favor of state intervention and control of the economy is slowing progress toward a more liberalized investment environment. GDP: purchasing power parity—$128 billion (1997 est.) GDP—real growth rate: 8.5% (1997 est.) GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$1,700 (1997 est.) GDP—composition by sector: Inflation rate—consumer price index: 5% (1997) Labor force: Unemployment rate: 25% (1995 est.) Budget: Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil Industrial production growth rate: 12% (1997 est.) Electricity—capacity: 5.32 million kW (1995) Electricity—production: 12.3 billion kWh (1995) Electricity—consumption per capita: 165 kWh (1995) Agriculture—products: paddy rice, corn, potatoes, rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas; poultry, pigs; fish Exports: Imports: 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: Currency: 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1—12,300 (January 1998), 11,100 (December 1996), 11,193 (1995 average), 11,000 (October 1994), 10,800 (November 1993), 8,100 (July 1991) |
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