| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Southeast Asia |
| Geographical Location |
16° 00' North Latitude
106° 00' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
329,560 sq km |
| 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) |
| Natural Resources |
Phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Socialist Republic of Vietnam |
| Capital City |
Hanoi |
| Government Type |
Communist state |
| Administrative Divisions |
59 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thu do, singular and plural)
Provinces: 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, Cao Bang, Dac Lak,
Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, 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
Municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh |
| Independence Day |
2 September 1945 (from France) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
83,535,576 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Vietnamese |
| Ethnic Groups |
Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census) |
| Religion |
Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census) |
| Languages |
Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) |
| Population Growth Rate |
1.04% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Dong (VND) |
| Industries |
Food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, coal, steel, paper |
| Labor Force |
42.98 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 63%, industry and services 37% (2000 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Paddy rice, coffee, fish and seafood, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas, poultry |
| Export Commodities |
Crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes |
| Export Partners |
US 19.8%, Japan 13.7%, China 8.4%, Australia 7%, Germany 5.7%, Singapore 4.8%, UK 4.6% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles |
| Import Partners |
China 13.6%, Japan 11.5%, Singapore 11.5%, Taiwan 10.2%, South Korea 9.8%, Thailand 6.7%, Hong Kong 4.4%, US 4.1%, Malaysia 4.1% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
2,600 km |
| Highways |
93,300 km |
| Pipelines |
Condensate/gas 432 km; gas 210 km; oil 3 km; refined products 206 km (2004) |
| Airports |
24 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Vinh, Vung Tau |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+84 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.vn |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. 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. Despite the return of peace, for over two decades the country experienced little economic growth because of
conservative leadership policies. Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities have committed to economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy
and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to experience protests from the Montagnard ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands
over loss of land to Vietnamese settlers and religious persecution. |
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