|
 Vietnam
Map of Vietnam
Geography
| Location:
|
Southeastern Asia,
bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and
South China Sea, between China and Cambodia |
| Area:
|
slightly larger than
New Mexico |
| Total
area: |
329,560 sq km - land
area: 325,360 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) |
| Terrain:
|
low, flat delta
in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous
in far north and northwest |
| Natural
resources: |
phosphates, coal, manganese,
bauxite, chromate, offshore oil
deposits, forests |
People
Population: 74,393,324
(July 1995 est.)
- 0-14 years: 36% (female 13,225,916;
male 13,918,321)
- 15-64 years: 59% (female 22,353,710;
male 21,223,739)
- 65 years and over: 5% (female 2,236,453;
male 1,435,185)
- (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.71%
(1995 est.)
Nationality:
- noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural)
- adjective: Vietnamese
Ethnic divisions:
Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Muong,
Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham
Religions:
Buddhist (60%), Taoist(12%), Roman
Catholic(5%), indigenous beliefs, Islam, Protestant
Languages:
Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese,
English, Khmer, tribal languages
(Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Literacy:
- 88% of age 15 and over can read
and write (1989)
- (male: 93% female: 83%)
History:
Vietnam has about 4,000 years of
history. Part of it was spent under Chinese domination, which
ended in the 1400s. A succession of Vietnamese dynasties followed
until French colonial rule dominated the country in the latter
1800s. In 1945, following the Japanese World War II occupation,
Ho Chi Minh led An army against the French to gain independence
until 1954 Geneva Accords. The Geneva Accords divided Vietnam
into two parts preparatory to national elections in 1956. The
government in the South did not follow through with the election
and a civil war between north and south began. The U.S. supported
the South Vietnam government in Saigon and sent American troops
and supplies to fight the Viet Congs (local southern guerillas
against the South Vietnamese government) and North Vietnamese
troops. The war spread to Laos and Cambodia. and American support
included extensive bombing of Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam and
areas of South Vietnam held by Viet Cong. The war ended with the
withdrawal of American troops and the fll of Saigon in April 1975.
All three Indochinese countries-Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia came
under Communist governments.
Government
Names:
- conventional long form: Socialist
Republic of Vietnam
- conventional short form: Vietnam
- local long form: Cong Hoa Chu Nghia
Viet Nam
- local short form: Viet Nam
Type: Communist
state
Capital:
Hanoi
Independence:
2 September 1945 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
Constitution: 15
April 1992
Flag: red
with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
Economy
Overview:
Vietnam has made significant progress
in recent years moving away from
the planned economic model toward a more effective market-based
economic system. Most prices
are now fully decontrolled, and the Vietnamese currency
has been effectively devalued and floated at world market rates.
In addition, the scope for private
sector activity has been expanded, primarily through
decollectivization of the agricultural sector and introduction of
laws giving legal recognition
to private business. Nearly three-quarters of export
earnings are generated by only two commodities, rice and crude oil.
Led by industry and construction,
the economy did well in 1993 and 1994 with output
rising 7% and 9% respectively. However, the industrial sector remains
burdened by noncompetitive state-owned
enterprises the government is unwilling
or unable to privatize. Unemployment looms as a serious problem
with roughly 20% of the work
force without jobs and with population growth swelling
the ranks of the labor force yearly.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power parity - $83.5 billion (1994 est.)
National product
real growth rate: 8.8%
(1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,140
(1994 est.)
Exports:
$3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
- commodities: petroleum, rice, agricultural
products, marine products, coffee
- partners: Japan, Singapore, Hong
Kong, France, South Korea
Imports: $4.2
billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
- commodities: petroleum products,
machinery and equipment, steel products, fertilizer,
raw cotton, grain
- partners: Singapore, Japan, South
Korea, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan
Industries:
food processing, textiles, machine
building, mining, cement, chemical
fertilizer, glass, tires, oil
Currency: 1
new dong (D) = 100 xu
Exchange rates:
new dong (D) per US$1 - 11,000 (October
1994), 10,800 (November 1993),
8,100 (July 1991), 7,280 (December 1990), 3,996 (March 1990)
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China
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North
Korea
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Vietnam
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