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Communications

Airports [time series]

100 total, 100 usable; 50 with permanent-surface runways; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

controlled by military

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

about 85,000 km total; 9,400 km bituminous, 48,700 km gravel or improved earth, 26,900 km unimproved earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

about 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft

Merchant marine [time series]

71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 290,123 GRT/432,152 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 55 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 8 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 bulk; note--Vietnam owns 10 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 111,028 DWT under the registry of Panama and Malta

Pipelines [time series]

150 km, refined products

Ports [time series]

Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

3,059 km total; 2,454 1.000-meter gauge, 151 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 230 km dual gauge (three rails), and 224 km not restored to service

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

35,000 telephones in Ho Chi Minh City (1984); stations--16 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 2,300,000 TV sets; 6,000,000 radio receivers; at least 2 satellite earth stations, including 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

19.4% of GNP (1986 est.)

Military manpower [time series]

males 15-49, 15,707,629; 10,030,563 fit for military service; 787,444 reach military age (17) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for half of GNP; paddy rice, corn, potatoes make up 50% of farm output; commercial crops (rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas) and animal products other 50%; not self-sufficient in food staple rice; fish catch of 900,000 metric tons (1988 est.)

Aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-74), $3.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.7 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $61 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $10.9 million

Budget [time series]

revenues $3.2 billion; expenditures $4.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $528 million (1987 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

new dong (plural--new dong); 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu

Electricity [time series]

2,465,000 kW capacity; 6,730 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

new dong (D) per US$1--4,000 (March 1990), 900 (1988), 225 (1987), 18 (1986), 12 (1985); note--1985-89 figures are end of year

Exports [time series]

$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--agricultural and handicraft products, coal, minerals, ores; partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$16 billion (1989)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

GNP [time series]

$14.2 billion, per capita $215; real growth rate 8% (1989 est.)

Imports [time series]

$2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--petroleum, steel products, railroad equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain; partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 10% (1989)

Industries [time series]

food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

40% (1989 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

This is a centrally planned, developing economy with extensive government ownership and control of productive facilities. The economy is primarily agricultural, employing about 65% of the labor force and accounting for almost half of GNP. Rice is the staple crop; substantial amounts of maize, sorghum, cassava, and sweet potatoes are also grown. The government permits sale of surplus grain on the open market. Most of the mineral resources are located in the north, including coal, which is an important export item. Following the end of the war in 1975, heavy handed government measures undermined efforts at an efficient merger of the agricultural resources of the south and the industrial resources of the north. The economy remains heavily dependent on foreign aid and has received assistance from Communist countries, Sweden, and UN agencies. Inflation, although down from recent triple-digit levels, is still a major weakness, and per capita output is among the world's lowest. Since early 1989 the government has sponsored a broad reform program that seeks to turn more economic activity over to the private sector.

Unemployment rate [time series]

25% (1989 est.)

Geography

Climate [time series]

tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)

Coastline [time series]

3,444 km (excluding islands)

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than New Mexico

Contiguous zone [time series]

24 nm;

Continental shelf [time series]

edge of continental margin or 200 nm;

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

offshore islands and three sections of the boundary with Cambodia are in dispute; maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined; occupied Cambodia on 25 December 1978; sporadic border clashes with China; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, and Taiwan; maritime boundary dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding

Extended economic zone [time series]

200 nm;

Land boundaries [time series]

3,818 km total; Cambodia 982 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 1,555 km

Land use [time series]

22% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 40% forest and woodland; 35% other; includes 5% irrigated

Natural resources [time series]

phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil deposits, forests

Terrain [time series]

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

Maritime claims (Territorial sea) [time series]

12 nm

Area (Total area) [time series]

329,560 km2; land area: 325,360

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

37 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thanh pho, singular and plural); An Giang, Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Tri Thien, Cao Bang, Cuu Long, Dac Lac, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai-Cong Tum, Ha Bac, Hai Hung, Hai Phong*, Ha Nam Ninh, Ha Noi*, Ha Son Binh, Ha Tuyen, Hau Giang, Hoang Lien Son, Ho Chi Minh*, Kien Giang, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Long An, Minh Hai, Nghe Tinh, Nghia Binh, Phu Khanh, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Song Be, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thuan Hai, Tien Giang, Vinh Pu, Vung Tau-Con Dao; note--diacritical marks are not included; the number of provinces may have been changed with the elimination of Binh Tri Thien, Nghia Binh, and Phu Khanh and the addition of Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Ngai, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien

Capital [time series]

Hanoi

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

nearly 2 million

Constitution [time series]

18 December 1980

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

none

Executive branch [time series]

chairman of the Council of State, Council of State, chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers

Flag [time series]

red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center

Independence [time series]

2 September 1945 (from France)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme People's Court Chief of State--Chairman of the Council of State Vo Chi CONG (since 18 June 1987); Head of Government--Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Premier) Do MUOI (since 22 June 1988)

Legal system [time series]

based on Communist legal theory and French civil law system

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National Assembly (Quoc Hoi)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Socialist Republic of Vietnam; abbreviated SRV

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ADB, CEMA, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IRC, ITU, Mekong Committee, NAM, UN, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

only party-- Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), Nguyen Van Linh

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 National Assembly--last held 19 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992); results--VCP is the only party; seats--(496 total) VCP or VCP-approved 496

Government type (Type) [time series]

Communist state

People

Birth rate [time series]

30 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate [time series]

8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

85-90% predominantly Vietnamese; 3% Chinese; ethnic minorities include Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham; other mountain tribes

Infant mortality rate [time series]

50 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force [time series]

35,000,000 (1989 est.)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese, English, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

62 years male, 66 years female (1990)

Literacy [time series]

78%

Nationality [time series]

noun--Vietnamese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Vietnamese

Net migration rate [time series]

- 1 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor [time series]

reportedly over 90% of wage and salary earners are members of the Vietnam Federation of Trade Unions (VFTU)

Population [time series]

66,170,889 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islamic, Protestant

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.8 children born/woman (1990)