Vietnam
An introduction to the geography, economy and people of Vietnam.
Vietnam Facts
Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate, which is hot, humid and wet. Vietnam has a hot, rainy season from mid-May till mid-September and a warm, dry season from mid-October to mid-March. The capital city of Vietnam is Hanoi. Its land area is about 329,560 km² and its coastline is 3444 km long. Natural disasters occuring here are an occasional typhoon with extensive flooding. Low, flat deltas are found in the south and north, highlands are found in the central area and the far north and northwestern parts of the country are mountainous. Ngoc Linh is the highest point in Vietnam towering at 3143m.
France occupied all of Vietnam by 1884. 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military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.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.
Vietnam is a communist state. The head of state is President Tran Duc Luong and the head of government is Prime Minister Phan Van Khai who has four deputies, Nguyen Tan Dung, Nguyen Cong Tan, Nguyen Manh Cam and Pham Gia Khiem. The Council of Cabinet Ministers is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister and ratification of the National Assembly. The legislative branch consists of a National Assembly whose members are elected by popular vote and serve five-year terms. The Judicial branch consists of a Supreme People's Court whose chief justice is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president.
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 rigidness of a centrally planned economy. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to 1996 in moving forward from an extremely low starting point - growth averaged around 9% per year from 1993 to 1997. The 1997 Asian financial crisis highlighted the problems existing in the Vietnamese economy but, rather than prompting reform, reaffirmed the government's belief that shifting to a market oriented economy leads to disaster. GDP growth of 8.5% in 1997 fell to 4% in 1998 and rose slightly to an estimated 4.8% in 1999. These numbers masked some major difficulties that are emerging in economic performance. Many domestic industries, including coal, cement, steel, and paper, have reported large stockpiles of inventory and tough competition from more efficient foreign producers. Foreign direct investment has fallen dramatically, from $8.3 billion in 1996 to about $1.6 billion in 1999. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities have slowed implementation of the structural reforms needed to revitalise the economy and produce more competitive, export-driven industries. Privatisation 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 (considered one of the riskiest in the world) is proceeding slowly, raising concerns that the country will be unable to tap sufficient domestic savings to finance growth. Administrative and legal barriers are also causing costly delays for foreign investors and are raising similar doubts about Vietnam's ability to attract additional foreign capital.
The population of Vietnam is about 78,773,873 and the population growth rate is about 1.5%. Life expectancy is around 69.5 years at birth. Vietnam is mainly Vietnamese (90%), Chinese (3%) , Muong, Tai, Meo, Khmer, Man and Cham. Religions in Vietnam are Buddistsm, Taoism, Roman Catholicism, Islam, Protestant, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao and indigenous beliefs. Languages spoken in Vietnam are Vietnamese, English, Chinese, French, Khmer and tribal lauguages The literacy of the total population is 93.7%.
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