In brief of Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Basic Facts

Official name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Capital Hanoi

Area 331,690 sq km - 128,066 sq mi

People

Population 79,939,014 (2001 estimate)

Population growth

Population growth rate 1.45 percent (2001 estimate)

Projected population in 2025 105,763,268 (2000 estimate)

Projected population in 2050 119,003,660 (2000 estimate)

Population density 241 persons per sq km (2001 estimate)
624 persons per sq mi (2001 estimate)

Urban/rural distribution

Share urban 20 percent (1999 estimate)

Share rural 80 percent (1999 estimate)

Largest cities, with population

Ho Chi Minh City 3,015,743 (1992 estimate)

Hanoi 1,073,760 (1992 estimate)

Haiphong 783,133 (1992 estimate)

Da Nang 382,674 (1992 estimate)

Can Tho 215,587 (1992 estimate)

Ethnic groups

Vietnamese 90 percent

Chinese 2 percent

Khmer, Cham and other 8 percent

Languages

Vietnamese (official), Chinese, Khmer, Cham, other minority languages

Religious affiliations
Mahayana Buddhist 55 percent

Daoist (Taoist) 12 percent

Roman Catholic 10 percent

Other, including
Theravada Buddhist 23 percent

Health and Education

Life expectancy

Total 69.6 years (2001 estimate)

Female 72.2 years (2001 estimate)

Male 67.1 years (2001 estimate)

Infant mortality rate 30 deaths per 1,000 live births (2001 estimate)

Population per physician 2,899 people (1999)

Population per hospital bed 598 people (1997)

Literacy rate

Total 97.1 percent (2001 estimate)

Female 97.4 percent (2001 estimate)

Male 96.9 percent (2001 estimate)

Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 3 percent (1997)

Number of years of compulsory schooling 5 years (1998)

Number of students per teacher, primary school 32 students per teacher (1997-1998)

Government

Form of government Socialist republic

Head of state President

Head of government Prime minister

Legislature Unicameral legislature
National Assembly: 450 members

Voting qualifications Universal at age 18

Constitution 15 April 1992

Highest court Supreme People's Court

Armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force

Total number of military personnel 484,000 (1999)

Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 3.1 percent (1999)

First-level political divisions 57 provinces and 4 municipalities

Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $28.7 billion (1999)

GDP per capita (U.S.$) $370 (1999)

GDP by economic sector

Agriculture, forestry, fishing 25.4 percent (1999)

Industry 34.5 percent (1999)

Services 40.1 percent (1999)

Employment

Number of workers 39,765,195 (1999)

Workforce share of economic sector

Agriculture, forestry, fishing 71 percent (1996)

Industry 10 percent (1996)

Services 19 percent (1996)

Unemployment rate Not available

National budget (U.S.$)

Total revenue $5,531 million (1997)


Total expenditure $6,061 million (1997)

Monetary unit

1 new dông (Ð), consisting of 100 xu

Agriculture

Rice, cassava, sweet potatoes, coffee, tea, soybeans, natural rubber, livestock, sugarcane

Mining

Petroleum, coal, iron, phosphate rock, zinc, chromite, gypsum, tin, antimony

Manufacturing

Paper, cement, textiles, food products, fertilizers, electronics, steel

Major exports

Petroleum, unprocessed agricultural and marine products (including rice), coal, clothing, footwear, ceramics, gemstones, silk

Major imports

Petroleum products, steel products, railroad equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain

Major trade partners for exports

Japan, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong S.A.R., France, South Africa

Major trade partners for imports

Singapore, South Korea, Japan, France, Hong Kong S.A.R., Taiwan

Energy, Communications, and Transportation

Electricity production

Electricity from thermal sources 47.71 percent (1999 estimate)

Electricity from hydroelectric sources 52.29 percent (1999 estimate)

Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (1999 estimate)

Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (1999 estimate)

Number of radios per 1,000 people 107 (1997)

Number of telephones per 1,000 people 27 (1999)

Number of televisions per 1,000 people 47 (1997 estimate)

Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 0.01 (2000)

Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 4 (1996)

Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people Not available

Paved road as a share of total roads 25 percent (1998)

Sources

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

 

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