1989 Edition

Agriculture

accounts for 6% of GDP and 1 5% of labor force; products — corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee, beef, pork, milk, eggs, fish; not self-sufficient in food other than meat

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-86), $488 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $10 million

Budget

revenues $8.4 billion; expenditures $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (1989)

Climate

subtropical, tempered by easterly tradewinds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November

Coastline

188 km

Comparative area

slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

Contiguous zone

12 nm

Continental shelf

200 m

Currency

bolivar (plural — bolivares); 1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimes

Electricity

19,110,000 kW capacity; 54,516 million kWh produced, 2,830 kWh per capita (1989)

Environment

rarely affected by hurricanes; subject to frequent severe droughts, floods, earthquakes; lack of natural freshwater resources

Exchange rates

bolivares (Bs) per US$1— 43.42 (January 1990), 34.6815 (1989), 14.5000 (fixed rate 1987-88), 8.0833 (1986), 7.5000(1985)

Exports

$10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities— petroleum 81%, bauxite and aluminum, iron ore, agricultural products, basic manufactures; partners — US 50.3%, FRG 5.3%, Japan 4.1% (1988)

Extended economic zone

200 nm

External debt

$33.6 billion (1988)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$52.0 billion, per capita $2,700; real growth rate -8.1% (1989 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis and coca for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine and marijuana do transit the country

Imports

$10.9 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities— foodstuffs, chemicals, manufactures, machinery and transport equipment; partners— US 44%, FRG 8.5%, Japan 6%, Italy 5%, Brazil 4.4% (1987)

Industrial production

growth rate 3.7%, excluding oil (1988)

Industries

petroleum, iron-ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

80.7% (1989)

Land boundaries

none

Land use

15% arable land; 6% permanent crops; 26% meadows and pastures; 6% forest and woodland; 47% other

Natural resources

sun, sand, sea, surf

Note

important location 1,770 km southeast of Miami and 65 km east of Puerto Rico, along the Anegada Passage — a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; St. Thomas has one of the best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean

Terrain

mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land

Territorial sea

1 2 nm

Total area

352 km2; land area: 349 km2

Total area

nues, and 81% of export earnings in 1988. President Perez introduced an economic readjustment program when he assumed office in February 1989. Lower tariffs and price supports, a free market exchange rate, and market-linked interest rates have thrown the economy into confusion, causing about an 8% decline in GDP.

Unemployment rate

7.0% (1988)

Birth rate

30 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

22 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

8 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

5 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

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

74% West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies), 13% US mainland, 5% Puerto Rican, 8% other; 80% black, 15% white, 5% other; 14% of Hispanic origin

Infant mortality rate

50 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

1 9 deaths/ 1 ,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

35,000,000 (1989 est.)

45,000 \\ 987)

Language

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

English (official), but Spanish and Creole are widely spoken

Life expectancy at birth

62 years male, 66 years female (1990)

70 years male, 76 years female (1990)

Literacy

78%

90%

Nationality

noun — Vietnamese (sing, and pi.); adjective — Vietnamese

noun — Virgin Islanders); adjective— Virgin Islander

Net migration rate

—1 migrants/ 1,000 population (1990)

— 20 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

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

90% of the government labor force

Population

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

99,200 (July 1990), growth rate -0.3% (1990)

Religion

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

42% Baptist, 34% Roman Catholic, 17% Episcopalian, 7% other

Total fertility rate

3.8 children born/ woman (1990)

2.7 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

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, Dae Lac, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia LaiCong Turn, 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

Hanoi

Communists

nearly 2 million

Constitution

18 December 1980

Diplomatic representation

none

Elections

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

Executive branch

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

Flag

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

Independence

2 September 1945 (from France)

Judicial branch

Supreme People's Court

Leaders

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) Political parties and leaders: only party — Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), Nguyen Van Linh

Legal system

based on Communist legal theory and French civil law system

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (Quoc Hoi)

Long-form name

Socialist Republic of Vietnam; abbreviated SRV

Virgin Islands of the

Member of

ADB, CEMA, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, 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

Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

Communist state

Agriculture

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

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

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

Currency

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

Electricity

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

Exchange rates

new dong (D) per US$1 — 4,000 (March 1990), 900 (1988), 225 (1987), 18 (1986), 12(1985); note— 198589 figures are end of year

Exports

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

External debt

$16 billion (1989)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GNP

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

Imports

$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 10% (1989)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

40% (1989 est.)

Overview

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

25% (1989 est.)

Airports

306 total, 278 usable; 134 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 92 with runways 1,2202,439 m

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

Branches

Ground Forces (Army), Naval Forces (Navy, Marines, Coast Guard), Air Forces, Armed Forces of Cooperation (National Guard) Military manpower males 15-49, 5,073,913; 3,680,176 fit for military service; 21 1,269 reach military age (18) annually

Army, Navy, Air Force

Civil air

58 major transport aircraft

controlled by military

Defense expenditures

1.1% of GDP, or $570 million (1990 est.) Gull ol

19.4% of GNP (1986est.) North Atlantic Ocean JQ . CHARLOTTBJ Saint John Saint Thomas '- ^ Caribbean Sea Saint Croix y~~_ Christiansted See rrtional mip III

Highways

77,785 km total; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth

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

Inland waterways

7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels

about 1 7,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft Virgin Islands (territory of the US)

Merchant marine

70 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 997,458 GRT/ 1,6 15, 155 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger cargo, 28 cargo, 2 container, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 17 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 1 1 bulk, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 combination bulk, 1 combination ore/oil

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

Military manpower

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

Pipelines

6,370 km crude oil; 480 km refined products; 4,010 km natural gas

150 km, refined products

Ports

Amuay Bay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Puerto Ordaz

Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City

Railroads

542 km total; 363 km 1 .435meter standard gauge all single track, government owned; 1 79 km 1 .435-meter gauge, privately owned

3,059 km total; 2,454 1 .000meter gauge, 151 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 230 km dual gauge (three rails), and 224 km not restored to service

Telecommunications

modern and expanding; 1,440,000 telephones; stations — 181 AM, no FM, 59 TV, 26 shortwave; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations— 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic Defense Forces

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 I Indian Ocean INTELSAT Defense Forces