1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
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)
Coastline
3,444 km (excluding islands)
Comparative area
slightly larger than New Mexico
Disputes
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; unresolved maritime boundary with Thailand; maritime boundary dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; unresolved maritime boundary with Thailand
Environment
occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding
Land boundaries
3,818 km total; Cambodia 982 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 1,555 km
Land use
arable land 22%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 40%; other 35%; includes irrigated 5%
Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm; Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil deposits, forests
Terrain
low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Total area
329,560 km2; land area: 325,360
People and Society
Birth rate
29 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
predominantly Vietnamese 85-90%; Chinese 3%; ethnic minorities include Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham; other mountain tribes
Infant mortality rate
48 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
32.7 million; agricultural 65%, industrial and service 35% (1990 est.)
Language
Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese, English, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Life expectancy at birth
63 years male, 67 years female (1991)
Literacy
88% (male 92%, female 84%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Vietnamese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Vietnamese
Net migration rate
- 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
reportedly over 90% of wage and salary earners are members of the Vietnam Federation of Trade Unions (VFTU)
Population
67,568,033 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)
Religion
Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islamic, Protestant
Total fertility rate
3.7 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
41 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thanh pho, singular and plural); An Giang, Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Cao Bang, Cuu Long, Dak Lak, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai-Kon 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*, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Long An, Minh Hai, Nghe Tinh, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Song Be, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien, Thuan Hai, Tien Giang, Vinh Phu, Vung Tau-Con Dao; note--diacritical marks are not included
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 496
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) Vo Van KIET (since 9 August 1991)
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
Member of
ACCT, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IIB, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
Political parties and leaders
only party-- Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), Nguyen Van LINH
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
Communist state
Economy
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%; since 1989 self-sufficient in food staple rice; fish catch of 943,100 metric tons (1989 est.)
Budget
revenues $892 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $344 million (1990 est.)
Currency
new dong (plural--new dong); 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-74), $3.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $61 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $12.0 billion
Electricity
2,740,000 kW capacity; 7,500 million kWh produced, 110 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
new dong (D) per US$1--7,530 (May 1991), 7,280 (December 1990), 3,996 (March 1990), 2,047 (1988), 225 (1987), 18 (1986), 12 (1985); note--1985-89 figures are end of year
Exports
$2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--agricultural and handicraft products, coal, minerals, crude petroleum, ores, seafood; partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
External debt
$16.8 billion (1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$15.2 billion, per capita $230; real growth rate 2.4% (1990 est.)
Imports
$2.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--petroleum products, steel products, railroad equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain; partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
Industrial production
growth rate 10% (1989); accounts for 30% of GNP
Industries
food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, fishing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
65% (1990 est.)
Overview
This is a centrally planned, developing economy with extensive government ownership and control of productive facilities. The economy is primarily agricultural; the sector employs about 65% of the labor force and accounts 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. Oil was discovered off the southern coast in 1986 with production reaching 54,000 b/d in 1990 and expected to increase in the years ahead. 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 is showing signs of accelerating upwards again. Per capita output is among the world's lowest. Since late 1986 the government has sponsored a broad reform program that seeks to turn more economic activity over to the private sector.
Unemployment rate
33% (1990 est.)
Communications
Airports
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
controlled by military
Highways
about 85,000 km total; 9,400 km bituminous, 48,700 km gravel or improved earth, 26,900 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
about 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft
Merchant marine
87 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 364,596 GRT/539,174 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 69 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 8 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 bulk; note--Vietnam owns 11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 106,759 DWT under the registry of Panama and Malta
Pipelines
150 km, refined products
Ports
Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City
Railroads
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
Telecommunications
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
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy (including Marines and Naval Infantry), Air Force
Defense expenditures
$NA, 19.4% of GNP (1986 est.) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 16,260,120; 10,377,105 fit for military service; 809,617 reach military age (17) annually