1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (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; excludes islands
Comparative area
slightly larger than New Mexico
Contiguous zone
24 nm
Continental shelf
edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Disputes
maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei; 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
Environment
occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding
Exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Land area
325,360
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%
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
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
329,560 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
29 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
predominantly Vietnamese 85-90%; Chinese 3%; ethnic minorities include Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham; other mountain tribes
Infant mortality rate
47 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
32.7 million; agricultural 65%, industrial and service 35% (1990 est.)
Languages
Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese, English, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Life expectancy at birth
63 years male, 67 years female (1992)
Literacy
88% (male 92%, female 84%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Vietnamese (singular and plural); adjective - Vietnamese
Net migration rate
-1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
reportedly over 90% of wage and salary earners are members of the Vietnam Federation of Trade Unions (VFTU)
Population
68,964,018 (July 1992), growth rate 2.0% (1992)
Religions
Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islamic, Protestant
Total fertility rate
3.6 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
50 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thanh pho, singular and plural); An Giang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Can Tho, Cao Bang, Dac Las, Dong Nai, Dong Tay, Gia Lai, Ha Bac, Ha Giang, Ha Noi*, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Hung, Hai Phong*, Ho Chi Minh*, Hoa Binh, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Minh Hai, Nam Ha, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Song Be, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phu, Yen Bai; note - diacritical marks are not included
Capital
Hanoi
Chief of State
President Vo Chi CONG (since 18 June 1987)
Communists
nearly 2 million
Constitution
18 December 1980; new Constitution to be approved Spring 1992
Diplomatic representation
none
Executive branch
president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers
Flag
red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
Head of Government
Prime Minister Vo Van KIET (since 9 August 1991); Deputy Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 10 August 1991)
Independence
2 September 1945 (from France)
Judicial branch
Supreme People's Court
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 Assembly
last held 19 April 1987 (next to be held 19 July 1992); results - VCP is the only party; seats - (496 total) VCP or VCP-approved 496; note - number of seats under new government 395
National holiday
Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
Political parties and leaders
only party - Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), DO MUOI
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 $551 million; expenditures $830 million, including capital expenditures of $58 million (1990)
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 (1970-89), $2.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $61 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $12.0 billion
Electricity
3,300,000 kW capacity; 9,200 million kWh produced, 140 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
new dong (D) per US$1 - 11,100 (May 1992), 8,100 (July 1991), 7,280 (December 1990), 3,996 (March 1990), 2,047 (1988), 225 (1987); note - 1985-89 figures are end of year
Exports
$1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: agricultural and handicraft products, coal, minerals, crude petroleum, ores, seafood partners: Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Eastern Europe, USSR
External debt
$16.8 billion (1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
exchange rate conversion - $15 billion, per capita $220; real growth rate 2.5% (1991 est.)
Imports
$1.9 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: petroleum products, steel products, railroad equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain partners: Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Eastern Europe, USSR
Industrial production
growth rate -3.6% (1989); accounts for 30% of GNP
Industries
food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, fishing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
80% (1991 est.)
Overview
This is a formerly centrally planned, developing economy with extensive government ownership and control of productive facilities. The economy is primarily agricultural; the sector employs about 70% of the labor force and accounts for 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 70,000 barrels per day in 1991 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 UN agencies, France, Australia, Sweden, and Communist countries. 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
30% (1991 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 paved, 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
89 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 400,430 GRT/643,877 DWT; includes 73 cargo 4 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 8 petroleum tanker, 3 bulk; note - Vietnam owns 11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 134,719 DWT under the registries of Panama and Malta
Pipelines
petroleum products 150 km
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 after war damage
Telecommunications
25 telephones per 10,000 persons (1991); broadcast stations - 16 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 2,300,000 TV sets; 6,000,000 radio receivers; 3 satellite earth stations
Military and Security
Branches
Ground, Navy (including Naval Infantry), Air Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GNP
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 16,839,400; 10,739,128 fit for military service; 787,026 reach military age (17) annually