Upgrade your Encarta experience

Also on Encarta

Also on MSN
Vietnam Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Capital Hà Nội
Area 331,690 sq km
128,066 sq mi
Vietnam: Flag and Anthem
Vietnam: Flag and Anthem
Expand
People
Population 85,262,356 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 99,977,731 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 107,772,641 (2007 estimate)
Population density 262 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
679 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 27 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 73 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Ho Chi Minh City 4,615,000 (2000 estimate)
Hà Nội 3,734,000 (2000 estimate)
Haiphong 1,679,000 (2000 estimate)
Đà 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
Buddhist (Mahayana) 50 percent
Indigenous beliefs 9 percent
Roman Catholic 7 percent
Atheist 7 percent
Nonreligious 14 percent
Other, including
Theravada Buddhist
13 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 71.1 years (2007 estimate)
Female 74.1 years (2007 estimate)
Male 68.3 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 24 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician 1,871 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 417 people (2001)
Literacy rate
Total 94.4 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 92.9 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 96 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 3 percent (1997)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 9 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 25 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Socialist republic
Head of state President
Head of government Prime minister
Legislature Unicameral legislature
National Assembly: 498 members
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution 15 April 1992; amended 2001
Highest court Supreme People's Court
Armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force
Total number of military personnel 484,000 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 7.4 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions 59 provinces and 5 municipalities
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $52.4 billion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $630.50 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 20.9 percent (2005)
Industry 41 percent (2005)
Services 38.1 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 44,041,493 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 60 percent (2003)
Industry 16 percent (2003)
Services 24 percent (2003)
Unemployment rate 2.1 percent (2004)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $6,710 million (2002)
Total expenditure $7,958 million (2001)
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, China, United States, Singapore, and Australia
Major trade partners for imports
Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and China
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 47.70 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 52.30 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 107 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 191 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 188 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 0.04 (2003)
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 (1999)
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 statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and 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.
© 2008 Microsoft