The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the communist North and anti-communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies, the persecution and mass exodus of individuals - many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants - and growing international isolation. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The communist leaders maintain tight control on political expression but have demonstrated some modest steps toward better protection of human rights. The country continues to experience small-scale protests, the vast majority connected to either land-use issues, calls for increased political space, or the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. The small-scale protests in the urban areas are often organized by human rights activists, but many occur in rural areas and involve various ethnic minorities such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands, H'mong in the Northwest Highlands, and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region.

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia

16 10 N, 107 50 E

Southeast Asia

about three times the size of Tennesee; slightly larger than New Mexico

3,444 km (excludes islands)

tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)

low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land

arable land 20.6%; permanent crops 12.1%; permanent pasture 2.1%

46,000 sq km (2012)

occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point

95,261,021 (July 2016 est.)

Kinh (Viet) 85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.8%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.5%, Mong 1.2%, Nung 1.1%, Hoa 1%, other 4.3%

Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer, mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Buddhist 7.9%, Catholic 6.6%, Hoa Hao 1.7%, Cao Dai 0.9%, Protestant 0.9%, Muslim 0.1%, none 81.8% (2009 est.)

0.95% (2016 est.)

15.7 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

5.9 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

Ho Chi Minh City 7.298 million; HANOI (capital) 3.629 million; Can Tho 1.175 million; Haiphong 1.075 million; Da Nang 952,000; Bien Hoa 834,000 (2015)

54 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

1.82 children born/woman (2016 est.)

78.1% (2011)

7.1% of GDP (2014)

1.19 physicians/1,000 population (2013)

2 beds/1,000 population (2010)

urban: 99.1% of population

rural: 96.9% of population

total: 97.6% of population

urban: 0.9% of population

rural: 3.1% of population

total: 2.4% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 94.4% of population

rural: 69.7% of population

total: 78% of population

urban: 5.6% of population

rural: 30.3% of population

total: 22% of population (2015 est.)

0.48% (2015 est.)

255,100 (2015 est.)

8,900 (2015 est.)

3.5% (2014)

12.1% (2013)

6.3% of GDP (2012)

communist state

58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural)

2 September 1945 (from France)

Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

several previous; latest adopted 15 April 1992, effective 1 January 1995; amended 2001, 2013 (2016)

civil law system; note - the civil code of 2005 reflects a European-style civil law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nguyen Phu TRONG]

8406 Bloc

Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV

People's Democratic Party Vietnam or PDP-VN

Alliance for Democracy

ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, CICA, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center; red symbolizes revolution and blood, the five-pointed star represents the five elements of the populace - peasants, workers, intellectuals, traders, and soldiers - that unite to build socialism

yellow, five-pointed star on red field; lotus blossom; national colors: red, yellow

Vietnam is a densely populated developing country that has been transitioning from the rigidities of a centrally-planned economy since 1986. Agriculture's share of economic output has shrunk from about 25% in 2000 to 18% in 2014, while industry's share increased from 36% to 38% in the same period. State-owned enterprises now account for only about 40% of GDP.

Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to economic modernization and a more open economy. Vietnam joined the WTO in January 2007, which has promoted more competitive, export-driven industries. Vietnam was one of 12-nations that concluded the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement negotiations in 2015.

Hanoi has oscillated between promoting growth and emphasizing macroeconomic stability in recent years. During 2015, Vietnam's managed currency, the dong, depreciated about 5%. Poverty has declined significantly, and Vietnam is working to create jobs to meet the challenge of a labor force that is growing by more than one million people every year.

Vietnam is trying to reform its economy by restructuring public investment, state-owned enterprises, and the banking sector, although Hanoi’s progress in meeting its goals is lagging behind the proposed schedule. Vietnam's economy continues to face challenges from an undercapitalized banking sector and nonperforming loans.

$552.3 billion (2015 est.)

$517.7 billion (2014 est.)

$488.5 billion (2013 est.)

$191.5 billion (2015 est.)

6.7% (2015 est.)

6% (2014 est.)

5.4% (2013 est.)

$6,000 (2015 est.)

$5,700 (2014 est.)

$5,400 (2013 est.)

28.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

31.9% of GDP (2014 est.)

31.2% of GDP (2013 est.)

rice, coffee, rubber, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish, seafood

food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, mobile phones

9.6% (2015 est.)

54.45 million (2015 est.)

3.5% (2015 est.)

3.4% (2014 est.)

11.3% (2012 est.)

37.6 (2008)

36.1 (1998)

24% of GDP (2015 est.)

-4.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

54.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

52.9% of GDP (2014 est.)

calendar year

0.9% (2015 est.)

4.7% (2014 est.)

9% (31 December 2012)

15% (31 December 2011)

7.12% (31 December 2015 est.)

8.67% (31 December 2014 est.)

$62.92 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$56.12 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$261.3 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$235 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$239.3 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$209.6 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$38.2 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$26 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$37 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$2.764 billion (2015 est.)

$9.33 billion (2014 est.)

$162.1 billion (2015 est.)

$150.2 billion (2014 est.)

clothes, shoes, electronics, seafood, crude oil, rice, coffee, wooden products, machinery

US 21.2%, China 13.3%, Japan 8.4%, South Korea 5.5%, Germany 4.1% (2015)

$154.7 billion (2015 est.)

$138.1 billion (2014 est.)

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, steel products, raw materials for the clothing and shoe industries, electronics, plastics, automobiles

China 34.1%, South Korea 14.3%, Singapore 6.5%, Japan 6.4%, Hong Kong 5.1%, Thailand 4.5% (2015)

$28.62 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$34.58 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$73.33 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$71.89 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$102.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$90.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$7.7 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$5.3 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

dong (VND) per US dollar -

21,909 (2015 est.)

21,189 (2014 est.)

21,189 (2013 est.)

20,859 (2012 est.)

20,649 (2011 est.)

135 billion kWh (2014 est.)

125 billion kWh (2014 est.)

1.5 billion kWh (2014 est.)

4.1 billion kWh (2014 est.)

39 million kW (2014 est.)

48.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

50.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

333,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)

163,100 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

4.4 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es)

141,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

392,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

27,740 bbl/day (2013 est.)

211,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

8.99 billion cu m (2014 est.)

8.99 billion cu m (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

699.4 billion cu m (1 January 2016 es)

142 million Mt (2013 est.)

government controls all broadcast media exercising oversight through the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC); government-controlled national TV provider, Vietnam Television (VTV), operates a network of 9 channels with several regional broadcasting centers; programming is relayed nationwide via a network of provincial and municipal TV stations; law limits access to satellite TV but many households are able to access foreign programming via home satellite equipment; government-controlled Voice of Vietnam, the national radio broadcaster, broadcasts on 6 channels and is repeated on AM, FM, and shortwave stations throughout Vietnam (2008)

.vn

VN (2016)

45 (2013)

1 (2013)

condensate 72 km; condensate/gas 398 km; gas 955 km; oil 128 km; oil/gas/water 33 km; refined products 206 km; water 13 km (2013)

47,130 km (30,831 km weight under 50 tons) (2011)

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

People's Armed Forces: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; includes Vietnam People's Navy (with Naval Infantry), Vietnam People's Air and Air Defense Force, Border Defense Command, Coast Guard) (2013)

18-25 years of age for male compulsory and voluntary military service; females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscription typically takes place twice annually and service obligation is 18 months (Army, Air Defense), 2 years (Navy and Air Force); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Force service; males may enroll in military schools at age 17 (2013)

2.37% of GDP (2012)

2.17% of GDP (2011)

2.37% of GDP (2010)

southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamese squatters and armed encroachments along border; Cambodia accuses Vietnam of a wide variety of illicit cross-border activities; progress on a joint development area with Cambodia is hampered by an unresolved dispute over sovereignty of offshore islands; an estimated 300,000 Vietnamese refugees reside in China; establishment of a maritime boundary with Cambodia is hampered by unresolved dispute over the sovereignty of offshore islands; the decade-long demarcation of the China-Vietnam land boundary was completed in 2009; China occupies the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; Brunei claims a maritime boundary extending beyond as far as a median with Vietnam, thus asserting an implicit claim to Lousia Reef; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Vietnam continues to expand construction of facilities in the Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; Economic Exclusion Zone negotiations with Indonesia are ongoing, and the two countries in Fall 2011 agreed to work together to reduce illegal fishing along their maritime boundary

minor producer of opium poppy; probable minor transit point for Southeast Asian heroin; government continues to face domestic opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems despite longstanding crackdowns; enforces the death penalty for drug trafficking