Vietnam (continued)
People
Population: 66,170,889 (July 1990),
growth rate 2.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 1 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 50 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 66 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Vietnamese (sing. and pl.); adjective—Vietnamese
Ethnic divisions: 85-90% predominantly Vietnamese; 3% Chinese; ethnic minorities include Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham; other mountain tribes
Religion: Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islamic, Protestant
Language: Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese, English, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Literacy: 78%
Labor force: 35,000,000 (1989 est.)
Organized labor: reportedly over 90% of wage and salary earners are members of the Vietnam Federation of Trade Unions (VFTU)
Government
Long-form name: Socialist Republic of
Vietnam; abbreviated SRV
Type: Communist state
Capital: Hanoi
Administrative divisions: 37 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thānh phô, singular and plural); An Giang, Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Tri Thien, Cao Bang, Cuu Long, Dae Lac, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai-Cong 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*, 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
Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)
Constitution: 18 December 1980
Legal system: based on Communist legal theory and French civil law system
National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
Executive branch: chairman of the Council of State, Council of State, chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Quoc Hoi)
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
Suffrage: universal at age 18
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
Communists: nearly 2 million
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
Diplomatic representation: none
Flag: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
Economy
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.
GNP: $14.2 billion, per capita $215; real growth rate 8% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 40% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $3.2 billion; expenditures $4.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $528 million (1987 est.)
Exports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—agricultural and handicraft products, coal, minerals, ores; partners—USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
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
External debt: $16 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1989)
Electricity: 2,465,000 kW capacity; 6,730 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, fishing
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
Currency: new dong (plural—new dong); 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu
Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1—4,000 (March 1990), 900 (1988), 225 (1987), 18 (1986), 12 (1985); note—1985-89 figures are end of year
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
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
Highways: about 85,000 km total; 9,400 km bituminous, 48,700 km gravel or improved earth, 26,900 km unimproved earth
Pipelines: 150 km, refined products
Inland waterways: about 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft
