efense expenditures: $1.9 billion, 4.3% of GDP (1991)                           
                                                                                
VIETNAM                                                                         
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 329,560 km2; land area: 325,360                                     
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico                               
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 3,818 km total; Cambodia 982 km, China 1,281 km,               
Laos 1,555 km                                                                   
                                                                                
Coastline: 3,444 km (excluding islands)                                         
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;                                                         
                                                                                
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;                        
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
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                                      
                                                                                
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)                                                                      
                                                                                
Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands;                 
hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest                                   
                                                                                
Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate,              
offshore oil deposits, forests                                                  
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 22%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures             
1%; forest and woodland 40%; other 35%; includes irrigated 5%                   
                                                                                
Environment: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive                
flooding                                                                        
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 67,568,033 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)                     
                                                                                
Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)                         
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 63 years male, 67 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Vietnamese (sing. and pl.);                                  
adjective--Vietnamese                                                           
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: predominantly Vietnamese 85-90%; Chinese 3%;                  
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: 88% (male 92%, female 84%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1990 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: 32.7 million; agricultural 65%, industrial and                     
service 35% (1990 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: 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                                        
                                                                                
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)              
Vo Van KIET (since 9 August 1991)                                               
                                                                                
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: 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                      
                                                                                
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; 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.                                                             
                                                                                
GNP: $15.2 billion, per capita $230; real growth rate 2.4%                      
(1990 est.)                                                                     
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 65% (1990 est.)                               
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 33% (1990 est.)                                              
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $892 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including             
capital expenditures of $344 million (1990 est.)                                
                                                                                
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                                
                                                                                
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                                
                                                                                
External debt: $16.8 billion (1990 est.)                                        
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1989); accounts for 30%                 
of GNP                                                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 2,740,000 kW capacity; 7,500 million kWh produced,                 
110 kWh per capita (1990)                                                       
                                                                                
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%; since 1989 self-sufficient         
in food staple rice; fish catch of 943,100 metric tons (1989 est.)              
                                                                                
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                                    
                                                                                
Currency: new dong (plural--new dong); 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu                  
                                                                                
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                     
                                                                                
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                         
                                                                                
Ports: Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City                                      
                                                                                
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                                                                           
                                                                                
Civil air: controlled by military                                               
                                                                                
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                    
                                                                                
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                                                                        
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines and Naval Infantry), Air                
Force                                                                           
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 16,260,120; 10,377,105 fit for              
military service; 809,617 reach military age (17) annually                      
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $NA, 19.4% of GNP (1986 est.)                             
                                                                                
