General background: France occupied all of
Vietnam by 1884. Independence was declared after World
War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954
when they were defeated by Communist forces under Ho
Chi MINH, who took control of the north. 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forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement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. Economic reconstruction of the reunited country
has proven difficult as aging Communist Party leaders
have only grudgingly initiated reforms necessary for
a free market.
Area comparative: Slightly
larger than New Mexico.
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: Flat delta in
south and north; central highlands; hilly north and
northwest.
Population: 81,098,416 (July 2002 est.)
Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese,
Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Cham, mountain groups
Religions: Buddhist, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian
(predominantly Roman Catholic, some Protestant), indigenous
beliefs, Muslim
Language: Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly
favored as a second language), some French, Chinese,
and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and
Malayo-Polynesian)
Government type: Communist state
Capital: Hanoi
Legal system: Based on communist legal theory
and French civil law system.
Economic overview: Vietnam is a poor, densely
populated country that has had to recover from the
ravages of war, the loss of financial support from
the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally
planned economy. Substantial progress was achieved
from 1986 to 1996 in moving forward from an extremely
low starting point - growth averaged around 9% per
year from 1993 to 1997. The 1997 Asian financial crisis
highlighted the problems in the Vietnamese economy
but, rather than prompting reform, reaffirmed the
government's belief that shifting to a market oriented
economy leads to disaster. GDP growth of 8.5% in 1997
fell to 6% in 1998 and 5% in 1999. Growth then rose
to 6.8% in 2000 and dropped back to 4.7% in 2001 against
the background of global recession. These numbers
mask some major difficulties in economic performance.
Many domestic industries, including coal, cement,
steel, and paper, have reported large stockpiles of
inventory and tough competition from more efficient
foreign producers. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities
have moved slowly in implementing the structural reforms
needed to revitalize the economy and produce more
competitive, export-driven industries. The US-Vietnam
Bilateral Trade Agreement entered into force near
the end of 2001 and is expected to significantly increase
Vietnam's exports to the US. The US is assisting Vietnam
with implementing the legal and structural reforms
called for in the agreement.
Communication/Telephone system: Vietnam is putting
considerable effort into modernization and expansion
of its telecommunication system, but its performance
continues to lag behind that of its more modern neighbors.
Places of interest: From the Red River Delta
in the north, to the Mekong Delta in the south. Coastal
strip is a patchwork of brilliant green rice paddies.
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