Full Name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
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Geography
 Reference Map from CIA World Factbook |
 Vietnam is located in the Southeastern part of Asia. The country borders the Gulf of Thailand, the Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia. Vietnam extends approximately 329,560 sq. km. The area of the country running along its international boundaries is 4,639 km. According to the CIA World Factbook, the country is slightly larger than New Mexico. Vietnam is usually divided into 3 regions namely the north, central and the south. In the northern part lies mountains, Vinh Yen plains, the Cao Bang, the Halong Bay, and the Red River Delta, . In the Central Vietnam lies plateaus and beautiful beaches. In the South lies the fertile Mekong River Delta. The climate of Vietnam tends to change from place to place. Vietnam possesses a large amount of humidity and a monsoom type of climate. The country is tropical in the south, monsoonal in the north with a hot, rainy season (May to September) and a warm, dry season (October to March). The average annual temperature is generally higher in the plains than in the mountains and plateaus.  |
History
 The recorded history of the Vietnamese people goes back more than 2,000 years. For some 1,000 years the Vietnamese were ruled by China, which strongly influenced their culture and civilization. During the second half of the 19th century, Vietnam came under the rule of France. 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. "The Vietnam War was a military struggle fought in Vietnam from 1959 to 1975, involving the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front (NLF) in conflict with United States forces and the South Vietnamese army. From 1946 until 1954, the Vietnamese had struggled for their independence from France during the First Indochina War. At the end of this war, the country was temporarily divided into North and South Vietnam. U.S. economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but U.S. armed forces were withdrawn by a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under Communist rule. Despite peace being returned, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's renovation policy, "doi moi", 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 country continues to experience protests from various groups - such as the Protestant Montagnard ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands and the Hoa Hao Buddhists in southern Vietnam over religious persecution. Montagnard grievances also include the loss of land to Vietnamese settlers. This historical information came from both Vietnamwar.com and the CIA World Factbook. Sources: Vietnamwar.com & CIA World Factbook |
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Income inequality is rising in Vietnam as the country transforms into a
manufacturing and services based economy. The share of the poorest two deciles to total income has fallen while the share
of the richest two deciles has risen.
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| Income Distribution in Vietnam (2004) Percentage Share of Income or Consumption |
Lowest 10% 4.2 |
Lowest 20% 9.0 |
Second 20% 11.4 |
Third 20% 14.7 |
Fourth 20% 20.5 |
Highest 20% 44.3 |
Highest 10% 28.8 |
| Vietnam is a densely-populated, developing country that in the last 30 years 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. Vietnam found progress from 1986 to 1997 when they moved from up from a low level of development and reduced poverty. |
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A little over eighty percent of the people are ethnic Vietnamese, while the remaining twenty percent comprises more than fifty separate ethnic groups. Vietnam's approximately 2.3 million ethnic Chinese, concentrated mostly in southern Vietnam, constitute Vietnam's largest minority group. Long important in the Vietnamese economy, Vietnamese of Chinese ancestry have been active in rice trading, milling, real estate, and banking in the south and shop keeping, stevedoring, and mining in the north. "Many Chinese have fled Vietnam since the Communist came to power. In 1978-1979, some 450,000 ethnic Chinese left Vietnam by boat as refugees (many officially encouraged and assisted) or were expelled across the land border with China." The second-largest ethnic minority consists of the so-called montagnards, or hill people. These people make their homes and livelihoods in the spectacular mountains of the north and central highlands. About 30 groups of various cultures and dialects are spread over the highland territory. The third-largest minority, the Khmers (Cambodians), numbering about 600,000, are concentrated near the Cambodian border and at the mouth of the Mekong River. Most are farmers. Other minority groups include the Cham who inhabited the region before the arrival of the Vietnamese. Source: The New Book of Knowledge, Vol. 19 |
 Montagnards in Sapa, Vietnam |
| Vietnamese, Vietnam's official language, is a tonal language that can be compared to Cambodia's official language, Khmer. There are other languages spoken as well such as Chinese, Khmer, Cham and other languages spoken by tribes inhabiting the mountainous regions. The montagnards speak their own languagues. Although there are some similarities to Southeast Asian languages, such as Chinese, Vietnamese is thought to be a separate language group. Formerly, Vietnamese was written in Chinese characters, but under French rule a Romanized alphabet originally developed by Roman Catholic missionaries in the 17th century was adopted as the standard written form of the language. French and English are spoken by some Vietnamese, and Russian is increasingly used. |  |
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much of Vietnamese history, Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and
Confucianism have strongly influenced the religious and cultural life of
the people. About 85% of Vietnamese identify with Buddhism even though
they do not practice on a regular basis. It was introduced from China. Budhism is a
tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development. Buddhists
strive for a deep insight into the true nature of life and do not
worship gods or deities. Considerable numbers of Vietnamese, particularly in the South, are Roman Catholics. Muslims make up a small minority. |
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As
of July 2007, Vietnam is recored as having a population of
about 85,262,356. CIA Factbook distributes the ages and the
percent of the population for each group of ages: *0-14 years: 26.3% (male 11,617,032/female 10,784,264) *15-64 years: 67.9% (male 28,711,464/female 29,205,498) *65 years and over: 5.8% (male 1,919,138/female 3,024,960) The total median age for Vietnam is about 26.4 years. The larger measurements in the graph show a higher fertility rate, mainly during the ages of 15-19. After this age group, the population decreases. Source: International Futures |
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| Vietnam's
Total Fertility Rate in 1962 was about 6 children per mother. The
rate is continues to decreases and never picks back up. In 1987,
the rate gets down to 4 children per mother. Vietnam used to be
mainly an agricultural society and economy. Over the past
decades, the amount of agricultural laborers and farmers has decreased.
Farming is mainly a family based occupation. One reason for
this social change in the Total Fertility Rate could be because of the
many Vietnamese pursuing other careers besides farming. In
2002, the TFR gets all the way down to 1.9. Source: International Futures |
| In Vietnam, a majority of Vietnamese enroll in primary and secondary education. According to the World Bank Group,in 2005, 95% enrolled in primary education. In 2005, 76% Vietnamese enrolled in secondary education. The percent of people enrolled in tertiary education decreased tremendously. In 2005, the World Bank Group estimated that about 16% enrolled in tertiary education. Many Vietnamese do not enroll or graduate from tertiary education because they immediately go and work. The education rates have increased over the last 50 years, for both men and women as seen in the graph below. |
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| Source: The World Bank Group & International Futures |
Vietnam's
economy suffered after the Vietnam War. A great deal of
progress was made between the 1986 to 1997. During this time, the
level of poverty decreased and the country moved up from a low level of
development. "The 1997 Asian financial crisis highlighted the
problems in the Vietnamese economy and temporarily allowed opponents of
reform to slow progress toward a market-oriented economy. GDP
continued to increase at a rate of 6.8% up until 2004. GDP hit a
growth rate of 8% in 2005." The country is moving toward a more
modernized and export-driven economy. Vietnam is trying to pursue
more international integration. Vietnam's exports to the United
States doubled in 2002 and again in 2003. After a decade long
process, Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January
2007. This move should help the economy of Vietnam a great deal.
The graph below shows the GDP per capita of the World, Southeast
Asia, and Vietnam. The graph shows that Vietnam's GDP per capita
is predicted to increase in the future.  Vietnam's currency is called Vietnamese Dong. |
Economic Statistics of Vietnam: GDP (purchasing power parity): $262.5 billion GDP - per capita - (PPP): $3,100 Unemployment Rate: 2% GDP composition - by sector: agriculture: 20% industry: 41.9% services: 38.2% Population below Poverty Line: 19. 5% 2006 est. Source: CIA World Factbook |
 Source: International Futures |
| Today,
most Vietnamese are farmers. The Vietnamese government has
organized many farmers into co-operatives, where all the land and
equipment are owned by the community. Industry is state-owned.
Heavy industry is largely concentrated in the north and near the
nation's major cities. Rice is Vietnam's main crop. Rice is grown on about 80% of the cultivated land. This particular crop is mainly grown during the summer because this is when the greatest amount of rain falls. In some places three crops of rice are grown each year. Vietnam used to export large quantities of rice until the Vietnam War disrupted agriculture. The government encourages people to plant other crops to lessen the dependence on rice. Some other crops that are grown in Vietnam are sugarcane, maize, rubber trees, cotton, tea, tobacco, and coffee. Fishing is a traditional Vietnamese industry. Most of the catch must be turned over to the government for distribution. Small factories throughout the country turn out farm equipment, household goods, textiles, paper, and processed foods. Most of the heavy industry is located in and around Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Haiphong. The pie graphs below illustrate the different Productions Sectors in Vietnam in 2000 and in 2025. In 2000, Source: CIA World Factbook |
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 Labor-intensive rice cultivation in the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam. |
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After the Vietnam War, many sectors of Vietnam's production were destroyed and the economy suffered greatly. Although the people of Vietnam have gone through many difficult situations, today, Vietnam has the potential of being a very successful country. The country is transforming into a globalized and market-based economy. The country continues to develop and evolve which will make life better in the future for the people of Vietnam. Although Vietnam is not aid-dependent, the aid the country receives goes toward efforts on research, investments, and policy dialogue. Vietnam is increacing education, revamping business processes, and building better roads. They are improving health services and national programs for various diseases (malaria, tuberculosis, acute respiratory infections, etc.). Even though there is much potential for the country of Vietnam, this does not mean that there are not challenges ahead. Overall, Vietnam is still behind other countries in the rest of the world, but we will soon see this country expand its economy and continue to grow in the future.  |
