Hanoi city as seen by they SPOT Satellite in 2002. It would have been nuked in a 1981 atomic war. Author: Cnes - Spot Image.
Stats[]
Motto Độc lập - Tự do - Hạnh phúc Independence - Freedom - Happiness Anthem Tiến Quân Ca Army March
Region
Southeast Asia
Capital Hanoi
Government Socialist republic General Secretary - From 2011 Nguyễn Phú Trọng President - From 2006 Nguyễn Minh Triết Prime Minister - From 2006 Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
Legislature National Assembly
History - April 30, 1975 Reunification - April 15, 1992 Current constitution
Area 331,698 km²
Population
- 2011 90,549,390 Density 272.9/km²
GDP 2011 (PPP) - Total US$ 281 billion - Per capita US$ 3,104.179
Currency đồng
Overview[]
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a socialist single-party state in Southeast Asia.
Background
Vietnam is narrow and coastal country that borders with China, Laos, and Cambodia, faces the Pacific Ocean from the east. The country lies below the Tropic of Cancer. The climate is primary Tropical. 3/4 of Vietnam covered by mountains. The longest mountain ridge in Vietnam is the Annamites. The highest peak of the country is mount Fansipan, stands 3,145 meters above the sea lever. Two largest lowland, the Red River Delta, and the Mekong Delta, situate north and south of the landmass along the Red and Mekong Rivers, also the most densest parts of the country. Vietnam is a diverse and multicultural country, home of 54 different ethnic groups that belong to variety of Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Hmong-Mien, Tai-Kadai, Austroasiatic, Sino-Tibetan, and Afroasiatic ethnolinguist groups. The majority of Vietnam's population are the Vietnamese or the Kinh people, a Vietic ethnic group that originated from the Red River Delta. The official language is Vietnamese, the language of approximately 80 million people around the world that belongs to the Vietic subgroup of the Austroasiatic family. Nguyen Phuc Anh, a Vietnamese prince, assisted by France, managed to defeat his oppositions and unified the Vietnamese, found Vietnam in 1802. 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, however, maintain control on political expression and have resisted outside calls to improve human rights. The country continues to experience small-scale protests from various groups, the vast majority connected to land-use issues, calls for increased political space and the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. Various ethnic minorities, such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region, have also held protests.[1]
Economy
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. While Vietnam's economy remains dominated by state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which still produce about 40% of GDP, Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalization and international integration. They have moved to implement the structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive export-driven industries. Vietnam joined the WTO in January 2007 following more than a decade-long negotiation process. Vietnam became an official negotiating partner in the developing Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement in 2010. Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to shrink from about 25% in 2000 to about 20% in 2010, while industry's share increased from 36% to 41% in the same period. Deep 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. The global recession has hurt Vietnam's export-oriented economy, with GDP in 2009-10 growing less than the 7% per annum average achieved during the last decade. In 2010, exports increased by more than 25%, year-on-year, but the trade deficit remained high, prompting the government to consider administrative measures to limit the trade deficit. Vietnam's managed currency, the dong, continues to face downward pressure due to a persistent trade imbalance, and, since 2008, the government devalued it by 20% through a series of small devaluations. Foreign donors pledged nearly $8 billion in new development assistance for 2011. However, the government's strong growth-oriented economic policies have caused it to struggle to control one of the region's highest inflation rates, which reached 11.8% in 2010. Vietnam's economy also faces challenges from falling foreign exchange reserves, an undercapitalized banking sector, and high borrowing costs. The near-bankruptcy and subsequent default of the SOE Vinashin, a leading shipbuilder, led to a ratings downgrade of Vietnam's sovereign debt, exacerbating Vietnam's borrowing difficulties.[2]
General Secretary
- Nguyễn Phú Trọng (₩) (January 19, 2011 - )
President
- Nguyễn Minh Triết (₩) (June 27, 2006 - )
Prime Minister
- Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (₩) (June 27, 2006 - )
Nation
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References
- Vietnam: a country study (Library of Congress)
- Vietnam: a country study (archive.org)
- Vietnam: Guide to Law Online (Library of Congress)
- The World Factbook (CIA)
- Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments (CIA)
- U.S. Department of State
- Australian Government
- Inter-Parliamentary Union - National Assembly
- BBC News Country Profile
- BBC News Time Line
- World Statesmen.org
- International Constitutional Law Project
- Psephos Election Archive
- Wikipedia
Also see[]
- South Vietnam
- The NVA
- Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam
- American military racism, gay-bashing and sexual disgrimination!
- Beehive anti-personnel round
- Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey"
- Directory of all Indochinese wars in the Cold War
- Dustoff crews
- Fleshettes
- Fragging
- Kent State University Shootings
- Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base
- Sikorsky S-55/H-19 Chickasaw
- Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base
- Vietnam
- Why South Vietnamese women wore cardigans in Israel
- Vietnamese 'Boat People'
- Directory of all Indochinese wars in the Cold War
- North Vietnam
- Why South Vietnamese women wore cardigans in Israel
- Directory of all Indochinese wars in the Cold War
- Vietnam War