Vietnam: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Capital

Hanoi

Area

331,690 sq km

128,066 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

An Giang

1,933,800 (1993 estimate)

Ba Ria Vung Tau

657,100 (1993 estimate)

Bac Can

268,000 (1993 estimate)

Bac Giang

1,400,000 (1993 estimate)

Bac Ninh

920,000 (1993 estimate)

Ben Tre

1,309,400 (1993 estimate)

Binh Dinh

1,373,100 (1993 estimate)

Binh Thuan

858,700 (1993 estimate)

Can Tho

1,780,600 (1993 estimate)

Cao Bang

624,700 (1993 estimate)

Dac Lac

1,173,300 (1993 estimate)

Dong Nai

1,762,900 (1993 estimate)

Dong Thap

1,462,900 (1993 estimate)

Gia Lai

737,700 (1993 estimate)

Ha Giang

520,400 (1993 estimate)

Ha Noi - Capital

2,154,900 (1993 estimate)

Ha Tay

2,217,800 (1993 estimate)

Ha Tinh

1,293,600 (1993 estimate)

Hai Duong

2,658,000 (1993 estimate)

Hai Phong City

1,583,900 (1993 estimate)

Ho Chi Minh City

4,322,300 (1993 estimate)

Hoa Binh

712,900 (1993 estimate)

Khanh Hoa

923,700 (1993 estimate)

Kien Giang

1,326,600 (1993 estimate)

Kon Tum

249,600 (1993 estimate)

Lai Chau

501,200 (1993 estimate)

Lam Dong

742,900 (1993 estimate)

Lang Son

671,900 (1993 estimate)

Lao Cai

535,400 (1993 estimate)

Long An

1,224,800 (1993 estimate)

Nam Dinh

1,719,100 (1993 estimate)

Nghe An

2,585,900 (1993 estimate)

Ninh Binh

2,680,600 (1993 estimate)

Ninh Thuan

839,900 (1993 estimate)

Phu Tho

449,100 (1993 estimate)

Phu Yen

708,900 (1993 estimate)

Quang Binh

736,700 (1993 estimate)

Quang Nam

1,911,700 (1993 estimate)

Quang Ngai

1,149,500 (1993 estimate)

Quang Ninh

889,600 (1993 estimate)

Quang Tri

520,900 (1993 estimate)

Soc Trang

1,172,600 (1993 estimate)

Son La

776,000 (1993 estimate)

Tay Ninh

868,900 (1993 estimate)

Thai Binh

1,768,400 (1993 estimate)

Thai Nguyen

1,019,300 (1993 estimate)

Thanh Hoa

3,311,900 (1993 estimate)

Thua Thien Hue

973,200 (1993 estimate)

Tien Giang

1,622,000 (1993 estimate)

Tra Vinh

938,500 (1993 estimate)

Tuyen Quang

628,500 (1993 estimate)

Vinh Long

1,041,300 (1993 estimate)

Vinh Phuc

2,203,200 (1993 estimate)

Yen Bai

638,200 (1993 estimate)

Largest cities (population)

Ho Chi Minh City

6,105,800 (2006 estimate)

Hanoi

3,977,000 (2003 estimate)

Haiphong

1,803,400 (2006 estimate)

Đà Nang

382,674 (1992 estimate)

Nha Trang

221,331 (1992 estimate)

Hue

219,149 (1992 estimate)

Can Tho

215,587 (1992 estimate)

Nam Đinh

171,699 (1992 estimate)

Qui Nhon

163,385 (1992 estimate)

Vũng Tàu

145,145 (1992 estimate)

Long Xuyên

132,681 (1992 estimate)

Thái Nguyên

127,643 (1992 estimate)

Population

86,116,559 (2008 estimate)

Population growth rate

0.99 per cent (2008 estimate)

Population density

265 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)

686 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

27 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

73 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

71.3 years (2008 estimate)

Female

74.3 years (2008 estimate)

Male

68.5 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

24 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

94.4 per cent (2005 estimate)

Female

92.9 per cent (2005 estimate)

Male

96 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Vietnamese

90 per cent

Chinese

2 per cent

Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham, other

8 per cent

Languages

Vietnamese (official), Tày, Muong, Nung, Tai Dam, Yue Chinese, Iu Mien, Rade, Tai Dón, Jarai, Tai Daeng, Sedang, Kim Mun, Koho, Hmong, and many other indigenous languages

Religions

Buddhist, Daoist (Taoist), Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Muslim, Protestant, other

Type of government

Communist state

Independence

September 2, 1945 (from France)

Constitution

April 15, 1992

Voting rights

Universal at age 18

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

60,999 million (2006)

GDP per capita (US$)

725.30 (2006)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

20.4 per cent (2006)

GDP, industry

41.6 per cent (2006)

GDP, services

38.1 per cent (2006)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

6,710 million (2002)

Total expenditure

7,958 million (2001)

Monetary unit

1 new dong (D), consisting of 100 xu

Exports

Petroleum, rice, agricultural products, marine products, coffee

Imports

Petroleum products, machinery and equipment, steel products, fertilizer, raw cotton, grains

Major trading partners for exports

Japan, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong SAR, France, South Africa

Major trading partners for imports

Singapore, South Korea, Japan, France, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan

Industries

Food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tyres, oil

Agriculture

Principal products: paddy rice, corn, potatoes, rubber, soya beans, coffee, tea, bananas; cattle, water buffalo; fish

Natural resources

Phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil deposits, forests

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.