Flag Description:
red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center; red symbolizes revolution and blood, the five-pointed star represents the five elements of the populace - peasants, workers, intellectuals, traders, and soldiers - that unite to build socialism.
Population:
89,571,130 (July 2010 est.)
Government type:
Communist
GDP – per capita (PPP):
$3,100 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
Telephones – mobile cellular:
98.224 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 10
Urbanization:
urban population: 28% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Labour Force By Occupation:
agriculture: 51.8%
industry: 15.4%
services: 32.7% (April 2009)
Life Expectancy at Birth:
total population: 71.94 years
country comparison to the world: 127
male: 69.48 years
female: 74.69 years (2010 est.)
Ethnic Groups:
Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.3%
male: 93.9%
female: 86.9% (2002 est.)
Land boundaries:
total: 4, 639 km
border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1281 km, Laos 2130 km
Coastline:
3,444 km (excludes islands)
Geography note:
extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point
Land Use:
arable land: 20.14%
permanent crops: 6.93%
other: 72.93% (2005)
Environmental Issues:
logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Broadcast Media:
government controls all broadcast media exercising oversight through the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC); government-controlled national television provider, Vietnam Television (VTV), operates a network of 9 channels with several regional broadcasting centers; programming is relayed nationwide via a network of provincial and municipal TV stations; law limits access to satellite TV but many households are able to access foreign programming via home satellite equipment; government-controlled Voice of Vietnam, the national radio broadcaster, broadcasts on 6 channels and is repeated on AM, FM, and shortwave stations throughout Vietnam (2008).
Transportation note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift.
Source: CIA World Factbook
