UNIDO in vietnam
Name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam)
Political Capital: Hanoi
Major cities: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Haiphong, Da Nang
Form of Government: Communist State
Political situation: chief of state: President Truong Tan SANG (since 25 July 2011); Vice President Nguyen Thi DOAN (25 July 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung HAI (since 2 August 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien NHAN (since 2 August 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van NINH (since 3 August 2011), and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan PHUC (since 3 August 2011) - last election held 25 July 2011 (next to be held in July 2016)
Territorial subdivision: 58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural)
provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai; municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City
Population: 91,519,289 (July 2012 est.)
Urbanization rate: 3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Population density: 280.35 (2010 est.)
Ethnic groups:Kinh (Viet) 85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.8%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.5%, Mong 1.2%, Nung 1.1%, others 5.3%
Official religions: Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8%
Official language: Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer, mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Territory surface: 331,210 km²
Land: 310,070 km²
Neighboring countries: Cambodia, China, Laos
Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)
Natural Resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower
Festivities: Independence Day - September 2 (1945); January 1- New Year; From last two days of the last lunar month to 3rd day of the first lunar month - Tết (Vietnamese New Year); 10th day of the 3rd lunar month - Hung Kings Commemoriations; April 30 - Liberation Day/Reunification Day; May 1 - International Workers' Day; September 2 - National Day (Vietnam)
Passport and Visa: To enter Vietnam, a passport valid for at least one month after expiration of visa is required by all American, Canadian, Australian, British and other EU nationals. Visas are not required for: nationals of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden for stays of up to 15 days, or transit passengers continuing their journey within 24 hours provided holding valid return or onward tickets but they must stay in the transit area of the airport. Visitors requiring business visas need to supply a letter of introduction from the sponsoring business in Vietnam. Nationals not referred to are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements for Vietnam.
Local currency: Vietnamese Dong (VND)
Currency exchange rate: 1 US dollar - 27347.40 dong (VND) / 1 Euro - 20993.00 dong (VND)
GDP (official exchange rate): $137.7 billion (2012 est.)
GDP growth rate: 5.1% (2012 est.)
Inflation: 9.2% (2012 est.)
Unemployment: 4.6%
Transport system: Airports - 44; Heliports - 1; Pipelines - condensate 28 km, condensate/gas 10 km, gas 216 km, refined products 206 km (2010); Railways - 2,632 km; Roadways - 180,549 km; Waterways - 17,702 km; Merchant Marine – 579; Ports & Terminals - Cam Pha Port, Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh, Phu My, Quy Nhon;
Economy: Vietnam is developing country that has been transitioning from the rigidities of a centrally-planned economy.Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization in January 2007, which has promoted more competitive, export-driven industries. Vietnam became an official negotiating partner in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement in 2010. Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to shrink from about 25% in 2000 to less than 22% in 2012, while industry's share increased from 36% to nearly 41% in the same period. State-owned enterprises account for roughly 40% of GDP. 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 hurt Vietnam's export-oriented economy, with GDP in 2009-12 growing less than the 7% per annum average achieved during the previous decade. In 2012, exports increased by more than 12%, year-on-year; several administrative actions brought the trade deficit back into balance. Foreign donors have pledged $6.5 billion in new development assistance for 2013. In early 2012 Vietnam unveiled a broad, "three pillar" economic reform program, proposing the restructuring of public investment, state-owned enterprises, and the banking sector. Vietnam's economy continues to face challenges from an undercapitalized banking sector. Non-performing loans weigh heavily on banks and businesses.
Exports: clothes, shoes, marine products, crude oil, electronics, wooden products, rice, machinery
Imports: machinery and equipment, petroleum products, steel products, raw materials for the clothing and shoe industries, electronics, plastics, automobiles
Primary Sector: Agriculture - paddy rice, coffee, rubber, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish, seafood
Secondary sector: Industries - food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, mobile phones
Tertiary sector: Telecommunication - average growth of revenue is >40%, Tourism - income from tourist sector increases 23.8% annually, Stock market and Banking, Distribution - growth 20-30% each year; supermarket increase from 12 in 1995 to 439 in 2008
Renewable energies: hydroelectric, biofuel and biogas, geothermal, wind energy, solar tide and wave energies, biomass and waste
