Introduction
Background
France began its conquest of Vietnam in 1858 and made the country part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam defeated French forces in 1954, when the country was divided into North and South halves. Communist North Vietnam conquered the anti-communist South in 1975 but then stagnated economically until 1986, when it introduced a more market-based economy.
Geography
Area
total : 331,210 sq km
land: 310,070 sq km
water: 21,140 sq km
Climate
tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)
Natural resources
antimony, phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land
People and Society
Population
total: 105,758,975
Ethnic groups
Kinh (Viet) 85.3%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.9%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.4%, Mong 1.4%, Nung 1.1%, other 5.5% (2019 est.)
Languages
Vietnamese (official); English (often as a second language); some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain-area languages (including Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Religions
Catholic 6.1%, Buddhist 5.8%, Protestant 1%, other 0.8%, none 86.3% (2019 est.)
Population growth rate
0.89% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
communist party-led state
Capital
name: Hanoi (Ha Noi)
Executive branch
chief of state: President To LAM (since 22 May 2024)
head of government: Prime Minister Pham Minh CHINH (since 26 July 2021)
Legislative branch
summary: unicameral National Assembly (500 seats)
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Nguyen Quoc DZUNG (since 19 April 2022)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Marc KNAPPER (since 11 February 2022)
Economy
Economic overview
lower middle-income socialist East Asian economy; rapid economic growth since Đổi Mới reforms; strong investment and productivity growth; tourism and manufacturing hub; TPP signatory; declining poverty aside from ethnic minorities; systemic corruption
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.354 trillion (2023 est.)
$1.289 trillion (2022 est.)
$1.192 trillion (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$13,700 (2023 est.)
$13,100 (2022 est.)
$12,200 (2021 est.)
Exports
$374.265 billion (2023 est.)
$385.241 billion (2022 est.)
$340.126 billion (2021 est.)
Exports - partners
US 29%, China 15%, South Korea 6%, Japan 6%, Hong Kong 3% (2022)
Exports - commodities
broadcasting equipment, garments, telephones, integrated circuits, machine parts (2022)
Imports
$339.767 billion (2023 est.)
$369.746 billion (2022 est.)
$338.327 billion (2021 est.)
Imports - partners
China 38%, South Korea 17%, Japan 5%, Taiwan 4%, Thailand 4% (2022)
Imports - commodities
integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, telephones, fabric (2022)
Page last updated: Tuesday, October 15, 2024
