Vietnam Country Profile Additional Information
Brief History

The conquest of Viet Nam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of
French Indochina in 1887. Viet Nam 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, Viet Nam was divided into the Communist North and anti-Communist South.

US economic and military aid to South Viet Nam 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government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.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 Viet Nam'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 country continues to experience small-scale protests from various groups, the vast majority
connected to land-use issues 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.
Economy Overview

Viet Nam 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.

Since 2001, 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.

Viet Nam's membership in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and entry into force of the US-Viet
Nam Bilateral Trade Agreement in December 2001 have led to even more rapid changes in Viet
Nam's trade and economic regime.

Viet Nam's exports to the US increased 900% from 2001 to 2007. Viet Nam joined the WTO in
January 2007 following over a decade long negotiation process. WTO membership has provided
Viet Nam an anchor to the global market and reinforced the domestic economic reform process.

Among other benefits, accession allows Viet Nam to take advantage of the phase-out of the
Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, which eliminated quotas on textiles and clothing for WTO
partners on 1st January 2005.

Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to shrink from about 25% in 2000 to less than
20% in 2008.

Deep poverty has declined significantly and is now smaller than that of China, India, and the
Philippines. Viet Nam is working to create jobs to meet the challenge of a labor force that is growing
by more than one-and-a-half million people every year.

The global financial crisis, however, will constrain Viet Nam's ability to create jobs and further reduce
poverty.

As global growth sharply drops in 2009, Viet Nam's export-oriented economy - exports were 68% of
GDP in 2007 - will suffer from lower exports, higher unemployment and corporate bankruptcies, and
decreased foreign investment.
Basic Facts
Source/Year
Capital
Ha Noi (Ha Noi)
CIA World Fact
book 2009
Capital
n/a
-
Population
Language
Vietnamese (official) English (increasingly favored CIA World Fact
as a second language) French Chinese Khmer
book 2009
Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian (Mountain
area languages)
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 1.0% ; Others 4.1%
CIA World Fact
book 2009 - (1999
Census)
Source/Year
Religions
None 80.8% ; Buddhist 9.3% ; Catholic 6.7% ; Hoa CIA World Fact
Hao 1.5% ; Cao Dai 1.1% ; Protestant 0.5% ;
book 2009 - (1999
Muslim 0.1%
Census)
Country Size
(comparison)
Country comparison: Between Germany and
Norway (Ranking 65)
Population
Density
Country comparison to the world: Between Mexico CIA World Fact
and Ethiopia (Ranking 13)
book 2009
Border
Countries
Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130
km, Total Borderline: 4,639 km, Coastline: 3,444
CIA World Fact
book 2009
CIA World Fact
book 2009
km (excludes islands)
Exports
Crude Oil, Marine Products, Rice, Coffee, Rubber,
Tea, Garments, Shoes
CIA World Fact
book 2009
Imports
Machinery & Equipment, Petroleum Products,
Fertilizer, Steel Products, Raw Cotton, Grain,
Cement, Motorcycles
CIA World Fact
book 2009
Agricultural
Products
Paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper,
soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas;
poultry; fish, seafood
CIA World Fact
book 2009
General Information
Source/Year
Country size
Total surface: 331,210 sq km ; Land surface:
310,070 sq km ; Water surface: 21,140 sq km
CIA World Fact
book 2009
Population
86,967,524 (July 2009 est.)
CIA World Fact
book 2009
Population
Growth Rate
0.98% (2009 est.)
CIA World Fact
book 2009
GDP per capita
US$ 2,800 (2008 est.)
CIA World Fact
book 2009
Useful Information
Source/Year
Time Zone
(GMT +/-)
UTC+7
CIA – World
Fact Book 2009
Climate
Tropical in the south; monsoonal in the north with a hot
CIA – World
Source/Year
Description
rainy season (May to September) and a warm dry
season (October to March)
Fact Book 2009
Currency &
Dong (VND)
Two letter code
CIA – World
Fact Book 2009
Telephone
Dialing Code
+ 84
CIA – World
Fact Book 2009
Driving
Right
CIA – World
Fact Book 2009
Visa
Requirement for Viet Nam visa is varied from embassy
www.visatoViet
Requirements
& Cost
to embassy. Hereafter Viet Nam visa requirements if
you using online visa services.
Nam.org
1. Send your visa request by applying online at
www.visatoViet
www.visatoViet Nam.org then the services will arrange Nam.org
a pre-approved letter for the delivery of a Viet Nam visa
on arrival at the airport. Within 12 business hours after
receiving final confirmation on payment, services will
send the pre-approved letter with code for Viet Nam
visa. 2. Using the pre-approved letter with the code sent
by the services and 2 photos size 2in x 2in or 5.08cm x
5.08cm for pick up visa stamped on the passport. 3. The
passport validity must exceed 1 month based on the
specific visa, for example, the passport must valid at
least 2 months if the required visa is for 1 month, or the
passport must be valid at least 4 months if the required
visa is for 3 month. 4. The service fee is US $ 20 and
has to be paid for in advance, 5. The stamp fee will be
paid at the airport or at check-in point or at embassy.
Stamp fee tarif as following : - Viet Nam stamp fee for
single entry visa of 1, 3 or 6 months : US$25 - Viet
Nam stamp fee for multiple entries visa of 1, 3 or 6
months : US$50 - Viet Nam stamp fee for 1 year
multiple entries visa : US$100

Money Parity and Inflation
Year
Exchange Rate (USD = Local Currency)
Rate of Inflation
Year
Exchange Rate (USD = Local Currency)
Rate of Inflation
2009 (Nov 2009)
17,690
24.4%
2008
16,548
8.3%
2007
16,119
7.5%
2006
15,983
8.3%
2005
15,746
9.5%