Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea – referred to in Vietnam as the East Sea (Biển Đông) – to the east.
The Vietnamese became independent from Imperial China in 938 AD, following the Battle of Bạch Đằng River. HP Pavilion DV9087EA Battery
Successive Vietnamese royal dynasties flourished as the nation expanded geographically and politically into Southeast Asia, until the Indochina Peninsula was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. The First Indochina War eventually led to the expulsion of the French in 1954, leaving Vietnam divided politically into two countries. HP Pavilion DV9088 Battery
Fighting between the two sides continued, with heavy foreign intervention, during the Vietnam War, which ended with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975.
In the aftermath of the war, Vietnam was unified under a Communist government, but was politically isolated and economically backward. HP Pavilion DV9088EA Battery
In 1986, the government initiated market-based economic and political reforms which began a path towards integration into the world economy.[8] By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with most nations. Its economic growth has been among the highest in the world since 2000,[9] and according to Citigroup, such high growth is set to continue. HP Pavilion DV9089 Battery
Vietnam has the highest Global Growth Generators Index among 11 major economies,[10] and its successful economic reforms resulted in it joining the World Trade Organization in 2007. However, the country still suffers from relatively high levels of income inequality, disparities in healthcareprovision, and poor gender equality. HP Pavilion DV9089EA Battery
The name Việt Nam (Vietnamese pronunciation: [vjə̀tnam]) is a variation of "Nam Việt" (南越; pinyin: Nányuè; literallySouthern Việt), a name that can be traced back to the Trieu dynasty of the 2nd century BC.[16] The word Việtoriginated as a shortened form of Bách Việt (百越; pinyin: Bǎiyuè), HP Pavilion DV9090 Battery
a word applied to a group of peoples then living in southern China and Vietnam.[17] The form "Vietnam" (越南) is first recorded in the 16th-century oracular poem Sấm Trạng Trình.[18] The name has also been found on 12 steles carved in the 16th and 17th centuries, including one at Bao Lam Pagoda in Haiphong that was carved in 1558.[19] HP Pavilion DV9090EA Battery
Between 1804 and 1813, the name was used officially by Emperor Gia Long.[20] It was revived in the early 20th century by nationalists such as Phan Boi Chau, and most notably by the Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang (Vietnamese Nationalist Party).[21] The country was usually called Annam until 1945, HP Pavilion DV9091 Battery
when Emperor Bao Dai changed the official name back to Việt Nam.[21] Since the use of Chinese characters was discontinued at this time, the alphabetic spelling of Vietnam is now official.
Pre-Dynastic era
The region now known as Vietnam has been inhabited since Paleolithic times, HP Pavilion DV9091EA Battery
with some archaeological sites inThanh Hóa Province purportedly dating back several thousand years. Archaeologists have linked the beginnings of Vietnamese civilization to the late Neolithic-early Bronze Age Phung Nguyen culture, which was centered in what is now Vĩnh Phúc Province between 2000 and 1400 BC. HP Pavilion DV9092 Battery
By about 1200 BC, the development of wet-rice cultivation and bronze casting in the Ma River and Red Riverfloodplains led to the development of the Dong Son culture, notable for its elaborate bronze drums. The bronze weapons, tools, and drums of Dong Son sites show a Southeast Asian influence that indicates an indigenous origin for the bronze-casting technology. HP Pavilion DV9092EA Battery
Many ancient copper mine sites have been found in northern Vietnam. The Dong Son sites share many similarities with other Bronze Age Southeast Asian sites, including the presence of boat-shaped coffins, burial jars, and stilt dwellings, and evidence of the customs of betel-nut-chewing and teeth-blackening. HP Pavilion DV9095EU Battery
Dynastic era
The legendary Hồng Bàng Dynasty of the Hùng kings is considered the first Vietnamese state, known in Vietnamese as Văn Lang. In 257 BC, the last Hùng king was defeated by Thục Phán, who consolidated the Lạc Việt and Âu Việt tribes to form the Âu Lạc, proclaiming himself An Dương Vương. HP Pavilion DV9095TX Battery
In 207 BC, a Chinese general named Zhao Tuo defeated An Dương Vương and consolidated Âu Lạc into Nanyue. However, Nanyue was itself incorporated into the empire of the Chinese Han Dynasty in 111 BC.
For the next thousand years, Vietnam remained mostly under Chinese rule. HP Pavilion DV9095XX Battery
Early independence movements, such as those of the Trưng Sisters and Lady Triệu, were only temporarily successful, but the region did become independent as Vạn Xuân under the Anterior Lý Dynasty between 544 and 602 AD. By the early 10th century, Vietnam had gained autonomy, but not independence, under the Khúc family. HP Pavilion DV9096EA Battery
In 938 AD, the Vietnamese lord Ngô Quyền defeated Southern Han Chinese forces at Bạch Đằng River and regained independence after a millennium of Chinese domination.[23] Renamed as Đại Việt (en: Great Viet), the nation enjoyed a golden era under the Lý and TrầnDynasties. HP Pavilion DV9096XX Battery
During the rule of the Trần Dynasty, Đại Việt repelled three Mongol invasions.[24] Meanwhile, Buddhism flourished and became the state religion.
Following the brief rule of the Hồ Dynasty, Vietnamese independence was momentarily interrupted by the Chinese Ming Dynasty, HP Pavilion DV9097EA Battery
but was restored by Lê Lợi, the founder of the Lê Dynasty. The Vietnamese dynasties reached their zenith in the Lê Dynasty of the 15th century, especially during the reign of Emperor Lê Thánh Tông (1460–1497). Between the 11th and 18th centuries, Vietnam expanded southward in a process known as nam tiến(southward expansion),[25] eventually conquering the kingdom of Champa and part of theKhmer Empire.[26][27] HP Pavilion DV9097XX Battery
From the 16th century onwards, civil strife and frequent infighting engulfed much of Vietnam. First, the Chinese-supportedMạc Dynasty challenged the Lê Dynasty's power. After the Mạc Dynasty was defeated, the Lê Dynasty was nominally reinstalled, but actual power was divided between the northern Trịnh Lords and the southern Nguyễn Lords, HP Pavilion DV9098 Battery
who engaged in a civil war for more than four decades before a truce was called in the 1670s. During this time, the Nguyễn expanded southern Vietnam into the Mekong Delta, annexing the central highlands of Tay Nguyen and the Khmer lands in the Mekong Delta.
The division of the country ended a century later when the Tây Sơn brothers established a new dynasty. HP Pavilion DV9098XX Battery
However, their rule did not last long, and they were defeated by the remnants of the Nguyễn Lords, led by Nguyễn Ánh and aided by the French.[28]Nguyễn Ánh unified Vietnam, and established the Nguyễn Dynasty, ruling under the name Gia Long. HP Pavilion DV9099EA Battery
French colonisation
Vietnam's independence was gradually eroded by France – aided by large Catholic collaborator militias – in a series of military conquests between 1859 and 1885, after which the entire country became part of French Indochina. HP Pavilion DV9099XX Battery
The French administration imposed significant political and cultural changes on Vietnamese society. A Western-style system of modern education was developed, and Roman Catholicism was propagated widely in Vietnamese society. Most of the French settlers in Indochina were concentrated in Cochinchina – the southern third of Vietnam – based around the city of Saigon.[29] HP Pavilion DV9075EU Battery
Developing a plantation economy to promote the export of tobacco, indigo, tea and coffee, the French largely ignored increasing calls for Vietnamese self-government and civil rights. A nationalist political movement soon emerged, with leaders such as Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh, Phan Dinh Phung, HP Pavilion DV9075LA Battery
Emperor Hàm Nghi and Ho Chi Minh fighting or calling for independence. However, the royalist Can Vuong was defeated in the 1890s after a decade of resistance, and the 1930 Yen Bai mutiny of the Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang was put down easily. The French maintained control of their colonies until World War II, HP Pavilion DV9075XX Battery
when the war in the Pacific led to the Japanese invasion of French Indochina in 1941.
With the defeat of France in Europe in 1940, the French Third Republic was replaced by the Vichy Regime, to which the colony remained loyal. Heavily dependent on Nazi Germany, Vichy France was forced to surrender control of French Indochina to Germany's ally, Japan. HP Pavilion DV9076 Battery
The natural resources of Vietnam were exploited for the purposes of the Japanese Empire's military campaigns into the British Indochinese colonies of Burma, the Malay Peninsula and India. The Japanese occupation was a key cause of the Vietnamese Famine of 1945, which caused around two million deaths, equivalent to as much as 10% of the contemporary population.[30] HP Pavilion DV9076EA Battery
First Indochina War
In 1941, the Viet Minh – a communist and nationalist liberation movement – emerged under the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh, who sought independence for Vietnam from France and the end of the Japanese occupation. HP Pavilion DV9077 Battery
Following the military defeat of Japan and the fall of its puppet Empire of Vietnamin August 1945, the Viet Minh occupied Hanoi and proclaimed a provisional government, which asserted national independence on 2 September.
In the same year, the Provisional French Republic sent the French Far East Expeditionary Corps –HP Pavilion DV9077EA Battery
originally created to fight the Japanese occupation forces – to pacify the Vietnamese liberation movement and to restore French colonial rule. On 23 November 1946, French vessels bombarded the port city of Hai Phong, and the Viet Minh's guerrilla campaign against French forces began soon after. The resulting First Indochina War lasted until 20 July 1954. HP Pavilion DV9078 Battery
Despite taking fewer losses during the course of the war – the Expeditionary Corps suffered one-third of the casualties of the Chinese and Soviet-backed Viet Minh – the French and Vietnamese loyalists eventually suffered a major strategic setback at the Siege of Dien Bien Phu, HP Pavilion DV9078EA Battery
which allowed Ho Chi Minh to negotiate a ceasefire from a favorable position at the Geneva Conference of 1954. The colonial administration ended and French Indochina was dissolved under the Geneva Accords of 1954, which separated the forces of former French supporters and communist nationalists at the 17th parallel north with the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. HP Pavilion DV9079 Battery
A 300-day period of free movement was given, during which almost a million northerners, mainly Catholic, moved south, fearing persecution by the communists.
The partition of Vietnam, with Ho Chi Minh's Democratic Republic of Vietnam in North Vietnam, and Emperor Bảo Đại's State of Vietnam in South Vietnam, HP Pavilion DV9079EA Battery
was not intended to be permanent by the Geneva Accords, and the Accords expressly forbade the interference of third powers. However, in 1955, the State of Vietnam's Prime Minister, Ngo Dinh Diem, toppled Bảo Đại in a fraudulent referendum organised by his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu, and proclaimed himself president of the Republic of Vietnam. HP Pavilion DV9080 Battery
The Accords mandated nationwide elections by 1956, which Diem refused to hold, despite repeated calls from the North for talks to discuss elections.[32]
Vietnam War
The pro-Hanoi Vietcong began a guerrilla campaign in the late 1950s to overthrow Diem's government, HP Pavilion DV9080EA Battery
which an official Vietcong statement described as a "disguised colonial regime."[32] In the North, the communist government massacred landowners and peasant rebels in a series of purges, with upper estimates of the death toll ranging between 172,000[33] and 500,000.[34] HP Pavilion DV9081 Battery
Northern collectivization efforts, though broadly successfully, also led to a brief famine. In the South, Diem went about crushing political and religious opposition, imprisoning or killing tens of thousands; dissidents were routinely labelled as communists even if they were anti-communist. Both Vietnams developed into virtual police states. HP Pavilion DV9081EA Battery
In 1963, Buddhist discontent with Diem's pro-Catholic regime erupted into mass demonstrations following the banning of theBuddhist flag and the Hue Vesak shootings. With Diem unwilling to compromise, Nhu orchestrated the Xa Loi Pagoda raids; estimates of the death toll range into the hundreds. HP Pavilion DV9082 Battery
As a result, America's relationship with Diem broke down, resulting in the1963 coup that saw Diem and Nhu killed.
Diem was followed by a series of corrupt military regimes that often lasted only months before being toppled by other military officers. HP Pavilion DV9082EA Battery
With South Vietnam paralyzed by instability, the communists began to gain ground. There were more than a dozen South Vietnamese governments between 1961 and 1965, before the pairing of Air Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky and General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu took control in mid-1965. HP Pavilion DV9083 Battery
Thieu gradually outmaneuvered Ky and cemented his grip on power in fraudulent elections in 1967 and 1971.
To support South Vietnam's struggle against the communist insurgency, the United States began increasing its contribution of military advisers, using the controversial 1964 Tonkin Gulf incident as a pretext for such intervention. HP Pavilion DV9083EA Battery
US forces became embroiled in ground combat operations in 1965, and at their peak they numbered more than 500,000.[35][36] Communist forces attacked most major targets in South Vietnam during the 1968 Tet Offensive, and although their campaign failed militarily, it shocked the American establishment, and turned US public opinion against the war.[37] HP Pavilion DV9084 Battery
Communist forces supplying the Vietcong carried supplies along the Ho Chi Minh trail, which passed through Laos and Cambodia. US president Richard Nixon authorizedOperation Menu, an SAC bombing campaign in Laos and Cambodia, which he kept secret from the US Congress.[38][39] HP Pavilion DV9084EA Battery
Its own casualties mounting, and facing opposition to the war at home and condemnation abroad, the US began withdrawing from ground combat roles according to the Nixon Doctrine; the process was subsequently called Vietnamization. The effort had mixed results, ultimately failing to stabilize South Vietnam. HP Pavilion DV9085 Battery
The Paris Peace Accords of 27 January 1973 formally recognized the sovereignty of Vietnam "as recognized by the 1954 Geneva Agreements." Under the terms of the accords, all American combat troops were withdrawn by 29 March 1973. Limited fighting continued, before North Vietnam captured the province of Phuoc Long in December 1974 and started a full-scale offensive, culminating in the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. HP Pavilion DV9085EA Battery
South Vietnam briefly came under the nominal rule of a Provisional Revolutionary Government while under military occupation by North Vietnam. On 2 July 1976, North and South Vietnam were merged to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.[1]
Postwar history
In the aftermath of the war, under Lê Duẩn's administration, the government embarked on a mass campaign of collectivization of farms and factories. HP Pavilion DV9086 Battery
This caused an economic collapse and resulted in triple-digit inflation. Reconstruction of the war-ravaged country was slow, and serious humanitarian and economic problems confronted the communist regime. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, millions of people fled the country in crudely built boats, creating an international humanitarian crisis. HP Pavilion DV9062 Battery
In 1978, the Vietnamese military invaded Cambodia to remove from power the Khmer Rouge, who had been razing Vietnamese border villages and massacring the inhabitants.[42] Vietnam was victorious, installing a regime in Cambodia whose leaders ruled until 1989.[43] This action worsened relations with the Chinese, HP Pavilion DV9062EA Battery
who launched a brief incursion into northern Vietnam in 1979.[44] This conflict caused Vietnam to rely even more heavily on Soviet economic and military aid.
Free-market reforms
At the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in December 1986, HP Pavilion DV9064 Battery
reformist politicians upset by the country's lack of economic progress replaced the "old guard" government with new leadership.[45][46] The reformers were led by 71-year-old Nguyen Van Linh, who became the party's new general secretary.[46] Linh was a native of northern Vietnam who had served in the south both during and after the Vietnam War. HP Pavilion DV9064EA Battery
In a historic shift, Linh and the reformers implemented a series of free-market reforms – known as Đổi Mới (Renovation) – which carefully managed the transition from aplanned economy to a "socialist-oriented market economy".
Though the authority of the state remained unchallenged, the government encouraged private ownership of farms and factories, HP Pavilion DV9065 Battery
economic deregulation and foreign investment, while maintaining control over strategic industries.[48] The economy of Vietnam subsequently achieved rapid growth in agricultural and industrial production, construction, exports and foreign investment. However, these reforms have also caused a rise in income inequality and gender disparities. HP Pavilion DV9065EA Battery
Government and politics
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a single-party state. Its current state constitution, which replaced the 1975 constitution in April 1992, asserts the central role of the Communist Party of Vietnam in all organs of government, politics and society. HP Pavilion DV9066 Battery
The General Secretary of the Communist Party performs numerous key administrative and executive functions, controlling the party's national organization and state appointments, as well as setting policy. Only political organizations affiliated with or endorsed by the Communist Party are permitted to contest elections in Vietnam. HP Pavilion DV9066EA Battery
These include the Vietnamese Fatherland Front and worker and trade unionist parties. Although the state remains officially committed to socialism as its defining creed, its economic policies have grown increasingly capitalist,[49]with The Economist characterizing its leadership as "ardently capitalist communists".HP Pavilion DV9067 Battery
The President of Vietnam is the titular head of state and the nominal commander-in-chief of the military of Vietnam, serving as the Chairman of the Council of Supreme Defense and Security. The Prime Minister of Vietnam is the head of government, presiding over a council of ministers composed of three deputy prime ministers and the heads of 26 ministries and commissions. HP Pavilion DV9067EA Battery
The National Assembly of Vietnam is the unicameral legislature of the state, composed of 498 members. Headed by aChairman, it is superior to both the executive and judicial branches, with all government ministers being appointed from members of the National Assembly. HP Pavilion DV9068 Battery
The Supreme People's Court of Vietnam, headed by a Chief Justice, is the country's highest court of appeal, though it is also answerable to the National Assembly. Beneath the Supreme People's Court stand the provincial municipal courts and numerous local courts. Military courts possess special jurisdiction in matters of national security. HP Pavilion DV9068EA Battery
Military
The Vietnam People's Armed Forces consists of the Vietnam People's Army, the Vietnam People's Public Security and theVietnam Civil Defense Force. The Vietnam People's Army (VPA) is the official name for the active military services of Vietnam, HP Pavilion DV9069 Battery
and is subdivided into the Vietnam People's Ground Forces, the Vietnam People's Navy, the Vietnam People's Air Force, the Vietnam Border Defense Force and the Vietnam Marine Police. The VPA has an active manpower of around 450,000, but its total strength, including paramilitary forces, may be as high as 5,000,000.[51] HP Pavilion DV9069EA Battery
In 2011, Vietnam's military expenditure totalled approximately US$2.48 billion, equivalent to around 2.5% of its 2010 GDP.[52]
International relations
Throughout its history, Vietnam's key foreign relationship has been with its largest neighbour, China. HP Pavilion DV9071 Battery
Vietnam's sovereign principles and insistence on cultural independence have been laid down in numerous documents over the centuries, such as the 11th-century poem Nam quốc sơn hà and the 1428 proclamation Bình Ngô đại cáo.
Currently, the formal mission statement of Vietnamese foreign policy is to: HP Pavilion DV9071EA Battery
"Implement consistently the foreign policy line of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development; the foreign policy of openness and diversification and multi-lateralization of international relations. Proactively and actively engage in international economic integration while expanding international cooperation in other fields." HP Pavilion DV9072 Battery
Vietnam furthermore declares itself to be "a friend and reliable partner of all countries in the international community, actively taking part in international and regional cooperation processes."[53]
By December 2007, Vietnam had established diplomatic relations with 172 countries, HP Pavilion DV9072EA Battery
including the United States, which normalized relations in 1995.[54][55] Vietnam holds membership of 63 international organizations, including the United Nations, ASEAN, NAM, Francophonie and WTO. It is furthermore a member of around 650 non-government organizations. HP Pavilion DV9073 Battery
Geography
Vietnam is located on the eastern Indochina Peninsula between the latitudes 8° and 24°N, and the longitudes 102° and110°E. It covers a total area of approximately 331,210 km² (127,881 sq mi),[2] excluding the Hoang Sa and Truong Saislands, HP Pavilion DV9073EA Battery
making it almost the size of Germany. The combined length of the country's land boundaries is 4,639 km (2,883 mi), and its coastline is 3,444 km (2,140 mi) long.[2] Vietnam's land is mostly hilly and densely forested, with level land covering no more than 20%. Mountains account for 40% of the country's land area, and tropical forests cover around 42%.HP Pavilion DV9074CL Battery
The northern part of the country consists mostly of highlands and the Red River Delta. Phan Xi Păng, located in Lào Cai province, is the highest mountain in Vietnam, standing 3,143 m (10,312 ft) high. Southern Vietnam is divided into coastal lowlands, Annamite Chain peaks, and extensive forests. HP Pavilion DV9074EA Battery
Comprising five relatively flat plateaus of basalt soil, the highlands account for 16% of the country's arable land and 22% of its total forested land. The soil in much of southern Vietnam is relatively poor in nutrients.
The Red River Delta (also known as the Sông Hồng), a flat, roughly triangular region covering 15,000 km² (5,792 sq mi), HP Pavilion DV9075EA Battery
is smaller but more intensely developed and more densely populated than the Mekong River Delta. Once an inlet of the Gulf of Tonkin, it has been filled in over the millennia by riverine alluvial deposits, and it advances 100 meters (328.1 ft) into the Gulf annually. HP Pavilion DV9048EA Battery
The Mekong delta, covering about 40,000 km² (15,444 sq mi), is a low-level plain no more than 3 meters (9.8 ft) above sea level at any point. It is criss-crossed by a maze of rivers and canals, which carry so much sediment that the delta advances 60 to 80 meters (196.9 to 262.5 ft) into the sea every year. HP Pavilion DV9049 Battery
Climate
Because of differences in latitude and the marked variety in topographical relief, the Vietnamese climate tends to vary considerably from place to place. During the winter or dry season, extending roughly from November to April, the monsoonwinds usually blow from the northeast along the China coast and across the Gulf of Tonkin, HP Pavilion DV9049EA Battery
picking up considerable moisture. Consequently, the winter season in most parts of the country is dry only by comparison with the rainy or summer season. The average annual temperature is generally higher in the plains than in the mountains, and higher in the south than in the north. HP Pavilion DV9050 Battery
Temperatures vary less in the southern plains around Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta, ranging between 21 and 28 °C (69.8 and 82.4 °F) over the course of a year. Seasonal variations in the mountains and plateaus and in the north are much more dramatic, with temperatures varying from 5 °C(41 °F) in December and January to 37 °C (98.6 °F) in July and August. HP Pavilion DV9050EA Battery
Ecology and biodiversity
Vietnam has two World Natural Heritage Sites – Ha Long Bay and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park – and six biosphere reserves, including Can Gio Mangrove Forest,Cat Tien, Cat Ba, Kien Giang, Red River Delta, and Western Nghe An. HP Pavilion DV9051 Battery
Vietnam lies in the Indomalaya ecozone. According to Chapter 1 of the 2005 National Environmental Present Condition Report, "Biodiversity Subject of Vietnam Environment Protection Agency,"[58] in terms of species diversity Vietnam is one of twenty-five countries considered to possess a uniquely high level of biodiversity, HP Pavilion DV9051EA Battery
and is ranked 16th in biological diversity worldwide, having 16% of the world's species. 15,986 species of flora have been identified in the country, of which 10% are endemic, while Vietnam's fauna include 307 nematode species, 200 oligochaeta, 145 acarina, 113 springtails, 7,750 insects, 260 reptiles, 120 amphibians, 840 birds and 310 mammals, of which 100 birds and 78 mammals are endemic.[58] HP Pavilion DV9052 Battery
Vietnam is furthermore home to 1,438 species of freshwater microalgae, constituting 9.6% of all microalgae species, as well as 794 aquatic invertebrates and 2,458 species of sea fish.[58] In recent years, 13 genera, 222 species, and 30 taxa of flora have been newly described in Vietnam. HP Pavilion DV9052EA Battery
Six new mammal species, including the saola, giant muntjac and Tonkin Snub-nosed Langur have also been discovered, along with one new bird species, Edwards's Pheasant. In the late 1980s, a small population of Javan Rhinoceros was found in Cát Tiên National Park. HP Pavilion DV9053 Battery
However, the last individual of the species in Vietnam was reportedly shot in 2010.
In agricultural genetic diversity, Vietnam is one of the world's twelve original cultivar centers. The Vietnam National Cultivar Gene Bank is preserving 12,300 cultivars of 115 species.HP Pavilion DV9053EA Battery
The Vietnamese government spent US$49.07 million on the preservation of biodiversity in 2004 alone, and has established 126 conservation areas, including 28 national parks.[58]
Economy
Vietnam has been, for much of its history, a predominantly agricultural civilization based on wet rice cultivation. HP Pavilion DV9054 Battery
However, the Vietnam War destroyed much of the country's agrarian economy, leading the post-war government to implement aplanned economy to revitalise agriculture and industrialise the nation. The collectivization of farms, factories and economic capital was implemented, and millions of people were put to work in government programs. HP Pavilion DV9054EA Battery
For a decade following the Vietnam War, Vietnam's economy was plagued with inefficiency and corruption in state programs, poor quality and underproduction, and restrictions on economic activity. It also suffered from the post-war trade embargo instituted by the United States and most of Europe. HP Pavilion DV9055 Battery
These problems were compounded by the erosion of the Soviet bloc, which included Vietnam's main trading partners, in the late 1980s.
In 1986, the Sixth Party Congress of Vietnam introduced free market economic reforms as part of the Đổi Mới reforms, resulting in a socialist-oriented market economy. HP Pavilion DV9055EA Battery
Private ownership was encouraged in industries, commerce and agriculture.[60] Thanks largely to these reforms, Vietnam achieved around 8% annual GDP growth between 1990 to 1997, and the economy continued to grow at an annual rate of around 7% from 2000 to 2005, making Vietnam one of the world's fastest growing economies. HP Pavilion DV9056 Battery
Growth remained strong even in the face of the late-2000s global recession, holding at 6.8% in 2010, but Vietnam's year-on-year inflation rate hit 11.8% in December 2010, according to a GSO estimate. The Vietnamese dong was devalued three times in 2010 alone.
Manufacturing, information technology and high-tech industries now form a large and fast-growing part of the national economy. HP Pavilion DV9056EA Battery
Though Vietnam is a relative newcomer to the oil industry, it is currently the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia, with an output of 400,000 barrels per day (64,000 m3/d). Like its Chinese neighbours, Vietnam continues to make use of centrally planned economic five-year plans. HP Pavilion DV9057 Battery
Deep poverty, defined as the percentage of the population living on less than $1 per day, has declined significantly in Vietnam, and the relative poverty rate is now less than that of China, India, and the Philippines.[62] This decline in the poverty rate can be attributed to equitable economic policies aimed at improving living standardsand preventing the rise of inequality; HP Pavilion DV9057EA Battery
these policies have included egalitarian land distribution at the initial stages of Đổi Mới, investment in poorer remote areas, and subsidising of education and healthcare.[63] According to the CIA World Factbook, the unemployment rate in Vietnam stood at 2.9% in April 2009.[64] HP Pavilion DV9058 Battery
In 2011, Vietnam's nominal GDP reached US$122.722 billion, with a nominal GDP per capita of $1,374, according to theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF).[4] According to a December 2005 forecast by Goldman Sachs, the Vietnamese economy will become the world's 17th-largest by 2025, HP Pavilion DV9058EA Battery
with an estimated nominal GDP of $436 billion and a nominal GDP per capita of $4,357.[65] According to a 2008 forecast by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Vietnam may be the fastest-growing of the world's emerging economies by 2025, with a potential growth rate of almost 10% per annum in real dollar terms.[66] HP Pavilion DV9059 Battery
In 2012, HSBC predicted that Vietnam's total GDP would surpass Norway, Singapore and Portugal by 2050.[67] In 2011, Vietnam's total international trade, including both exports and imports, was valued at approximately $200 billion.[68] HP Pavilion DV9059EA Battery
Trade
Since the early 2000s, Vietnam has applied sequenced trade liberalisation, a two-track approach opening some sectors of the economy to international markets while protecting others. In July 2006, Vietnam updated itsintellectual property legislation to comply with TRIPS, and it became a member of the WTO on 11 January 2007. HP Pavilion DV9060EA Battery
Vietnam is now one of Asia's most open economies: two-way trade was valued at around 160% of GDP in 2006, more than twice the contemporary ratio for China and over four times the ratio for India.[70] Vietnam's chief trading partners include China, Japan, Australia, the ASEAN countries, the United States and Western Europe. HP Pavilion DV9060US Battery
As a result of several land reform measures, Vietnam has become a major exporter of agricultural products. It is now the world's largest producer of cashew nuts, with a one-third global share; the largest producer of black pepper, accounting for one-third of the world's market; and the second-largest rice exporter in the world, afterThailand.HP Pavilion DV9061 Battery
Vietnam has the highest proportion of land use for permanent crops – 6.93% – of any nation in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Other primary exports include coffee, tea, rubber, and fishery products. However, agriculture's share of Vietnam's GDP has fallen in recent decades, declining from 42% in 1989 to 20% in 2006, as production in other sectors of the economy has risen. HP Pavilion DV9061EA Battery
Science and technology
Vietnamese scholars developed many academic fields during the dynastic era, most notably social sciences and the humanities. Vietnamese scholarship has left a millennium-deep legacy of analytical writings, such as the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư of Ngô Sĩ Liên; HP Pavilion DV9039 Battery
Vietnamese monks led by the abdicated Emperor Tran Nhan Tongdeveloped the Trúc Lâm Zen branch of philosophy in the 13th century. Arithmetics and geometry have been widely taught in Vietnam since the 15th century, using the textbook Đại thành toán pháp by Lương Thế Vinh as a basis. HP Pavilion DV9039EA Battery
Lương Thế Vinh introduced Vietnam to the notion of zero, while Mạc Hiển Tích used the term số ẩn(en: "unknown/secret/hidden number") to refer to negative numbers. Vietnamese scholars furthermore produced numerous encyclopedias, such as Lê Quý Đôn's Vân đài loại ngữ. HP Pavilion DV9040EA Battery
In recent times, Vietnamese scientists have made many significant contributions in various fields of study, most notably in mathematics. Hoàng Tụy pioneered theapplied mathematics field of global optimization in the 20th century, while Ngô Bảo Châu won the 2010 Fields Medal for his proof of fundamental lemma in the theory of automorphic forms. HP Pavilion DV9040EU Battery
Vietnam is currently working to develop an indigenous space program, and plans to construct the US$600 million Vietnam Space Center by 2018.[71] Vietnam has also made significant advances in the development of robots, such as the TOPIO humanoid model.[72] In 2010, Vietnam's total state spending on science and technology equalled around 0.45% of its GDP.[73] HP Pavilion DV9040TX Battery
Transport
Vietnam's modern transport system was originally developed under French rule to facilitate the transportation of raw materials, and was reconstructed and extensively modernized following the Vietnam War. HP Pavilion DV9040US Battery
Air
Vietnam operates 17 major civil airports, including three international gateways: Noi Bai serving Hanoi, Da Nang International Airport serving Da Nang, and Tan Son Nhat serving Ho Chi Minh City. Tan Son Nhat is the nation's largest airport, handling 75 percent of international passenger traffic. HP Pavilion DV9041 Battery
According to a state-approved plan, Vietnam will have 10 international airports by 2015 – besides the aforementioned three, these include Lien Khuong International Airport, Phu Bai International Airport, Cam Ranh International Airport, Phu Quoc International Airport, Cat Bi International Airport,Cần Thơ International Airport and Long Thanh International Airport. HP Pavilion DV9041EA Battery
The planned Long Thanh International Airport will be built on an area of 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi), and will have full capacity of 100 million passengers.
Vietnam Airlines, the state-owned national airline, maintains a fleet of 69 passenger aircraft,[74][75] and aims to operate 150 by 2020. HP Pavilion DV9042 Battery
Several private airlines are also in operation in Vietnam, including Air Mekong, Jetstar Pacific Airlines and VASCO.
Road
Vietnam's road system includes national roads administered at the central level; provincial roads managed at the provincial level; HP Pavilion DV9042EA Battery
district roads managed at the district level; urban roads managed by cities and towns; and commune roads managed at the commune level. Bicycles, motor scooters and motorcycles remain the most popular forms of road transport in Vietnam's urban areas, although the number of privately owned automobiles is also on the rise, HP Pavilion DV9043 Battery
especially in the larger cities. Public buses operated by private companies are the main mode of long-distance travel for much of the population.
Road safety is a serious issue in Vietnam – on average, 30 people are killed in traffic accidents every day.[76] HP Pavilion DV9043EA Battery
Traffic congestion is a growing problem in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as the cities' roads struggle to cope with the boom in automobile use.
Rail
Vietnam's primary cross-country rail service is the Reunification Express, which runs from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, covering a distance of nearly 2,000 kilometres. HP Pavilion DV9044 Battery
From Hanoi, railway lines branch out to the northeast, north and west; the eastbound line runs from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, the northbound line from Hanoi to Thai Nguyen, and the northeast line from Hanoi to Lao Cai.
In 2009, Vietnam and Japan signed a deal to build a high-speed railway using Japanese technology; HP Pavilion DV9044EA Battery
numerous Vietnamese engineers have since been sent to Japan to receive training in the operation and maintenance of high-speed trains. The railway will be a 1,630-km-long[77] express route, serving a total of 26 stations, including Hanoi and the Thu Thiem terminus in Ho Chi Minh City.[78] HP Pavilion DV9045 Battery
Using Japan's well-established Shinkansen technology,[79] the line will support trains travelling at a maximum speed of 360 kilometres (220 mi) per hour. The high-speed lines linking Hanoi to central Vinh and central Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam will be laid by 2015. HP Pavilion DV9045EA Battery
From 2015 to 2020, construction will begin on the routes between Vinh and Nha Trang and between Hanoi and the northern provinces of Lao Cai and Lang Son.
Water
Vietnam has several major sea ports, including Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Gai, Qui Nhơn, and Nha Trang. HP Pavilion DV9046 Battery
Further inland, the country's extensive network of rivers play a key role in rural transportation, with over 17,700 kilometres (11,000 mi) of navigable waterways carrying ferries, barges and water taxis.
The census of 1 April 2009 recorded the population of Vietnam as standing at approximately 85.8 million, HP Pavilion DV9046EA Battery
of which the Viet or Kinh ethnic group constituted nearly 73.6 million, or 85.8% of the population. The population had grown significantly from the 1979 census, which showed the total population of reunified Vietnam to be 52.7 million.[82] The dominant Kinh population is concentrated mainly in the alluvial deltas and coastal plains of the country. HP Pavilion DV9047 Battery
A largely homogeneous social and ethnic group, the Kinh possess significant political and economic influence over the country. However, Vietnam is also home to 54 ethnic minority groups, including the Hmong, Dao, Tay, Thai, and Nung.
Many ethnic minorities – such as the Muong, HP Pavilion DV9047EA Battery
who are closely related to the Kinh – dwell in the highlands, which cover two-thirds of Vietnam's territory. Before the Vietnam War, the population of the Central Highlands was almost exclusively Degar (including over 40 tribal groups); HP Pavilion DV9048 Battery
however, Ngo Dinh Diem's South Vietnamese government enacted a program of resettling Kinh in indigenous areas.[83]The Hoa (ethnic Chinese)[84] and Khmer Krom people are mainly lowlanders. As Sino-Vietnamese relations soured in 1978 and 1979, some 450,000 Hoa left Vietnam. HP Pavilion DV9019EA Battery
Languages
The official national language of Vietnam is Vietnamese, a tonal monosyllabic Mon–Khmer language which is spoken by the majority of the population. In its early history, Vietnamese writing used Chinese characters. In the 13th century, the Vietnamese developed their own set of characters, referred to as Chữ nôm. HP Pavilion DV9019TX Battery
The folk epic Đoạn trường tân thanh (Truyện Kiều or The Tale of Kieu) by Nguyễn Du was written in Chữ nôm. Quốc ngữ, the romanized Vietnamese alphabet used for spoken Vietnamese, was developed in 17th century by the Jesuit Alexandre De Rhodes and several other Catholic missionaries. HP Pavilion DV9020TX Battery
Quốc ngữ became widely popular and brought literacy to the Vietnamese masses during the French colonial period.
Various other languages are spoken by Vietnam's minority groups. The most common of these include Tày, Mường, Cham, Khmer, Chinese, Nùng, and H'Mông. HP Pavilion DV9020XX Battery
TheMontagnard peoples of the Central Highlands also speak a number of distinct languages.
The French language, a legacy of colonial rule, is still spoken by some older Vietnamese as a second language, but has declined in popularity. Vietnam nevertheless remains a full member of the Francophonie. HP Pavilion DV9021TX Battery
Russian – and to a much lesser extent German, Czech and Polish – are known among some Vietnamese whose families had ties with the Soviet bloc during the Cold War. In recent years, as Vietnam's contacts with Western nations have increased, English has become more popular as a second language; HP Pavilion DV9019EA Battery
the study of English is now obligatory in most schools, replacing French, though the latter is used at times in higher education. Chinese and Japanese have also grown in popularity as Vietnam's links with China and Japan have strengthened.
Religion
For much of Vietnamese history, Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism have been the dominant religions, strongly influencing the national culture. About 85% of Vietnamese identify with Buddhism, though not all practice on a regular basis. HP Pavilion DV9019TX Battery
According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam's report for 1 April 2009, 6.8 million (or 7.9% of the total population) are practicing Buddhists, 5.7 milion (6.6%) are Catholics, 1.4 million (1.7%) are adherents of Hòa Hảo, 0.8 million (0.9%) practise Cao Đài, and 0.7 million (0.9%) are Protestants. In total, only 15,651,467 (18.2%) registered in a religion.[93] HP Pavilion DV9020TX Battery
According to Inglehart et al (2004), 81% of Vietnamese peoples do not believe in God.[94]
Although actual religiosity varies, as many as 80%of the population ascribe to Tam Giáo ("Triple religion"): a mixture of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and ancestor worship. 2% follow Theravada Buddhism, which is most popular among Khmer people in the Mekong. HP Pavilion DV9020XX Battery
According to the 2009 census, while over 10 million people have taken refuge in the Three Jewels,[95][96] the vast majority of Vietnamese people practice ancestor worship in some form.
About 8% of the population are Christians, totalling around six million Roman Catholics and fewer than one million Protestants, according to the census of 2007. HP Pavilion DV9021TX Battery
Christianity was first introduced to Vietnam by Portuguese and Dutch traders in the 16th and 17th centuries, and was further propagated by French missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries, and to a lesser extent, by American Protestant missionaries during the Vietnam War, largely among the Montagnards of South Vietnam. HP Pavilion DV9021XX Battery
The largest Protestant churches are the Evangelical Church of Vietnam and the Montagnard Evangelical Church. Two-thirds of Vietnam's Protestants are reportedly members of ethnic minorities.
The Vietnamese government is widely seen as suspicious of Roman Catholicism. HP Pavilion DV9022EA Battery
This mistrust originated during the 19th century, when some Catholics collaborated with the French colonists in conquering and ruling the country and in helping French attempts to install Catholic emperors, such as in the Lê Văn Khôi revolt of 1833. Furthermore, the Catholic Church's strongly anti-communist stance has made it an enemy of the Vietnamese state. HP Pavilion DV9022TX Battery
The Vatican Church is officially banned, and only government-controlled Catholic organisations are permitted. However, the Vatican has attempted to negotiate the opening of diplomatic relations with Vietnam in recent years.[98]
Several other minority faiths exist in Vietnam. HP Pavilion DV9023 Battery
About 3% of the population are adherents of Cao Dai, a syncretic modern religion whose followers are largely concentrated in Tay Ninh Province. Sunni and Cham Bani Islam is primarily practiced by the ethnic Cham minority, though there are also a few ethnic Vietnamese adherents in the southwest. HP Pavilion DV9023US Battery
In total, there are approximately 70,000 Muslims in Vietnam,[99] while around 50,000 Hindus and a small number of Baha'is are also in evidence.
The Vietnamese government rejects allegations that it does not allow religious freedom. HP Pavilion DV9024 Battery
The state's official position on religion is that all citizens are free to their belief, and that all religions are equal before the law.[100] Nevertheless, only government-controlled religious organisations are allowed; for example, the South Vietnam-founded Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam is banned in favour of a communist-approved body.[101] HP Pavilion DV9024EA Battery
Education
Vietnam has an extensive state-controlled network of schools, colleges and universities, and a growing number of privately run and partially privatised institutions. General education in Vietnam is divided into five categories:kindergarten, elementary schools, middle schools, HP Pavilion DV9030EA Battery
high schools, and universities. A large number of public schools have been organized across the country to raise the national literacy rate, which stood at 90.3% in 2008.[102]
A large number of Vietnam's most acclaimed universities are based in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Facing serious crises, HP Pavilion DV9030US Battery
Vietnam's education system is under a holistic program of reform launched by the government. Education is not free; therefore, some poor families may have trouble paying tuition for their children without some form of public or private assistance. Regardless, school enrollment is among the highest in the world, and the number of colleges and universities increased dramatically in the 2000s, from 178 in 2000 to 299 in 2005. HP Pavilion DV9033 Battery
Health
In 2009, the national life expectancy in Vietnam was reported as 76 years for women and 72 for men,[103] and infant mortality stands at 12 per 1,000 live births.[104] As of 2009, 85% of the population has access to improved water sources. HP Pavilion DV9033CL Battery
However, malnutrition is still common in the rural provinces. In 2001, government spending on health care corresponded to just 0.9% of Vietnam's gross domestic product (GDP), with state subsidies covering only about 20% of health care expenses.[105]
In 1954, North Vietnam established a public health system that reached down to the hamlet level. HP Pavilion DV9035EA Battery
After the national reunification in 1975, this system was extended to the provinces of former South Vietnam. In the late 1980s, the quality of healthcare declined to some degree as a result of budgetary constraints, a shift of responsibility to the provinces, and the introduction of charges. HP Pavilion DV9035NR Battery
Inadequate funding has also contributed to a shortage of nurses, midwives, and hospital beds; in 2000, Vietnam had only 250,000 hospital beds, or 14.8 beds per 10,000 people, according to the World Bank.[105]
Since the early 2000s, Vietnam has made significant progress in combating malaria, HP Pavilion DV9036 Battery
with the malaria mortality rate falling to about 5% of its 1990s equivalent by 2005, after the country introduced improved antimalarial drugs and treatment. However, tuberculosis cases are on the rise, with 57 deaths per day reported in May 2004. With an intensified vaccination program, better hygiene, and foreign assistance, Vietnam hopes to reduce sharply the number of TB cases and annual new TB infections.[105] HP Pavilion DV9036EA Battery
As of September 2005, Vietnam had diagnosed 101,291 HIV cases, of which 16,528 progressed to AIDS, and 9,554 died. However, the actual number of HIV-positive individuals is estimated to be much higher. On average, 40–50 new infections are reported every day in Vietnam. HP Pavilion DV9037 Battery
As of 2007, 0.5% of the population is estimated to be infected with HIV, and this figure has remained stable since 2005.[106] In June 2004, the United States announced that Vietnam would be one of 15 nations to receive funding as part of a US$15 billion global AIDS relief plan.[105] HP Pavilion DV9037EA Battery
Media
Vietnam's media sector is regulated by the government in accordance with the 2004 Law on Publication.[107] It is generally perceived that Vietnam's media sector is controlled by the government to follow the official communist party line, though some newspapers are relatively outspoken.[108] HP Pavilion DV9038 Battery
The Voice of Vietnam is the official state-run national radio broadcasting service, broadcasting internationally via shortwave using rented transmitters in other countries, and providing broadcasts from its website. Vietnam Television is the national television broadcasting company. HP Pavilion DV9038EA Battery
Since 1997, Vietnam has extensively regulated public Internet access, using both legal and technical means. The resulting lockdown is widely referred to as the "Bamboo Firewall."[109] The collaborative project OpenNet Initiative classifies Vietnam's level of online political censorship to be "pervasive",[110] HP Pavilion DV9009US Battery
whileReporters without Borders considers Vietnam to be one of 15 global "internet enemies".[111] Though the government of Vietnam claims to safeguard the country against obscene or sexually explicit content through its blocking efforts, many politically and religiously sensitive websites are also banned.[112] HP Pavilion DV9010CA Battery
Culture
Vietnam's culture has developed over the centuries from indigenous ancient Dong Son culture with wet rice agriculture as its economic base. To some extent, the national culture can be seen as part of the Sinosphere, drawing on elements ofConfucianism and Laoism in its traditional political system and philosophy. HP Pavilion DV9010EA Battery
Vietnamese society is structured around làng(ancestral villages); all Vietnamese mark a common ancestral anniversary on the tenth day of the third lunar month. The influences of immigrant cultures – such as the Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien and Hainan cultures – can also be seen, while the national religion of Buddism is strongly entwined with popular culture. HP Pavilion DV9010TX Battery
In recent centuries, the influences of Western cultures, most notably French and American culture, have become evident in Vietnam.
Vietnam reveres a number of key cultural symbols, such as the Vietnamese dragon, which is derived from crocodile andsnake imagery; HP Pavilion DV9010US Battery
Vietnam's National Father, Lạc Long Quân, is depicted as a holy dragon. The lạc – a holy bird representing Vietnam's National Mother, Âu Cơ – is another prominent symbol, while turtle and nghê (dog) images are also revered.
The characteristics of Vietnamese culture can be viewed as humanity (Vietnamese language: HP Pavilion DV9011EA Battery
nhân nghĩa) and harmony (Vietnamese language: hòa). Vietnamese highly regard family value and community value.
The official spoken and written language of Vietnam is Vietnamese, currently written in the Latin alphabet. HP Pavilion DV9011XX Battery
However, Vietnam is believed by historians to have had established a distinctive culture before the invasion of Chinese dynasties, including a syllabic writing system named Khoa Đẩu.
In the modern era, the cultural life of Vietnam has been deeply influenced by government-controlled media and cultural programs. HP Pavilion DV9012EA Battery
For many decades, foreign cultural influences were shunned, and emphasis was placed on appreciating and sharing the culture of communist nations such as the Soviet Union, China, andCuba. However, since the 1990s, Vietnam has seen a greater exposure to Southeast Asian, European and American culture and media. HP Pavilion DV9012TX Battery
Clothing
A key part of Vietnam's culture is the "áo dài", worn for special occasions such as weddings and religious festivals. White áo dài is the required uniform for girls in many high schools across Vietnam. HP Pavilion DV9013CA Battery
Áo dài was once worn by both genders, but today it is mostly the preserve of women, although men do wear it to some occasions, such as traditional weddings.[113]
Cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine uses very little oil and many vegetables. The main dishes are often based on rice and soy sauce. HP Pavilion DV9013CL Battery
Sugar, serrano peppers,lime and nuoc mam (fish sauce) are among the most common flavorings, as are mint and basil.
Music
Traditional Vietnamese music varies between the country's three regions: Bắc or North, Trung or Central, and Nam or South. HP Pavilion DV9014EA Battery
Northern classical music is Vietnam's oldest musical form, and is traditionally more formal. The origins of Vietnamese classical music can be traced to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, when the Vietnamese captured a Chinese opera troupe. Central classical music shows the influences of the Champa culture with its melancholic melodies. HP Pavilion DV9014TX Battery
Literature
Vietnamese literature has a centuries-deep history. The country has a rich tradition of folk literature, based around the typical 6–to-8-verse poetic form named ca dao, which usually focuses on village ancestors and heroes. HP Pavilion DV9015EA Battery
Written literature has been found dating back to the 10th-century Ngô Dynasty, with notable ancient authors including Nguyễn Trãi, Trần Hưng Đạo, Nguyễn Du and Nguyễn Đình Chiểu. Some literary genres play an important role in theatrical performance, like "hát nói" in ca trù. Some poetic unions have also been formed in Vietnam, such as the Tao Đàn. HP Pavilion DV9015TX Battery
Vietnamese literature has in recent times been influenced by Western styles, with the first literary transformation movement – Thơ Mới – emerging in 1932.
Sport
The Vovinam and Bình Ðịnh martial arts are widespread in Vietnam, while soccer is the country's most popular team sport. HP Pavilion DV9016EA Battery
Other Western sports, such as badminton, tennis, volleyball, ping-pong and chess, are also widely popular.
Festivals
Vietnam has a plethora of festivals based on the lunar calendar, the most important being the Tết New Year celebration. HP Pavilion DV9016TX Battery
Traditional Vietnamese weddings remain widely popular, and are often celebrated by expatriate Vietnamese in Western countries.
Tourism
Vietnam has become a major tourist destination since the 1990s, assisted by significant state and private investment, particularly in coastal regions.[114] HP Pavilion DV9017EA Battery
About 3.77 million international tourists visited Vietnam in 2009 alone.[115]
Popular destinations include Hanoi, Saigon, the former imperial capital of Hué, the World Heritage Sites of Hoi An and Mỹ Sơn, coastal regions such as Nha Trang, the caves of Ha Long Bay and the Marble Mountains. HP Pavilion DV9017TX Battery
Numerous tourist projects are under construction, such as the Binh Duong tourist complex, which possesses the largest artificial sea in Southeast Asia.[116]
On Valentine's Day 2011, Joe Jackson, the father of American pop star Michael Jackson, HP Pavilion DV9018EA Battery
attended a ground breaking ceremony for what will be Southeast Asia's largest entertainment complex, a five-star hotel and amusement park called Happyland. The US$2 billion project, which has been designed to accommodate 14 million tourists annually, is located in southern Long An province, near Ho Chi Minh City. HP Pavilion DV9018TX Battery
It is expected that the complex will be completed in 2014.
The economy of Vietnam is a developing planned economy and market economy. Since the mid-1980s, through the "Đổi Mới" reform period, Vietnam has made a shift from a highly-centralized planned economy to a socialist-oriented market economy which use both directive and indicative planning (see Five-Year Plans of Vietnam). HP Pavilion DV9004XX Battery
Over that period, the economy has experienced rapid growth. Nowadays, Vietnam is in the period of integrating into the world's economy, as a part of globalization. Almost all Vietnamese enterprises are SMEs. Vietnam has been rising as a leading agricultural exporter and an attractive foreign investment destination in Southeast Asia. HP Pavilion DV9005CA Battery
In 2011, the nominal GDP reached $121.6 billion,[7] with nominal GDP per capita of $1328.6. According to a forecast in December 2005 by Goldman-Sachs, Vietnamese economy will become the 35th largest economy in the world with nominal GDP of $ 436 billion and nominal GDP per capita of 4,357 USD by 2025.[8] HP Pavilion DV9005EA Battery
According to a forecast by the PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2008, Vietnam may be the fastest growing of emerging economies by 2025, with a potential growth rate of almost 10% per annum in real dollar terms that could push it up to around 70% of the size of the UK economy by 2050.[9] HP Pavilion DV9005TX Battery
Vietnam has been listed in the Next Eleven and CIVETS countries.
As a nation established on agricultural civilization, Vietnamese feudal dynasties always considered agriculture as the major economic issue, their economic thought thus having affinities to physiocracy. HP Pavilion DV9005US Battery
Land ownership was regulated and there were large-scale works, for example dykes were built in the Red River Delta to facilitate wet rice cultivation. In periods of peace, soldiers were sent home to do agricultural work. Furthermore, the court prohibited slaughtering water buffalo and cattle and held many agricultural ceremonies. HP Pavilion DV9006EA Battery
Handicrafts and art were significant, but commerce was deprecated and businessmen were called by the derogatory term con buôn. The national economy was self-sufficient.
From the 16th century, Confucianism was losing its influence on Vietnamese society. A money economy began to develop, but unfortunately, in negative ways. HP Pavilion DV9006TX Battery
Early commercial ports such as Hội An were constrained and foreign countries with their different cultures and their invasion ambitions were seen as a threat. This policy of closure led to a degree of stagnation in the Vietnamese economy, and contributed to Vietnam becoming a French colony. HP Pavilion DV9007EA Battery
Until French colonization in the mid-19th century, Vietnam's economy had been uniformly agrarian, subsistence, and village-oriented. French colonizers, however, deliberately developed the region differently, designating the Southfor agricultural production and the North for manufacturing. HP Pavilion DV9007TX Battery
Though the plan exaggerated regional divisions, the development of exports — coal from the North, rice from the South — and the importation of French manufactured goods stimulated internal commerce.[10]
When the North and South were divided politically in 1954, they also adopted different economic ideologies: HP Pavilion DV9008EA Battery
communist in the North and capitalist in the South. Destruction caused by the 1954-75 Second Indochina Warseriously strained Vietnam's economy. Across Vietnam, the situation was worsened by the country's 1.5 million military and civilian deaths and its later exodus of 1 million refugees, HP Pavilion DV9008EU Battery
including tens of thousands of professionals, intellectuals, technicians, and skilled workers.[10]
Though the government's Second Five-Year Plan (1976–1981) set extraordinarily high goals for annual growth rates for industry, agriculture, and national income and aimed to integrate the North and the South, the Plan's aims were not achieved: HP Pavilion DV9008NR Battery
the economy remained dominated by small-scale production, low labor productivity, unemployment, material and technological shortfalls, and insufficient food and consumer goods.[10] The more modest goals of theThird Five-Year Plan (1981–85) were a compromise between ideological and pragmatic factions; HP Pavilion DV9008TX Battery
they emphasized the development of agriculture and industry. Efforts were also made to decentralize planning and improve the managerial skills of government officials.[10]
From the late 1970s until the early 1990s, Vietnam was a member of the Comecon, and therefore heavily dependent on trade with the Soviet Union and its allies. HP Pavilion DV9009CL Battery
Following the dissolution of the Comecon and the loss of its traditional trading partners, Vietnam was forced to liberalize trade, devalue its exchange rate to increase exports, and embark on a policy of regional and international economic capitalization.[11]
Throughout the 1990s, exports expanded significantly, growing by as much as 20%-30% in some years. HP Pavilion DV9009NR Battery
In 1999, exports accounted for 40% of GDP, an impressive performance in a recovering Asia. Vietnam became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007, which freed Vietnam from textile quotas enacted worldwide as part of theMulti Fibre Arrangement (MFA) of 1974.[12] HP Pavilion DV9009TX Battery
The MFA placed restrictions on the import by industrialized countries of textiles from developing countries. For China and other WTO members, however, textile quotas under the MFA expired at the end of 2004, as agreed in the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations in 1994.[11] HP Pavilion DV9000 Battery
In 1986 Vietnam launched a political and economic renewal campaign (Đổi Mới) that introduced reforms intended to facilitate the transition from a centralized economy to a "socialist-oriented market economy." Đổi Mới combined government planning with free-market incentives and encouraged the establishment of private businesses and HP Pavilion DV9000EA Battery
foreign investment, including foreign-owned enterprises. By the late 1990s, the success of the business and agricultural reforms ushered in under Đổi Mới was evident. More than 30,000 private businesses had been created, and the economy was growing at an annual rate of more than 7 percent, and poverty was nearly halved.[11] HP Pavilion DV9000T Battery
Developments since 1997
Vietnam's economic stance following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, East Asian recession has been a cautious one, emphasizing macroeconomic stability rather than growth. While the country has shifted toward a more market-oriented economy, HP Pavilion DV9000Z Battery
the Vietnamese government still continues to hold a tight rein over major state sectors of the economy, such as the banking system, state-owned enterprises, and areas of foreign trade.[13] GDP growth fell to 6% in 1998 and 5% in 1999.
The July 13, 2000, signing of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between the USA and Vietnam was a significant milestone for Vietnam's economy. HP Pavilion DV9001CA Battery
The BTA provided for Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status of Vietnamese goods in the U.S. market. Access to the U.S. market is expected to allow Vietnam to hasten its transformation into a manufacturing-based, export-oriented economy. It would also concomitantly attract foreign investment to Vietnam, not only from the U.S., but also from Europe, Asia, and other regions. HP Pavilion DV9001EA Battery
In 2001 the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam approved a 10-year economic plan that enhanced the role of the private sector while reaffirming the primacy of the state.[11] Growth then rose to 6% to 7% in 2000-02 even against the background of global recession, making it the world's second-fastest growing economy. HP Pavilion DV9001TX Battery
Simultaneously, investment grew threefold and domestic savings quintupled.
In 2003 the private sector accounted for more than one-quarter of all industrial output.[11] However, between 2003 and 2005 Vietnam fell dramatically in theWorld Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report rankings, HP Pavilion DV9001XX Battery
largely due to negative perceptions of the effectiveness of government institutions.[11] Officialcorruption is endemic, and Vietnam lags in property rights, the efficient regulation of markets, and labor and financial market reforms.[11]
Vietnam had an average growth in GDP of 7.1% per year from 2000 to 2004. HP Pavilion DV9003CA Battery
The GDP growth was 8.4% in 2005, the second largest growth in Asia, trailing onlyChina's. Government figures of GDP growth in 2006, was 8.17%. According to Vietnam's Minister of Planning and Investment, the government targets a GDP growth of around 8.5% for 2007.[14] HP Pavilion DV9003EA Battery
On November 7, 2006, the WTO's General Council approved Vietnam's accession package. On January 11, 2007, Vietnam officially became the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s 150th member, after 11 years of preparation, including 8 years of negotiation.[12] Vietnam's access to WTO was intended to provide an important boost to Vietnam's economy, HP Pavilion DV9003TX Battery
to ensure the continuation of liberalizing reforms and create options for trade expansion. However, WTO accession also brings serious challenges, requiring Vietnam's economic sectors to open the door to increased foreign competition.
Although Vietnam’s economy, which continues to expand at an annual rate in excess of 7 percent, HP Pavilion DV9003XX Battery
is one of the fastest growing in the world, the economy is growing from an extremely low base, reflecting the crippling effect of the Vietnam War (1954–75) and austerity measures introduced in its aftermath.[11]
Agriculture, fishing and forestry
In 2003 Vietnam produced an estimated 30.7 million cubic meters of wood. HP Pavilion DV9004TX Battery
Production of sawn wood was a more modest 2,950 cubic meters. In 1992, in response todwindling forests, Vietnam imposed a ban on the export of logs and raw timber. In 1997 the ban was extended to all timber products except wooden artifacts. During the 1990s, Vietnam began to reclaim land for forests with a tree-planting program.[11] HP Pavilion DV9100 Battery
Vietnam’s fishing industry, which has abundant resources given the country’s long coastline and extensive network of rivers and lakes, has experienced moderate growth overall. In 2003 the total catch was about 2.6 million tons. However, seafood exports expanded fourfold from 1990 to 2002 to more than US $2 billion, HP Pavilion DV9105EU Battery
driven in part by shrimp farms in the South and "catfish", which are a different species from their American counterpart but are marketed in the United States under the same name. By concentrating on the U.S. market for the sale of vast quantities of shrimp and catfish, Vietnam triggered antidumping complaints by the United States, HP Pavilion DV9200 Battery
which imposed tariffs in the case of catfish and is considering doing the same for shrimp. In 2005 the seafood industry began to focus on domestic demand to compensate for declining exports.[11]
Mining and minerals
In 2003 mining and quarrying accounted for a 9.4% share of GDP; HP Pavilion DV9200CTO Battery
the sector employed 0.7% of the workforce. Petroleum and coal are the main mineral exports. Also mined are antimony, bauxite, chromium, gold, iron, natural phosphates, tin, and zinc.[11]
Industry and manufacturing
Although industry contributed 40.1 percent of GDP in 2004, it employed only 12.9% of the workforce. HP Pavilion DV9200XX Battery
In 2000, 22.4% of industrial production was attributable to non-state activities. During 1994–2004, industrial GDP grew at an average annual rate of 10.3 percent. Manufacturing contributed 20.3 percent of GDP in 2004, while employing 10.2 percent of the workforce. During 1994–2004, manufacturing GDP grew at an average annual rate of 11.2 percent. HP Pavilion DV9201CA Battery
The top manufacturing sectors — food processing, cigarettes and tobacco, textiles, chemicals, and electrical goods — experienced rapid growth. Almost a third of manufacturing and retail activity is concentrated in Ho Chi Minh City.[11]
Energy
Petroleum is the main source of commercial energy, followed by coal, which contributes about 25% of the country’s energy (excluding biomass). HP Pavilion DV9201TX Battery
Vietnam’s oil reserves are in the range of 270–500 million tons. Oil production rose rapidly to 403,300 barrels per day (64,120 m3/d) in 2004, but output is believed to have peaked and is expected to decline gradually.
Crude oil is Vietnam’s leading export, totaling 17 million tons in 2002; HP Pavilion DV9202EA Battery
in 2004 crude oil represented 22 percent of all export earnings. Petroleum exports are in the form of crude petroleum because Vietnam has a very limited refining capacity. Vietnam’s only operational refinery, a facility at Cat Hai near Ho Chi Minh City, has a capacity of only 800 barrels per day (130 m3/d). HP Pavilion DV9202TX Battery
Refined petroleum accounted for 10.2 percent of total imports in 2002.[11]
Vietnam’s anthracite coal reserves are estimated at 3.7 billion tons. Coal production was almost 19 million tons in 2003, compared with 9.6 million tons in 1999. Vietnam’s potential natural gas reserves are 1.3 trillion cubic meters. HP Pavilion DV9203TX Battery
In 2002 Vietnam brought ashore 2.26 billion cubic meters of natural gas.Hydroelectric power is another source of energy. In 2004 Vietnam began to build a nuclear power plant with Russian assistance.[11]
Services and tourism
In 2004 services accounted for 38.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). HP Pavilion DV9203XX Battery
During 1994–2004, GDP attributable to the services sector grew at an average annual rate of 6.0 percent.[11]
In 2004 Vietnam received 2.9 million international arrivals, up from 2.4 million the previous year. HP Pavilion DV9204TX Battery
The annual increase represented a strong rebound from a slight decline in 2003 attributable to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in Asia. From 1999 to 2004, tourism rose by 63 percent. Most of the visitors in 2004—27 percent—came from China, with 8–9 percent each coming from the United States, Japan, and South Korea. HP Pavilion DV9204XX Battery
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourismis following a long-term plan to diversify the tourism industry, which brings needed foreign exchange into the country.
Currency, exchange rate, and inflation
As of April 2008, one U.S. dollar was equivalent to about 20,850 Vietnamese dong. HP Pavilion DV9205CA Battery
The relationship between the U.S. dollar and Vietnamese dong is important because the dong, although not freely convertible, is loosely pegged to the dollar through an arrangement known as a "crawling peg". This mechanism allows the dollar-dong exchange rate to adjust gradually to changing market conditions.[11] HP Pavilion DV9205EU Battery
Vietnam's economy experienced a hyperinflation period in its early years of the extensive reform program, especially from 1989-1992. Gold still maintains its position as a physical currency to a certain extent, although seeing its economic role declining in recent years.[15] HP Pavilion DV9205TX Battery
In 2008 inflation was tracking at 20.3% for the first half of the year,[16] higher than the 3.4 percent rate measured in 2000 but down significantly from 160 percent in 1988.[11]
Mergers & Acquisitions
From 1999 to 2010, Vietnamese companies have been involved as either an acquiror or acquired company in 1'320 mergers and acquisitions with a total know value of 7.7 bil. HP Pavilion DV9205US Battery
USD.[17] The number and value of deals hit a new record in 2010. The number of deals that happened in 2010 has been 417 which is an increase of 27% compared to 2009. The value of deals in 2010 was 2.1 bil. USD which is an increase of 64% compared to the year before. HP Pavilion DV9206CA Battery
The Mergers & Acquisitions in Vietnam faced many obstacles, lowering the rate of success of the transaction. Common obstacles come from culture, transparency and legal aspects.[18]
Foreign economic relations
Economic relations with the United States are improving but are not without challenges. HP Pavilion DV9206EU Battery
Although the United States and Vietnam reached a landmark bilateral agreement in December 2001 that boosted Vietnam’s exports to the United States, disagreements over textile and catfish exports are hindering full implementation of the agreement.
HP Pavilion DV9206TX Battery
Further disrupting U.S.-Vietnamese economic relations are efforts in Congress to link non-humanitarian aid to Vietnam's human rights record. Barriers to trade and intellectual property are also within the purview of bilateral discussions.[11]
Given neighboring China's rapid economic ascendancy, Vietnam treats its economic relationship with China as being of the utmost importance. HP Pavilion DV9206XX Battery
Following the resolution of most territorial disputes, trade with China is growing rapidly, and in 2004 Vietnam imported more products from China than from any other nation. In November 2004, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Vietnam is a member, and China announced plans to establish the world’s largest free-trade area by 2010.[11] HP Pavilion DV9207TX Battery
Vietnam became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on January 11, 2007.[11]
Foreign trade
In 2004 Vietnam’s merchandise imports were valued at US$31.5 billion, and growing rapidly. Vietnam’s principal imports were machinery (17.5%), refined petroleum (11.5%), steel (8.3%), material for the textile industry (7.2%), and cloth (6.0%). HP Pavilion DV9207US Battery
The main origins of Vietnam’s imports were China (13.9%), Taiwan (11.6%), Singapore (11.3%), Japan(11.1%), South Korea (10.4%), Thailand (5.8%), and Malaysia (3.8%).[11]
In 2004 Vietnam’s merchandise exports were valued at US$26.5 billion, and, much like imports, were growing rapidly. HP Pavilion DV9208NR Battery
Vietnam’s principal exports were crude oil (22.1%), textiles and garments (17.1%), footwear (10.5%), fisheries products (9.4%), andelectronics (4.1%). The main destinations of Vietnam's exports were the United States (18.8%), Japan (13.2%), China (10.3%), Australia (6.9%), Singapore (5.2%), Germany (4.0%), and the United Kingdom (3.8%).[11] HP Pavilion DV9208TX Battery
In 2007 Vietnam ran a trade deficit of US$14.1 billion, but the trade deficit for the first half of 2008 alone was measured at US$14.8 billion.[16]
External debt, foreign aid, and foreign investment
In 2004 external debt amounted to US$16.6 billion, or 37 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).[11] HP Pavilion DV9209TX Battery
From 1988 to December 2004, cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments totaled US$46 billion. By December 2004, about 58% had been dispersed. About half of FDI has been directed at the two major cities (and environs) of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. In 2003 new foreign direct investment commitments were US$1.5 billion. HP Pavilion DV9209XX Battery
The largest sector by far for licensed FDI is industry and construction. Other sectors attracting FDI are oil and gas, fisheries, construction, agriculture and forestry, transportation and communications, and hotels and tourism. During the period 2006-2010, Vietnam hoped to receive US$18 billion of FDI to support a targeted growth rate in excess of 7%.HP Pavilion DV9210CA Battery
Despite rising investments, foreign investors still regard Vietnam as a risky destination, as confirmed by recent survey by the Japan External Trade Organization of Japanese companies operating in Vietnam. Many of these companies complained about high costs for utilities, office rentals, and skilled labor. HP Pavilion DV9210EU Battery
Official corruption and bureaucracy, the lack of transparent regulations, and the failure to enforce investor rights are additional issues impairing investment, according to the U.S. State Department. Vietnam tied with several nations for 102nd place in Transparencies International's 2004 Corruption Perceptions Index.[11] HP Pavilion DV9210TX Battery
The World Bank's assistance program for Vietnam has three objectives: to support Vietnam’s transition to a market economy, to enhance equitable and sustainable development, and to promote good governance. From 1993 through 2004, Vietnam received pledges of US$29 billion of official development assistance (ODA), HP Pavilion DV9210US Battery
of which about US$14 billion, or 49 percent, actually has been disbursed. In 2004 international donors pledged ODA of US$2.25 billion, of which US$1.65 billion actually was disbursed. Three donors accounted for 80 percent of disbursements in 2004: Japan, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. HP Pavilion DV9211EA Battery
During the period 2006–10, Vietnam hopes to receive US$14 billion–US$15 billion of ODA.[11]
Pledged foreign direct investment US$21.3 billion for 2007 and a record US$31.6 billion for the first half of 2008.[16] HP Pavilion DV9211TX Battery
Mergers and acquisitions have gradually become an important channel of investments in the economy, especially after 2005. HP Pavilion DV9212EA Battery,HP Pavilion DV9212TX Battery,HP Pavilion DV9213EA Battery
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