Vietnam

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Vietnam's Information


Capital	Hanoi
Languages	Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer, mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Ethnic Groups	Kinh (Viet) 85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.8%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.5%, Mong 1.2%, Nung 1.1%, Hoa 1%, other 4.3%
Religion	Buddhist 7.9%, Catholic 6.6%, Hoa Hao 1.7%, Cao Dai 0.9%, Protestant 0.9%, Muslim 0.1%, none 81.8% (2009 est.)
Government	Communist state
Independance	2 September 1945 (from France)
Area	331,210.00 km²
Water Area	21,140.00 km²
Land Area	310,070.00 km²
Population	95,261,021.00 Though it has one of the highest population densities in the world, the population is not evenly dispersed; clustering appears heaviest along the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin, with the Mekong Delta (in the south) and the Red River Valley (in the north) having the largest concentrations of people
Location	Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia
No. Bordering Countries	3
Bordering Countries	Cambodia 1,158 km, China 1,297 km, Laos 2,161 km
GDP(PPP)	$595,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$6,400.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United States, China, and Japan.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are clothes, shoes, electronics, and seafood.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, South Korea, and Singapore.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery and equipment, petroleum products, and steel products.
Climate	Subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November
Terrain	Low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Where is Vietnam?

Located in Southeastern Asia, Vietnam has a 4,616.00 km border with Cambodia (1,158 km), China (1,297 km) and Laos (2,161 km). It has a 3,444.00 km coastline. Some southeast states of Vietnam have enhanced border surveillance in order to check for the spread of avian flu.

Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam and is located in the northern part of the country. From 1010 until 1802, the city served as the political center of the area. The city was also the official capital of French Indochina from 1902-1954. During the Vietnamese Civil War (1954-1976), Hanoi remained the capital city of Northern Vietnam and eventually became the capital of a reunified Vietnam after the North had won the war in 1976. The climate of Hanoi can be classified as a humid subtropical environment, and the country experiences a lot of rainfall. The population of the Hanoi region is currently estimated at 7.6 million people which makes it the second largest region in the country regarding population.

Geography

Vietnam has a mean elevation of 398 m above sea level.

The climate is subtropical with easterly trade winds and relatively low humidity. Its terrain is low, with a flat delta in the south and north, and central highlands and mountains elswhere.

Population

Vietnam has a population of 95,261,021 making it the 14th largest in the world. The majority of the population lives along the South China Sea and the Gulf of Tonkin.

Vietnamese is the official language. The most common ethnic group reported is Kinh (Viet). The majority of the population identifies as non-religious.

The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese, which is a language that originated in the northern part of the country. The language is part of the Austro-Asiatic family and borrows from Chinese. Minority languages in the country include Cham, Chinese, Khmer, Muong, and Nung to name only a few. The primary foreign language of Vietnam is French and Czech, German, and Russian are also spoken in small communities throughout the country. Over 75 million people in the country speak Vietnamese as their primary or second language. The modern Vietnamese alphabet was created during the 17th century, and exposure to the language increased greatly during the French colonial period. The most common foreign language is French but the economy of Vietnam is heavily reliant on international tourism, and consequently English has become reasonably common in the major tourist areas.

Government

Vietnam is an independent country. It gained its independence from France in 1945. Its constitution was last ratified in 2013.

The Vietnamese political system can be defined as a one-party socialist republic in which the President of the country is the head of state, and the Prime Minister is the head of government. Out of the 500 seats in the National Assembly, the Communist Party of Vietnam holds 475, and ultimately, the Communist Party of Vietnam has considerable influence over political activity in the nation. The parliament of Vietnam, known as the National Assembly, is located in the center of the capital city of Hanoi. The current group of representatives in the National Assembly are known as the 14th National Assembly.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Vietnam's GDP is $595,000,000,000.00 (USD) with $6,400.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 36th largest economy and its citizens the 155th richest in the world. The currency of Vietnam is the Dong (VND).

Its major export partners are the United States, China, and Japan. Its main exports are clothes, shoes, electronics, and seafood. Its major import partners are China, South Korea, and Singapore. Its major imports include machinery and equipment, petroleum products, and steel products.

Flag

The flag of Vietnam consists of a red banner with a gold star in the center. It was inspired by flags of various communist movements around the world. The 1992 Constitution of Vietnam states that "the National Flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is rectangular in shape. Its width is equal to two-thirds of its length, in the middle of fresh red background there is a bright five-pointed golden star." The red also has a connotation to the spilt blood of those who fought in the name of revolution. The five-pointed star on the flag is representative of the five classes of the Vietnamese population; businessmen, farmers, intellectuals, workers, and military personnel. Previous flags of the nation include the French national flag, the Imperial Japanese flag, and a Southern Vietnamese flag which was used in the southern region of Vietnam from 1948-1976.