Vietnam - Vietnam country profile

Vietnam country profile (Source: BBC) – To be updated

Vietnam, a one-party Communist state, has one of south-east Asia's fastest-growing economies and has set its sights on becoming a developed nation by 2020.

It became a unified country once more in 1975 when the armed forces of the Communist north seized the south.

This followed three decades of bitter wars, in which the Communists fought first against the colonial power France, then against South Vietnam and its US backers. In its latter stages, the conflict held the attention of the world.

OVERVIEW

The US joined the hostilities in order to stem the "domino effect" of successive countries falling to Communism.

The jungle war produced heavy casualties on both sides, atrocities against civilians, and the indiscriminate destruction and contamination of much of the landscape.

A visit to Vietnam by US President Bill Clinton in November 2000 was presented as the culmination of American efforts to normalise relations with the former enemy.

Vietnam struggled to find its feet after unification and tried at first to organise the agricultural economy along strict collectivist lines.

But elements of market forces and private enterprise were introduced from the late 1980s and a stock exchange opened in 2000.

Foreign investment has grown and the US is Vietnam's main trading partner. In the cities, the consumer market is fuelled by the appetite of a young, middle class for electronic and luxury goods.

After 12 years of negotiations the country joined the World Trade Organization in January 2007.

But the disparity in wealth between urban and rural Vietnam is wide and some Communist Party leaders worry that too much economic liberalisation will weaken their power base.

Vietnam has also struggled to restrain its trade and budget deficits, as well as the inflation rate, which was in double digits at the start of 2010.

Despite pursuing economic reform, the ruling Communist Party shows little willingness to give up its monopoly on political power.

Vietnam has been accused of suppressing political dissent and religious freedom. Rights groups have singled out Hanoi's treatment of ethnic minority hill tribe people, collectively known as Montagnards.

FACTS

Full name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Population: 89 million (UN, 2010)

Capital: Hanoi

Largest city: Ho Chi Minh City

Area: 329,247 sq km (127,123 sq miles)

Major language: Vietnamese

Major religion: Buddhism

Life expectancy: 73 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 dong = 100 xu

Main exports: Petroleum, rice, coffee, clothing, fish

GNI per capita: US $1,010 (World Bank, 2009)

Internet domain: .vn

International dialling code: +84

MEDIA

The Communist Party has a strong grip on the media. The Ministry of Culture and Information controls the press and broadcasting.

The government has closed publications for violating the narrow limits on permissible reporting. Journalists can be fined for transgressions which include denying revolutionary achievements and spreading "harmful" information or "reactionary ideology".

There are hundreds of newspapers and magazines, but TV is the dominant medium. State-run Vietnam Television (VTV) broadcasts from Hanoi. There is a growing pay TV industry, which includes the K+ satellite platform.

State-run Voice of Vietnam (VoV) has six radio networks, including VoV 5 with programmes in English, French and Russian.

There were around 28.6 million internet users by May 2011 (InternetWorldStats). Providers face fines or closure for breaking the rules, and cyber dissidents have been imprisoned. Filtering of "obscene" content, and of opposition websites, is in place.

Vietnam is an RSF "Enemy of the Internet" (2010) and one of the Committee to Protect Journalists' "10 worst countries to be a blogger" (2009).

The press

Nhan Dan - Communist Party daily, English-language pages

Vietnam Economic Times - English-language pages

Le Courrier du Vietnam - French-language

Vietnam News - state-run, English-language daily

Quan Doi Nhan Dan - People's Army daily

Television

VTV - Vietnam Television

Radio

Voice of Vietnam - operates national networks and an external service

Dai Tieng Noi Nhan Dan - Ho Chi Minh City

News agency

Vietnam News Agency

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