Area: approximately 329,560 square kilometers

Land boundaries:
Total: 4,639 kilometers
Boundaries countries: Cambodia 1,228 kilometers, China 1,281 kilometers, Laos 2,130 kilometers.

Coastline: 3,444 kilometers

Climate: tropical in the south; monsoonal in the north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)

Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands, hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest.

Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: South China Sea 0 meter
Highest point: Ngoc Linh 3,143 meters

Population: 81,098,416 (July 2002 est.)

Age: 

• 0-14 years: 31.6% (male 13,259,152; female 12,392,089)
• 15-64 years: 62.9% (male 24,938,098; female 26,083,681)
• 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 1,749,531; female 2,675,865) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.43% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 20.89 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.14 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: total population: 097 male (s)/ female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 29.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.86 years; female: 72.5 years; male: 67.4 years.

Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Nationality: Vietnamese

Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Cham, mountain groups.

Religions: Buddhist, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic, some Protestant), indigenous beliefs, Muslim.

Languages: Vietnamese (official), English, some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malaya-Polynesian)

Literacy: (definition: age 15 and over can read and write)
Total population: 93.7%
Male: 96.5%
Female: 91.2%

Country name:
Conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Conventional short form: Vietnam
Abbreviation: SRV
Local short form: Viet Nam
Local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam

Government type: Communist State

Capital: Hanoi

Administrative divisions: 58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thu do, singular and plural); An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Cao Bang, Dac Lac, Da Nang, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Hai Phong*, Ha Nam, Ha Noi*, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Ho Chi Minh*, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai

Independence: 2 September 1945 (From France)

Constitution: 15 April 1992

Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil law system

Executive branch:
Chief of state: President Tran Duc LUONG (since 24 September 1997) and Vice President Nguyen Thi BINH (since NA October 1992)

Head of government: Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 25 September 1997); First Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 29 September 1997); Deputy Prime Ministers Nguyen Cong TAN (since 29 September 1997), Nguyen Manh CAM (since 29 September 1997), and Pham Gia KHIEM (since 29 September 1997)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime

Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court, chief justice is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president

Political parties and leaders: only party - Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Le Kha PHIEU, general secretary]

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Chief of mission: Ambassador LE VAN BANG
Chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, Suite 400
Telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737
FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917
Consulate(s) general: San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
Chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas B. "Pete" PETERSON
Embassy: 7 Lang Ha Road, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002
Telephone: [84] (4) 8431500
FAX: [84] (4) 8350484
Consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City