265 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
265 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
efense expenditures: $1.9 billion, 4.3% of GDP (1991)
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VIETNAM
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 329,560 km2; land area: 325,360
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Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
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Land boundaries: 3,818 km total; Cambodia 982 km, China 1,281 km,
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Laos 1,555 km
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Coastline: 3,444 km (excluding islands)
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
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Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: offshore islands and three sections of the boundary with
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Cambodia are in dispute; maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined;
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occupied Cambodia on 25 December 1978; sporadic border clashes with
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China; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China,
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Malaysia, Philippines, and Taiwan; unresolved maritime boundary with
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Thailand; maritime boundary dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin;
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Paracel Islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan;
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unresolved maritime boundary with Thailand
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Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy
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season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to
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mid-March)
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Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands;
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hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
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Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate,
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offshore oil deposits, forests
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Land use: arable land 22%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures
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1%; forest and woodland 40%; other 35%; includes irrigated 5%
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Environment: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive
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flooding
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PEOPLE
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Population: 67,568,033 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)
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Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 63 years male, 67 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Vietnamese (sing. and pl.);
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adjective--Vietnamese
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Ethnic divisions: predominantly Vietnamese 85-90%; Chinese 3%;
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ethnic minorities include Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham; other
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mountain tribes
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Religion: Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous
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beliefs, Islamic, Protestant
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Language: Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese, English, Khmer,
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tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
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Literacy: 88% (male 92%, female 84%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 32.7 million; agricultural 65%, industrial and
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service 35% (1990 est.)
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Organized labor: reportedly over 90% of wage and salary earners are
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members of the Vietnam Federation of Trade Unions (VFTU)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam; abbreviated SRV
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Type: Communist state
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Capital: Hanoi
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Administrative divisions: 41 provinces (tinh, singular and plural),
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3 municipalities* (thanh pho, singular and plural); An Giang,
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Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Cao Bang, Cuu Long, Dak Lak, Dong Nai,
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Dong Thap, Gia Lai-Kon Tum, Ha Bac, Hai Hung, Hai Phong*, Ha Nam Ninh,
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Ha Noi*, Ha Son Binh, Ha Tuyen, Hau Giang, Hoang Lien Son, Ho Chi Minh*,
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Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Long An, Minh Hai,
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Nghe Tinh, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Quang Ngai,
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Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Song Be, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa,
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Thua Thien, Thuan Hai, Tien Giang, Vinh Phu, Vung Tau-Con Dao;
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note--diacritical marks are not included
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Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)
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Constitution: 18 December 1980
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Legal system: based on Communist legal theory and French civil law
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system
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National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
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Executive branch: chairman of the Council of State, Council of
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State, chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers
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Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Quoc-Hoi)
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Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Chairman of the Council of State Vo Chi CONG (since
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18 June 1987);
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Head of Government--Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Premier)
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Vo Van KIET (since 9 August 1991)
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Political parties and leaders: only party-- Vietnam Communist Party
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(VCP), Nguyen Van LINH
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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National Assembly--last held 19 April 1987
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(next to be held April 1992);
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results--VCP is the only party;
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seats--(496 total) VCP or VCP-approved 496
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Communists: nearly 2 million
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Member of: ACCT, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO,
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IDA, IFAD, IFC, IIB, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN,
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UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: none
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Flag: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
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ECONOMY
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Overview: This is a centrally planned, developing economy with
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extensive government ownership and control of productive facilities.
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The economy is primarily agricultural; the sector employs about 65% of
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the labor force and accounts for almost half of GNP. Rice is the staple
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crop; substantial amounts of maize, sorghum, cassava, and sweet potatoes
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are also grown. The government permits sale of surplus grain on the open
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market. Most of the mineral resources are located in the north,
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including coal, which is an important export item. Oil was discovered
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off the southern coast in 1986 with production reaching 54,000 b/d in
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1990 and expected to increase in the years ahead. Following the
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end of the war in 1975, heavy-handed government measures undermined
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efforts at an efficient merger of the agricultural resources of the
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south and the industrial resources of the north. The economy remains
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heavily dependent on foreign aid and has received assistance from
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Communist countries, Sweden, and UN agencies. Inflation, although down
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from recent triple-digit levels, is still a major weakness and is
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showing signs of accelerating upwards again. Per capita output is among
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the world's lowest. Since late 1986 the government has sponsored a
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broad reform program that seeks to turn more economic activity over to
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the private sector.
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GNP: $15.2 billion, per capita $230; real growth rate 2.4%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 65% (1990 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 33% (1990 est.)
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Budget: revenues $892 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including
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capital expenditures of $344 million (1990 est.)
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Exports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--agricultural and handicraft products, coal, minerals,
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crude petroleum, ores, seafood;
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partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
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Imports: $2.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
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commodities--petroleum products, steel products, railroad
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equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain;
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partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
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External debt: $16.8 billion (1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1989); accounts for 30%
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of GNP
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Electricity: 2,740,000 kW capacity; 7,500 million kWh produced,
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110 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: food processing, textiles, machine building, mining,
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cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, fishing
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Agriculture: accounts for half of GNP; paddy rice, corn, potatoes
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make up 50% of farm output; commercial crops (rubber, soybeans, coffee,
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tea, bananas) and animal products other 50%; since 1989 self-sufficient
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in food staple rice; fish catch of 943,100 metric tons (1989 est.)
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-74), $3.1
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billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $2.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $61 million;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $12.0 billion
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Currency: new dong (plural--new dong); 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu
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Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1--7,530 (May 1991),
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7,280 (December 1990), 3,996 (March 1990), 2,047 (1988), 225 (1987),
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18 (1986), 12 (1985); note--1985-89 figures are end of year
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 3,059 km total; 2,454 1.000-meter gauge, 151 km
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1.435-meter standard gauge, 230 km dual gauge (three rails), and 224 km
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not restored to service
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Highways: about 85,000 km total; 9,400 km bituminous, 48,700 km
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gravel or improved earth, 26,900 km unimproved earth
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Pipelines: 150 km, refined products
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Inland waterways: about 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km
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navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft
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Ports: Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City
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Merchant marine: 87 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 364,596
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GRT/539,174 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 69 cargo, 4 refrigerated
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cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 8 petroleum, oils,
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and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 bulk; note--Vietnam owns 11 cargo ships
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(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 106,759 DWT under the registry of Panama and
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Malta
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Civil air: controlled by military
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Airports: 100 total, 100 usable; 50 with permanent-surface runways;
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10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: 35,000 telephones in Ho Chi Minh City (1984);
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stations--16 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 2,300,000 TV sets; 6,000,000 radio
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receivers; at least 2 satellite earth stations, including 1 Indian Ocean
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INTELSAT
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines and Naval Infantry), Air
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Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 16,260,120; 10,377,105 fit for
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military service; 809,617 reach military age (17) annually
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Defense expenditures: $NA, 19.4% of GNP (1986 est.)
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