MAP OF VIETNAM

VIETNAM

• OFFICIAL NAME: SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

• CAPITAL: HANOI- HO CHI MINH CITY (21°2′N, 105°51′E)

• INDEPENDENCE DATE: 2 SEPTEMBER 1945 (FROM FRANCE)

• TYPE OF THE GOVERNMENT: SOCIALIST REPUBLIC

• HEAD OF STATE: NGUYEN MINH TRIET

• HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: NGUYEN TAN DUNG










• SIZE OF THE CONTRY: 331,689 km² (128,065 sq mi)
• POPULATION: 85,238,000 (2005 ESTIMATE), 76,323,173 (1999 CENSUS), 253 /km²655 /sq mi (DENSITY)
• LANGUAGE: VIETNAMESE (OFFICIAL LANGUAGE), OTHERS: FRENCH, CHINESE, ENGLISH, KHMER, AND VARIOUS TRIBAL LANGUAGES.
• RELIGION: MAHAYANA BUDDHISM (MAJORITY), TAOISM, CONFUCIANISM
• NATURAL RESOURCES: COMMERCIALLY EXPLOITABLE METALS & MINERALS INCLUDE IRON ORE, TIN, COPPER, LEAD, ZINC, NICKEL, MANGANESE, TITANIUM, CHROMITE, TUNGSTEN, BAUXITE, APATITE, GRAPHITE, MICA, SILICA SAND, LIMESTONE
• GDP: $251.8 BILLION (2005 ESTIMATE)
• GNP: 572,000 (1995) DUTY PERSONNEL WITH 87.4% ARMY, 7.3% NAVY & 5.3% AIR FORCE WHILE EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTS FOR 5.7% (1994)
• MAJOR EXPORT: AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS, SEAFOOD, RICE, COFFEE, PEPPER, VEGETABLES & FRUITS, RUBBER, CASHEW NUTS, TEA, MILK & SUGAR, TEXTILES & GARMENTS, FOOTWEAR, ELECTRONICS, HANDICRAFTS, CRUDE OIL & MINERALS
• MAJOR IMPORT: MOTOR CAR, MOTORCYCLES, COTTONS, CEMENT, STEEL, UREA, PETROLEUM OIL, ELECTRONIC PARTS, CHEMICALS
• MAJOR TRADE COUNTRIES: ASEAN: SINGAPORE, INDONESIA, PHILIPPINES, THAILAND, MALAYSIA, LAOS, CAMBODIA. CHINA, JAPAN, EU, RUSSIA & OTHER CIS MEMBERS (community of independent states), EASTERN EUROPE, US.
• MEANING OF THE FLAG:
The flag of Vietnam, officially known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is also known as "Red flag with Yellow star". The flag has a red background with a yellow five-pointed star in the center. There have been 2 versions of the yellow star's meaning. In the years following 1945, during the independence movement of Vietnam, red represents the struggle for independence, yellow represents the color of Vietnamese people, and the five points of the star were widely believed to represent the 5 traditional classes of people: the scholars(Si), the peasants(Nong), the craftmen(Cong), the merchants(Thuong), and the soldiers(Binh). However, after the Communist Party of Vietnam had established complete rule over North Vietnam in 1954 and South Vietnam in 1975, the yellow star was often described in political training sessions as representing the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and red represents the proletarian revolution.
MAP OF VIETNAM