Republic of Vietnam

**Motto**
Tổ Quốc, Danh Dự, Trách Nhiệm
(Fatherland, Honour, Duty)

**Anthem**
Tiếng Gọi Công Dân (Call to the Citizens)

Territories Vietnam controls in green, including the island of Hainan

**Capital** and largest city
Saigon

**Other cities**
• Hanoi
• Nha Trang
• Hai Phong
• Da Nang
• Hainan

**Official languages**
• Vietnamese
• English
• Standard Chinese (Mandarin)

**Recognised**
 • French

**Ethnic groups**
85.7% Vietnamese (and 53 recognised minorities)

**Religion**
• Roman Catholicism
• Buddhism
• Confucianism
• Taoism
• Vietnamese folk religion

**Demonym**
Vietnamese

**Government**

**Government**
Federal presidential constitutional republic

**President**
Nguyễn Thái Bình

**Vice President**
Bùi Bảo Giang

**House Speaker**
Nguyễn Trọng Việt

**Chief Justice**
Võ Diệu Huy

**Legislature**

**Legislature**
National Assembly (Quốc hội Việt Nam)

**Lower house**
House of Representatives (Hạ nghị viện)
**Upper house**
Senate (Thượng nghị viện)

**Independence from France**
1947
**Treaty of Saigon**
1955
**Vietnamese Constitution**
1957

**Constitution**
1957 (adopted in 1958); last amendment added 2012

**Area**

**Total area**
366,403 sq km (141,469 sq mi)
with the inclusion of Hainan

**Water (%)**
6.38

**Population**
100,103,378 (2020 estimate)

**Density**
272.09/sq km (704.72/sq mi)

**Economy**

**GDP (PPP)**
 $5.382 trillion (PPP; 2022 est.)

**GDP**
 $4.126 trillion (Nominal; 2022 est.)

**Gini**
35.7

**HDI**
 0.922 • very high

**Central Bank**
Bank of Vietnam

**Currency**
Vietnamese đồng (₫) (VND)

**Military**

**Military** **Republic of Vietnam Military Forces**

**Branches**
•  **Army of the Republic of Vietnam** (ARVN)
•  **Republic of Vietnam Navy** (RVNN)
•  **Republic of Vietnam Air Force** (RVNAF)

•  **Republic of Vietnam Marines** (RVNM)

**Leadership**
**Commander-in-Chief:**
Nguyễn Thái Bình
**Minister of Defence:**
Huỳnh Diệu Sơn
**Chief of the Joint General Staff:**
General Doãn Trọng Nghĩa (RVNM)

**Other**

**Time zone**
UTC+8 (Vietnam Standard Time) (VST)

**Date format**
dd/mm/yyyy

**Driving side**
right

**ISO 3166 code**
VN

**Internet TLD**
.rvn

The **Republic of Vietnam** (*Vietnamese: Việt Nam Cộng hòa*) or simply **Vietnam** is a constitutional republic in Southeast Asia.

There are 63 provinces across eight administrative regions. Consisting of provinces in the South and North Central Coast regions along so-called 'spine of Vietnam', the Central Highlands region; the Southeast region, which includes the capital city of Saigon (which is a special administrative zone), and the Mekong River Delta region in the southern half, and the Northwest, Northwest, and the Red River Delta in the northern half. The island of Hainan, for federal administration is part of the Red River Delta region.

Situated on the southeastern coast of Asia, Vietnam is bordered immediately to the north by the Republic of China, to the northwest by the Lao People's Democratic Republic to the southwest by the Kingdom of Cambodia. The Republic of the Philippines (The Philippines) to the east. Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia are across the South China Sea to the southeast.

The capital and largest city is Saigon.

As a member of SEATO since 1957 and a member of the UN since 1960, Vietnam has played an important advisory role in Western affairs throughout Southeast Asia.

As Asia's fourth-largest economy, Vietnam plays a key role in global trade with regional partners and the West.

The head of state and government is President Nguyễn Thái Bình since 2021.

## Etymology

Vietnam was unified and renamed 'Vietnam' officially after, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, the originator of the first Nguyễn dynasty became Emperor Gia Long in 1802.

During the Vietnamese Civil War after the Battle of Quang Tri, the country was divided along the 17th parallel. Thus for the duration of the war, the royalist-controlled south became known as *South Vietnam*.

Immediately after the Vietnamese Civil War ended in a South Vietnamese victory, the country underwent a referendum vote to decide the government type moving forward as during the war, most of the country was under military-rule. In a 52-48 vote, the country decided to keep the republic, In 1957, the Imperial Council had stripped the reigning monarch, Bao Dai, of his titles and powers resulting in a monarch-less *State of Vietnam*. However after deciding to keep the republic, the country became the *Republic of Vietnam* officially on 9 October 1955.

In official/international and otherwise legally-binding documents, Vietnam is referred to as the 'Republic of Vietnam'.

## General statistics

Vietnam covers 366,403 km2 (141,469 mi2) of land with the inclusion of Hainan, with a population of 100,103,938 (as of a 2020 census estimate) giving the country a population density of 272.09/per km2. Eleven million people alone, live on the island of Hainan.

Most of the ethnic people living in Vietnam are Kinh (Viet) around 85.7 per cent, and 14.3% is a mix of 53 recognised minorities. The average age is 33.5 years. The average retirement age is 67.5 years. Life expectancy in Vietnam is 82.8 years.

Crime particularly, homicides is low averaging 1.11% (1,100/per 100,000 people) of crimes committed nationwide. Gun-related crimes are rare as the republic has strict gun control laws as of 1983. The leading cause of death in Vietnam is lung cancer. As of 1994, all citizens of Vietnam have access to quality state-funded healthcare. Infant mortality rates are 1.4 in 1,000 births.

The national literacy rate is 97.8 percent.

## Other Territories

### Island of Hainan

*Main article: Island of Hainan acquisition*

In 1970, 13 years after reestablishing the Republic of China on the mainland of China after a 21-year exile on the island of Taiwan, ROC President Chiang Kai-shek allowed Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu permission to build Naval Base Hainan on the Island of Hainan, 244 miles off the northern coast from the city of Haiphong. The naval base was completed in 1974, months before Chiang's death. In one of his last acts as president of China, in February 1975, the former general persuaded Chinese National Assembly to grant Vietnam control over the island stating, "[Vietnam] may be our neighbour and our little brother, but little brother has the tools and skills big brother does not and to continue our republic we cannot be afraid to ask for and utilize help from our friend and especially our family."

Turnover of the island didn't wrap up until 1981, long after Chiang's death and after Thiệu had left office. On 1 September 1981, the Vietnamese flag was raised over Hainan.

### Paracel Islands

In 1949, the South Vietnam government under Bao Dai took over French claim of the Paracel Islands, an archipelago which includes about 130 small coral islands and reefs off the coast of Da Nang. The then-People's Republic of China also laid claim to the islands which brought the PRC into the Vietnamese Civil War, aiding the North Vietnamese. After the defeat of North Vietnamese in 1955, the claim was settled in international arbitration court, with Vietnam gaining full control in 1961. The Paracel Islands are a popular tourist destination, and can be reached by cruise ship from Da Nang, tourism to and from the islands generates ₫379 million annually.

## Brief history

*Main article: Timeline of Vietnam*

Vietnam has been under dynastic (family) rule since the Ngo dynasty was established in 939 AD. When the French colonised the region in 1858 as a protectorate for the Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina regions of the country, along with Laos and Cambodia as Indochina the emperor was relegated to a nominal advisory role to the Governor-General of Indochina.

After World War II, fearing a civil uprising in Asia after the War, France broke up Indochina, granting Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia independence. Vietnam was granted independence in 1947. As the Vietnamese celebrate their independence for the first time in almost a century, Nationalist forces under the control of anti-royalist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh emboldened by aid from communist powers China and the Soviet Union, invaded the south-central town of Quang Tri in Nov 1949, starting the Vietnamese Civil War.

### Vietnamese Civil War (1949-55)

*Main article: Vietnamese Civil War*

The emperor at the time, Bao Dai, pushed back the Nationalist forces out of Quang Tri in Jan 1950, establishing the borderline between the pro-West, democratic South and the communist, nationalist North. The western powers commended Bao Dai for pushing back the communist forces and in return sent supplies and monetary aid to the South Vietnamese starting in 1951. This allowed the South Vietnamese forces to overrun the North Vietnamese into retreating out of the High Central region by Christmas 1952. However, communist reinforcements helped the North Vietnamese in reestablishing control from 1953-54.

On Valentine's Day 1955, under the direction of General Nguyễn Hữu Khang, the South Vietnamese along with French and U.S. aerial support, strategically bombed the North Vietnamese capital of Hanoi non-stop for two weeks, while sending in 20,000 ground troops to blockade Ho Chi Minh's escape from his residence.

The operation, **Operation: Downfall**, as called by the Americans resulted in 16,000 direct civilian deaths and Hanoi bombed into submission. On 3 May 1955, Ho Chi Minh surrendered and on 15 June, he and Emperor Bao Dai signed the Treaty of Saigon, ending the war, with a South Vietnamese victory. A victory parade through Saigon occurred on Armed Forces Day, 19 June.

#### Bao Dai solution

While Bao Dai won the war, he was unpopular and largely blamed for the deaths of thousands of Vietnamese. In 1957, a Vietnamese war tribunal stripped Bao Dai of his imperial title and powers in a war crimes tribunal, in essence forcing him to abdicate. With Vietnam without a monarch, the Imperial Council looked for a new beginning, establishing a republic instead of continuing with a monarchy and creating a new head of state in the form of the President of the Republic of Vietnam, modeled on the President of the United States.

### The Kennedy Restoration (1962-77)

From 1962-1977, the Kennedy brothers first, John, then, Robert (Bobby), invested billions of dollars into the Vietnamese economy and military, rebuilding and modernising the country. Among these investments, were American companies Chase Manhattan Bank, United Airlines, American Airlines, Exxon, and Ford. The latter was instrumental in lobbying for the construction of the Vietnamese Interstate Road System, and extensive collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense. In the 15 years, during the dual Kennedy presidency partnership, Vietnam's GDP grew an average of 11.8%. By the time, Bobby Kennedy left office in 1977, Vietnam was the most modern, wealthy, and Westernised country in Southeast Asia. This led several international detractors to call the Vietnamese government, "a puppet of American imperialism." However, in addition to American aid, the Vietnamese also welcomed British, French, and Japanese investors adding to the country's growth.

President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was a particularly strong supporter of U.S.-Vietnam investment and collaboration particularly in rebuilding the military. He said of America's role in Vietnam, and likewise Vietnam's role in American affairs in his farewell address in 1976, "America and Vietnam have forged a lasting bond on the battlefield and in the theatre of economic prosperity. We, brothers in arms of freedom across oceans will continue to support one another in all future endeavours. Through our alliances it goes without saying, however, hurt my brother and I will come for you." This has been Vietnam's official policy toward the United States since and has remained unchanged despite shifts in domestic political winds.

### Presidents Kỳ and Reagan, and Republic of China (1981-1991)

Inaugurated within months of one another, Vietnamese President Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and U.S. President Ronald Reagan struck up an immediate friendship due to their mutual hatred of communism and desire to see the Iron Curtain fall. Throughout Kỳ's presidency, he would focus on destroying the Soviet Union. It would be during Kỳ's tenure that Hainan finally becomes a Vietnamese territory allowing Kỳ to disrupt Soviet shipping lanes with the Republic of Vietnam Navy. The brazen method of economic warfare that Kỳ conducted with the Navy was applauded by Washington and by Reagan in private. This accelerated the Soviet Union's downfall and nearly led to the reunification of the Korean peninsula, had North Korea's Kim Il sung and Kim Jong-il not fully insulate the DPRK with Soviet provisions prior to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

### War and a shift to Vietnamese conservativism (1991-2011)

Vietnam was one of the first nations to back the U.S. invasion of Iraq in both 1991 and 2005. This was due to the country experiencing a "liberal brain drain" with candidates for president from the centre-right Vietnamese Nationalist Party or centre-left National Social Democratic Front in 1995, 2000, and 2005 failing to connect with voters. However, with a prosperous economy and a modern military, the Republic of Vietnam found a new target, jihadists. It was TBV agents working in 1999-2001 that convinced the U.S. CIA and FBI of credible and imminent threats to potential attacks on America in 2001. This prevented September 11th—the date jihadists had chosen to hit high value American targets with commercial airliners—including the World Trade Center, Pentagon, US Capitol Building, and ultimately the White House. However, this led to a large scale attack in London four years later on 7 June 2005. This act of terrorism brought NATO and SEATO countries together to declare war on what U.S. President George W. Bush called "the new evil terror". This War on Terror brought down the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq in 2006 and led to the killing of the mastermind of the London attack Osama bin Laden in 2011. With the perpetrators and several sponsors of state terror dead by 2012, Vietnam, withdrew most of its forces—completely by 2014.

## Government and politics

*Main articles: Government of Vietnam and Politics of Vietnam and Elections in Vietnam*

Vietnam is a federal republic of 83 provinces, a special administration district, and one semi-autonomous territory. It is one of the only true representative democracies in Southeast Asia. It is a federal republic and a representative democracy "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law," as written in its 1957 constitution. In the Vietnamese federal system, sovereignty is shared between two levels of government: federal and provincial. Citizens of the provinces are also governed by local governments, which are administrative divisions of the provinces. The semi-autonomous territory has its own Governor-General who reports to the federal government.

The Vietnamese Constitution serves as the country's supreme legal document. The Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual provinces. The Constitution has been amended 12 times. Because the Constitution is based on the U.S. Constitution it shares similarities with its North American counterpart in granting and establishing rights.

Vietnam has operated under a multi-party system since its adoption of republicanism. In Vietnamese political culture, the Vietnamese population has switched ruling parties between the centre-left party, the National Social Democratic Front and the centre-right Vietnamese Nationalist Party to right-wing parties such as the Personalist Labor Revolutionary Party and People's Action Party of Vietnam to extreme left, with the election of the Socialist Party of Vietnam to both the presidency and the National Assembly majorities between 2011-2021. The reason for the drastic shift in political ideology isn't fully known; however it has been hypothesised that the Vietnamese are experimenting with different types until they find consensus.

### Federal government

The federal government comprises three branches, which are headquartered in Saigon and regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the Constitution.

* Legislative: The bicameral National Assembly, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the federal government.
* Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law (subject to National Assembly override), and appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senate approval) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
* Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.

The lower house, the House of Representatives, has 500 voting members, each representing a National Assembly constituency for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the provinces by population. Each province then draws single-member districts to conform with the census apportionment. The Special Administration District of Saigon has one member in the National Assembly—this member has limited voting power.

The upper house, the Senate, has 80 members with each province having a single senator, elected at large to six-year terms; one-half of Senate seats are up for election every three years. The Special Administration District of Saigon does not have senators. The Senate is unique among upper houses in being the most prestigious and powerful portion of the country's bicameral system.

The president serves a five-year term and may be elected to the office no more than twice. The president is elected by direct vote, using a two-round system. The Supreme Court, led by the chief justice of Supreme Court, has nine members, who serve a maximum of 24 years—subject to National Assembly approval.

### Political divisions

Each of the 83 provinces holds jurisdiction over a geographic administration territory, where it shares sovereignty with the federal government. They are subdivided into district or county equivalents, and further divided into municipalities. The Special Administration District of Saigon is a federal district that contains the capital of Vietnam, the city of Saigon. Each province has proportional representation based on party preference for representatives and senators in the National Assembly. Territories of Vietnam also have proportional representation based on party preference in the National Assembly.

Citizenship is granted at birth in all provinces, the Special Administration District of Saigon, and the territory of Hainan. Vietnamese observes limited tribal sovereignty of the indigenous people still residing in Vietnam, like provincial sovereignty. Indigenous people of Vietnam are Vietnamese citizens and their ancestral lands are subject to the jurisdiction of the National Assembly and the federal courts. Like the provinces, indigenous people have some autonomy restrictions. They are prohibited from making war, engaging in their own foreign relations, and printing or issuing independent currency.

### Foreign relations

*Main article: Foreign relations of Vietnam*

Vietnam has good relations with most of the Western world, particularly; the United States and France. It has good relations fellow SEATO and NATO members as well. A member of the UN and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Vietnam has been influential in Western affairs since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Vietnam is a member of the G8, G20, and holds trade agreements with major countries on all continents.

## Military

*Main article: Republic of Vietnam Military Forces*

The Republic of Vietnam Military Forces is Vietnam's national defence force consisting of four service branches: the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the Republic of Vietnam Navy (RVNN), the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF), and the Republic of Vietnam Marines (RVNM). Vietnam is one of 11 nuclear states, and the fourth in the Asia. While not a signatory to the NPT, Vietnam does allow regular and unrestricted inspections of its nuclear sites.

The Republic of Vietnam Military Forces was founded in its current state in 1802 under the reign of Emperor Gia Long of the Nguyễn dynasty. Since the mid-20th century, the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces has had undergone a massive modernisation and expansion. Today, it is considered one of the most powerful and technologically advanced militaries in the world. With an active force of over a million troops the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces is one of the largest in the world. Military service in Vietnam is voluntary, although conscription may occur in wartime and until 1970 mandatory.

The current Commander-in-Chief is President Nguyễn Thái Bình. The current Chief of the Joint General Staff is General Doãn Trọng Nghĩa (RVNM).

### Law enforcement and crime

*Main articles: Ministry of Justice and National Police*

Law enforcement on a national level is provided by the National Police with a force of 124,000 active national policemen with an undisclosed number of support staff. Additional investigative national law enforcement is provided the Ministry of Justice's Department of Public Investigation (CDT)—the Vietnamese equivalent of the U.S. FBI. The CDT has a staff of 13,464 field agents and are used to investigate federal crimes. Provincial and local police exist throughout all 83 provinces, cities, and towns. According to the 2020 census there were 1,913 local law enforcement agencies in Vietnam employing 166,472 police officers.

Provincial courts conduct most civil and criminal trials, and federal courts handle designated crimes and appeals from the provincial criminal courts.

As of 2020, Vietnam has reduced its intentional homicide rate to 1.3% per 100,000 people. A cross-sectional analysis of the World Health Organization Mortality Database from 2011 showed that homicides is low averaging 1.5% (1,358/per 100,000 people) of crimes committed nationwide. Gun-related crimes are rare as the republic has strict gun control laws as of 1983.

## Economy

*Main article: Economy of Vietnam*

Vietnam has the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP, after that of the United States, China, and Japan; and the fifth-largest economy by PPP. As of 2020, Vietnam's labor force is the world's seventh-largest, and consists of 75.9 million workers. As of 2021, Vietnam has a low unemployment rate of around 3.8%. Its poverty rate is the highest among the G8 nations, and exceeds 17% of the population. Vietnam has the lowest ratio of public debt to GDP among advanced economies, with national debt estimated at 7.56% relative to GDP as of 2022. The Vietnamese đồng is the world's fourth-largest reserve currency after the US dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen.

Vietnam was the world's ffifth-largest exporter and importer in 2021. Its exports amounted to 18.6% of its total GDP in 2020. As of 2019, Vietnam's main export markets were France (19.8 percent), the United States (19.1 percent) and the Republic of China (15.8 percent). Its main exports are semiconductors, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, food and beverages, defence equipment, and biotechnology. Vietnam's main import markets as of 2019 were the United States (23.5 percent), France (11 percent), and the Republic of China (9.3 percent). Vietnam's main imports are automobiles, manufactured goods, machinery, foodstuffs, energy, and entertainment.

The Vietnamese variant of capitalism is somewhat state-oriented, with national conglomerates and former nationalised companies common and making up a sizeable minority of its economy, with lifetime employment and seniority-based career advancement common in the Vietnamese work environment—this a throwback to the Civil Service Examinations that determined job placement for a majority of Vietnamese which were prevalent during the imperial era. Vietnam has a large influence on the global finance sector as of as of 2018, with more than 750 billion USD being held in reserve in its private banks and investment companies. It ranks highly for competitiveness and economic freedom. Vietnam ranked seventh in the Global Competitiveness Report in 2019. It attracted 32 million international tourists in 2019, and was ranked tenth in the world in 2019 for inbound tourism. The 2021 *Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report* ranked Vietnam first in the world out of 117 countries. Its international tourism receipts in 2019 amounted to $64.1 billion.

### Income and poverty

Vietnam has a nominal GDP per capita estimated at $41,217.39 and a PPP per capita of $53,764.41 in 2022. The median weekly salary as of June 2019 is ₫670 according to the Ministry of Commerce and Labour's National Labour Statistics Bureau. Giving a median yearly salary of ₫33,500 with four weeks limited-pay vacation. Vietnam has 3,275,686 millionaires and 37 billionaires.

A 2018 UN report concluded that 17% of the Vietnamese population lived in poverty, despite having a comparable wealth and income inequality coefficient to Japan. The Vietnamese government has implemented several of welfare programs intended to lower the poverty rate since the report's publishing, however, despite a sweeping welfare campaign during the 2020 census, the Vietnamese government discovered a pattern of indigenous people refusing aid programs and choosing to be self-sufficient and therefore below the poverty line threshold. Their reasons ranged from distrust of the government, the amount of aid offered and other grievances.

### Science, technology, and energy

Since the 1960s, Vietnam has invested heavily in science and technology. Initially to rebuild the military after the Vietnamese Civil War, the Ministry of Defence's Military Research Development Institute (MRDI) became by default premier public research centre in the country. With investment from private industry and the U.S. Department of Defense, the rate of development of the MRDI quickly propelled the Vietnamese military into the era of advanced, smart warfare. With the foundation of VISTA, Vietnam's space agency, in 1966 it firmly established the country's scientific ambitions. As of 2022, Vietnam has 37 satellites in orbit with 15 Vietnamese astronauts having visited the International Space Station.

Vietnamese scientists and engineers have been at the forefront of renewable energy since 1980. Utilising the windy mountainous terrain in the Central Highlands and Northwest, wind has provided renewable energy for millions of low-income or hard to reach areas of the country. Wind provides 14 percent of the country's energy and is used as power reserve in most cases. Powered primarily by nuclear power since 1985, Vietnamese scientists and engineers studied Japanese nuclear power plants as a basis before coming up with a final design in 1978. Initial construction of seven main nuclear power plants began in 1979, with the first station coming online in 1985. Vietnam plans for a plant on Hainan to open in 2020. Phase two of the nuclear power expansion which included nine more power plants including the twin mega power plants in the Pleiku and Kon Tum region began in 1994. Each power plant has a capacity of 24,431 MW, with the exception of the twin power plants of Pleiku and Kon Tum which have a capacity of 30,114 MW. There are 145 nuclear power stations and a further 250 transfer boxes online throughout the country providing nuclear energy to 69 percent of the population. All of the nuclear power plants and power stations are inspected and maintained by the Vietnamese Atomic Regulatory Agency, a non-governmental energy watchdog. The remaining 17 percent of Vietnam's energy grid is made up of a combination of hydroelectric and fossil fuel burning plants.

### Transportation

Transportation in Vietnam is modern and highly developed. Vietnam's transport sector stands out for its energy efficiency rivaling that of Japan: it uses less energy per person compared to other countries, thanks to a high share of rail transport and low overall travel distances. Transport in Vietnam is also fairly expensive in international comparison, reflecting high tolls and taxes, particularly on automobile transport. Vietnam's spending on roads has been large. The 1.2 million kilometres of paved road are the main means of transport, of which 222,179 kilometres constitute the Vietnamese Interstate Road System. Vietnam has right-hand traffic.

Dozens of Vietnamese railway companies compete in regional and local passenger transport markets; for instance, VR Rail Group, DSV Railway, and EnoTransport. Often, strategies of these enterprises contain real estate or department stores development next to stations. Some 150 high-speed Shinkansen trains connect major cities. All trains are known for punctuality. In Saigon, Hanoi and other cities with a metro-area population above 2.5 million the Vietnamese government began a public transportation initiative in 1986, utilising underground rapid transit (subways) and above ground rail.

There are 47 airports—a majority of which are regional airports—the largest domestic airport, Lien Khuong Airport in Dalat, is one of Southeast Asia's busiest domestic airports serving as a passenger and a cargo service hub with over two million passengers and 500,000 metric tonnes of cargo serviced each year. The largest international gateways are Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Saigon and Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. A second Saigon-based international airport in nearby Long Thanh is under construction and will be opened by 2025. The largest ports include the Port of Nha Trang and the Port of Saigon in the south, and the Port of Hai Phong in the north.

## Demographics

As of 2021, the population of Vietnam stands at approximately 100.5 million people. The population had grown significantly from the 1980 census, which showed the total population to be 65.7 million. According to the 2020 census, the country's population was 100,103,378. Based on the 2020 census, 65.6% of the Vietnamese population live in urban areas while only 34.4% live in rural areas—a drastic shift pre-Vietnamese Civil War. The average growth rate of the urban population has recently increased which is attributed mainly to migration and rapid urbanisation. The dominant Viet or Kinh ethnic group constitute 82,085,826 people or 85.32% of the population. Most of their population is concentrated in the country's alluvial deltas and coastal plains. As a majority ethnic group, the Kinh possess significant political and economic influence over the country. Despite this, Vietnam is also home to various ethnic groups, of which 54 are officially recognised, including the Hmong, Dao, Tày, Thái and Nùng. Many ethnic minorities such as the Muong, who are closely related to the Kinh, dwell in the highlands which cover two-thirds of Vietnam's territory.

Other uplanders in the north migrated from southern China between the 1300s and 1800s. Since the end of Vietnamese Civil War, the population of the Central Highlands was almost exclusively Degar (including more than 40 tribal groups); however, the South Vietnamese government at the time enacted a program of resettling Kinh in indigenous areas. The Hoa (ethnic Chinese) and Khmer Krom people are mainly lowlanders. Throughout Vietnam's history, many Chinese people, largely from South China, migrated to the country as administrators, merchants and even refugees. Between 1976 and 1981, more than than three million Vietnamese moved to the island of Hainan for job opportunities, housing, and to escape the overcrowded urban centres. When Hainan was fully annexed in 1981, the population of Vietnamese and Chinese-Vietnamese grew on the island by a rate of seven percent until 2007.

### Language

The official languages of Vietnam are Vietnamese, English (for trade), and Standard Chinese (Mandarin) since the annexation of Hainan in 1981. It is not unusual to go into a business and see descriptions for products written in all three languages. This multilingualism that Vietnam has adopted has increased its trading capabilities with Chinese-speaking territories such as Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and Malaysia. As well as the western world with its adoption of English. Vietnam also recognises French, as many of the street names and pre-independence businesses still functioning in Vietnam are still in French. As of 2020 census, 64 percent of the population reported being fully fluent in both Vietnamese and at least one of the official languages, 24 percent reported semi-fluency in Vietnamese and one other official language, eight percent reported fluent in Vietnamese and French, and the remaining four percent claiming fluency in just Vietnamese.

### Education

Education in Vietnam is compulsory for all children aged 5-17—17 being the age of consent in Vietnam. Public and private education in Vietnam is provided by the individual provinces and town districts. Accreditation at the secondary level and below are provided by the Vietnamese Education Board and the Private Charter Council, two NGOs which provide the Ministry of Education and Culture (MoEC) with standards and acts as an advisory board on primary and secondary education. At the university level. the MoEC has accreditation power over all public universities in the country, private universities are accredited by the National Accreditation Review Office.

There are two main public university systems in Vietnam, the University of Vietnam system and the National University system. In addition, there are 125 private universities.

The government spends 5.5% percent of GDP on education.

### Health and mortality rate

Since 1980, the federal government has instituted a nationwide healthy living campaign aimed at combating the rise in smoking-related deaths, diabetes, and cancer-related deaths—the three leading causes of death in Vietnam. Obesity is growing concern especially among the older generation. All citizens have access to the VietHealth System, Vietnam's national healthcare system, based in part on the United Kingdom's NHS. Private healthcare services and providers are widely available as well. As a result of the VHS's implementation in 1994, by 2000, the average life span of Vietnamese citizen's rose 1.6 years. As of 2023, the average life expectancy in Vietnam is 82.8 years, ranking 8th in the world behind Iceland.

### Mass media

*Người Việt Daily* is the country's largest daily newspaper, with foreign reporting offices in Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC (United States); London (United Kingdom); Paris (France); Berlin (Germany); Beijing (RoC); and Sydney (Australia). It has been dubbed "the Vietnamese *New York Times"* for its balanced reporting and it wide-ranging opinion panel.

### Sports

Football (Association football) is arguably the most watched and played sport in Vietnam. The Vietnamese Premier League founded in 1960 is the country's most-watched professional league consisting of a two-tiered relegation pyramid. The top league, the Vietnamese Premier League consists of 12 teams. The lower league the V. L 2 has 24 teams. The championship game for the Vietnamese Premier League is for the President's Cup which since 2016 has been held at Gia Long National Stadium, prior to that the team leading the table for that season played host.

Vietnam also hosts the Tour of Vietnam road cycling race, first staged in 1968.

The country has bid for the Summer Olympic Games since 1976, but was often overlooked. In 2021, on Saigon's fifth bid to be host city, the IOC selected Vietnam to host the 2032 Summer Games.