Vietnam: The Land and Its People

From a Communist government to multimillion-dollar trade agreements, a look at how Vietnam compares to the United States and California:

How Vietnam Compares

Vietnam U.S. California Population 71 million 258 million 30 million Life expectancy 63 years 76 years 76 years Infant mortality rate 44/1,000 10/1,000 9/1,000 Death rate 9/1,000 9/1,000 7/1,000 Birth rate 32/1,000 16/1,000 20/1,000 Literacy rate 88% 97% 83% Work force 34 million 127.5 million 15.3 million Unemployment 6% 7% 8.7% Minimum wage $.20 per hour $4.25 per hour $4.25 per hour Annual personal income $250 $19,802 $18,495

National Profile

* Capital: Hanoi.

* Official language: Vietnamese.

* Size: 128,066 square miles.

* Population: 71 million (1991 estimate).

* Density: 537 people per square mile; 78% rural, 22% urban.

* Highest point: Fan Si Pan, 10,312 feet.

* Lowest point: Sea level, along the coast.

* Basic monetary unit: Dong.

* National government: 15-member Politburo controls Communist Party. A 496-member National Assembly meets biannually to endorse laws and policies. Council of State, made up of members of the National Assembly, deals with national defense matters and executes laws.

* Local government: 36 provinces, three independent cities and one special zone. People’s councils conduct government business following Communist Party policies.

* Armed forces: People’s Army of Vietnam, one of the world’s largest armed forces, with more than 3 million members.

* Ethnicity: 90% Vietnamese; others include Chinese, Mong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man and Cham.

* Diet: Mainly fish, rice and vegetables. Most meals include a fish sauce called nuoc mam.

* Education: Elementary, middle and high schools and vocational training, two universities and more than 40 colleges and specialized schools, all controlled by the Communist Party.

* Religion: Mostly Buddhist, Confucian or Taoist; also Roman Catholic, Muslim, Protestant and animist

* Climate: Tropical with monsoons; basically two seasons--a wet hot summer and a drier, cooler winter.

* Annual rainfall: Hanoi, 72 inches; Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), 80 inches

* Coastline: 1,000 miles, about the same as California

Size Comparison

California is nearly 20% larger than Vietnam.

California: 156,297 sq. mi.

Vietnam: 128,066 sq. mi.

Foreign Investment

Leading industries based on foreign capital investment. In millions:

Business sector Investment Industrial $1,621 Oil and gas $1,078 Hotels $ 682 Services $171

Trading Partners

In 1992, 87 countries traded with Vietnam.

Partner Exports Imports Asia 79.4% 77.5% Europe 9.7% 14.9% Russia 8.6% 4.9% Other 2.3% 2.7%

Foreign Trade

Total trade volume between Vietnam and other countries, in millions:

1990: $3,600

1991: $4,000

1992: $5,000

1993*: $1,155

* First quarter only

Rice Exports

Vietnam is the third largest rice exporter in the world, in thousands of tons:

1990: 1,500

1991: 1,200

1992: 2,200

1993*: 900

* January through August

Tourism

Number of foreign visitors, in thousands:

1990: 180

1991: 250

1992: 370

1993*: 350

* January through June

Resource Key

Rubber

Rice

Tin

Textiles

Vietnam in population

Hanoi: 1.5 million

Halphong: More than 1 million

Ho Chi Minh City: 3.5 million

Vietnamese in America

The 20 cities in the United States with the largest Vietnamese populations, as of 1990. (California cities are with an asterisk (*) and in boldface):

Total Vietnamese Percent City population population of total San Jose* 782,248 41,303 5.3% Los Angeles* 3,485,398 18,674 0.5 Houston 1,630,553 18,453 1.1 San Diego* 1,110,549 17,060 1.5 Garden Grove* 143,050 15,001 10.5 Santa Ana* 293,742 14,878 5.1 Westminster* 78,118 11,376 14.6 San Francisco* 723,959 9,712 1.3 New York 7,322,564 8,400 0.1 Stockton* 210,943 6,672 3.2 New Orleans 496,938 6,546 1.3 Oakland* 372,242 6,481 1.7 Philadelphia 1,585,577 5,701 0.4 Seattle 516,259 5,309 1.0 Long Beach* 429,433 5,112 1.2

Sources: U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council, Encyclopedia Britannica, World Book Encyclopedia, 1994 Information Please Almanac, California Almanac, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1993; Researched by APRIL JACKSON and CAROLINE LEMKE / Los Angeles Times