World Country Guide

Area
329,247 sq km (127,123 sq miles).

Population
78,685,800 (official estimate 2001).

Population Density
239 per sq km.

Capital
Hanoi. Population: 3,751,000 (UN estimate 2000; including suburbs).

Geography
Vietnam shares borders to the north with the People’s Republic of China and to the west with Laos and Cambodia. The South China Sea lies to the east and south. The land is principally agricultural with a central tropical rainforest.

Government
Socialist republic since 1980. Gained independence from France in 1954. Head of State: Chairman Tran Duc Luong since 1997. Head of Government: Prime Minister Phan Van Khai since 1997.

Language
Vietnamese is the official language. English, French, Chinese and occasionally Russian and German are spoken.

Religion
Buddhist majority. There are also Taoist, Confucian, Hoa Hao, Caodaist and Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic) minorities.

Time
GMT + 7.

Electricity
220/110 volts AC, 50Hz; plugs are mostly flat pin.

Communications

Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 84. Outgoing international code: 00.

Mobile telephone
GSM 900 network. Operators include Vietnam Posts & Communications Telecom Service (GPC) (website: www.vnpt.com.vn) and Viettel Mobile (website: www.vietel.com.vn). Coverage is largely limited to main urban areas.

Fax
Available in most post offices, hotels and businesses.

Internet
ISPs include Internet Vietnam (website: www.vnn.vn). E-mail can be accessed from Internet cafes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Telegram
Facilities are available in most towns.

Post
Postal services can be slow. Airmail to Europe can take up to three weeks.

Press
Daily and weekly newspapers in Vietnam include Lao Dong, Nhan Dan (The People) and Quan Doi Nhan Dan. The Vietnam Economic Times, Vietnam Investment Review, Saigon Times, Vietnam Courier and Vietnam News are published in English.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.