The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a sovereign country located on the eastern extent of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

. It is bordered by China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 to the north, Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

 to the northwest, Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

 to the southwest, and the South China Sea

South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...

 to the east. With a population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of over 86 million, Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world.

Vietnam was under Chinese

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 control for a thousand years before becoming a nation-state in the 10th century. Successive dynasties flourished along with geographic and political expansion deeper into Southeast Asia, until it was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. Efforts to resist the French eventually led to their expulsion from the country in the mid-20th century, leaving a nation divided politically into two countries. Bitter fighting between the two sides continued during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

, ending with a communist

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

 victory in 1975.

Emerging from a long and bitter war, the war-ravaged nation was politically isolated. The government’s centrally-planned economic decisions hindered post-war reconstruction and its treatment of the losing side engendered more resentment than reconciliation. In 1986, it instituted economic and political reforms and began a path towards international reintegration. By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with most nations. Its economic growth had been among the highest in the world in the past decade. These efforts culminated in Vietnam joining the World Trade Organization

World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...

 in 2007 and its successful bid to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council

United Nations Security Council

The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...

 in 2008.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Vietnam:

General reference

• Pronunciation
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
  
  :
• Common English country name: Vietnam
  Vietnam
  Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
  
   or Viet Nam
• Official English country name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
• Common endonym: Việt Nam
• Official endonym: Cộng hòa Xã hội Chủ nghĩa Việt Nam
• Adjectival: Vietnam
  Vietnam
  Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
  
  , Vietnamese
• Demonym: Vietnamese
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : Name of Vietnam
• International rankings of Vietnam
  International rankings of Vietnam
  The following are international rankings of Vietnam.-Cities:*Ho Chi Minh City, Mercer Human Resource Consulting: Most expensive cities 2008, ranked 100*Ho Chi Minh City, Urban area population 2009 projection, ranked 40-Demographics:...
  
  
• ISO country codes: VN, VNM, 704
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:VN
  ISO 3166-2:VN
  ISO 3166-2:VN is the entry for Vietnam in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Vietnam, ISO 3166-2 codes are...
  
  
• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
   country code top-level domain
  Country code top-level domain
  A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
  
  : .vn
  .vn
  vn is the country code top‐level domain for Vietnam.The domain name registrar for vn is the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center ....
  
  
• Vietnam Directory

Geography of Vietnam

• Vietnam is: a country
• Location:
  • Northern Hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
    
     and Eastern Hemisphere
    Eastern Hemisphere
    The Eastern Hemisphere, also Eastern hemisphere or eastern hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that is east of the Prime Meridian and west of 180° longitude. It is also used to refer to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia, vis-à-vis the Western Hemisphere, which includes...
    
    
  • Eurasia
    Eurasia
    Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
    
    
    • Asia
      Asia
      Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
      
      
      • Southeast Asia
        Southeast Asia
        Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
        
        
        • Indochina
          Indochina
          The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
          
          
  • Time zone
    Time zone
    A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
    
    : UTC+07
  • Extreme points of Vietnam
    • High: Fan Si Pan 3143 m (10,312 ft)
    • Low: South China Sea
      South China Sea
      The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
      
       0 m
  • Land boundaries: 4,639 km

 Laos 2,130 km

 Mainland China 1,281 km

 Cambodia 1,228 km

• Coastline: 3,444 km (excluding islands)
• Population of Vietnam: 87,375,000 - 13th most populous country
• Area of Vietnam: 331,690 km²
• Atlas of Vietnam

Environment of Vietnam

• Climate of Vietnam
• Environmental issues in Vietnam
  Environmental issues in Vietnam
  The National Environmental Agency, a branch of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment, is responsible for environmental issues in Vietnam....
  
  
• Ecoregions in Vietnam
• Renewable energy in Vietnam
• Geology of Vietnam
  Geology of Vietnam
  The territory of Vietnam is divided into five structural blocks : Northeast , Northwest , Truongson, Kontum and Nambo. The NE block is a part of the South China plate, in which strata and igneous rocks have been found dating from the Early Paleozoic to the Quaternary...
  
  
• Protected areas of Vietnam
  • Biosphere reserves in Vietnam
  • National parks of Vietnam
• Wildlife of Vietnam
  Wildlife of Vietnam
  Wildlife of Vietnam includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats.-Fauna:Animals native to Vietnam:*Agile Gibbon*Amida *Asian Elephant*Banteng*Bengal monitor*Blood python*Deinagkistrodon*Dhole*False gharial*Giant Muntjac...
  
  
  • Flora of Vietnam
  • Fauna of Vietnam
    • Birds of Vietnam
    • Mammals of Vietnam

Natural geographic features of Vietnam

• Glaciers of Vietnam
• Islands of Vietnam
• Lakes of Vietnam
• Mountains of Vietnam
  • Volcanoes in Vietnam
• Rivers of Vietnam
  • Waterfalls of Vietnam
• Valleys of Vietnam
• List of World Heritage Sites in Vietnam

Administrative divisions of Vietnam

• Regions of Vietnam
  Regions of Vietnam
  Often, the Vietnamese government groups the various provinces into eight regions: Northwest, Northeast, Red River Delta, North Central Coast, South Central Coast, Central Highlands, Southeast, and Mekong River Delta. These regions are not always used, and alternative classifications are...
  
  
  • Provinces of Vietnam
    Provinces of Vietnam
    Vietnam is divided into 58 provinces and five centrally governed cities existing at the same level as provinces ....
    
    
    • Districts of Vietnam
      Districts of Vietnam
      ||The provinces of Vietnam are divided into counties , provincial cities , and county-level towns .The centrally-controlled municipalities are subdivided into rural counties , county-level towns , and urban districts , which then subdivided into wards ....
      
      

Regions of Vietnam

The Vietnamese government often groups the various provinces into eight regions. These regions are not always used, and alternative classifications are possible.

• Northwestern (Tây Bắc)
  Tay Bac
  Tây Bắc is one of the regions of Vietnam, located in the mountainous northwestern part of the country. It consists of four provinces: Điện Biên, Lai Châu, Sơn La, and Hòa Bình. It has a population of about two and a half million....
  
  
• Northeastern (Dong Bac)
  Dong Bac
  The Northeast is the region at the north of the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Northeast called to distinguish them from the Northwest, but it's actually in the north and northeast of Hanoi, wider than Việt Bắc. The northeast is one of three sub-regions of northern Vietnam...
  
  
• Greater Ha Noi Red River Delta (Hà Nội Kinh-Dong Bang Song Hong)
  Red River Delta
  The Red River Delta is the flat plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries joining in the Thai Binh River in northern Vietnam. The delta measuring some 15,000 square km is well protected by a network of dikes. It is an agriculturally rich area and densely populated...
  
  
• North Central Coast (Bắc Trung Bộ)
  Bac Trung Bo
  Bắc Trung Bộ is one of the regions of Vietnam. It consists of six provinces: Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, Thừa Thiên-Huế...
  
  
• South Central Coast (Nam Trung Bộ)
  Nam Trung Bo
  Nam Trung Bộ is one of the regions of Vietnam. It consists of the independent municipality of Đà Nẵng and seven other provinces. The two southern provinces Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận are sometimes seen as part of the Southeast region.The region has traditionally been one of the main gateways to...
  
  
• Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên)
  Tây Nguyên
  Tây Nguyên, translated as Western Highlands and sometimes also called Central Highlands, is one of the regions of Vietnam. It contains the provinces of Đắk Lắk, Đắk Nông, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Lâm Đồng....
  
  
• Southeastern (Dong Nam Bo)
  Dong Nam Bo
  Đông Nam Bộ is a region in Vietnam. This region includes one municipality, Ho Chi Minh City; and five provinces: Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Binh Phuoc and Tay Ninh. This region is the most economically developed region in Vietnam...
  
  
• Southwestern Mekong River Delta (Tây Nam Bo Việt Nam-Đồng Bằng Sông Cửu Long)
  Mekong Delta
  The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...
  
  

Provinces of Vietnam

Vietnam is divided into 59 province

Province

A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

s (known in Vietnamese

Vietnamese language

Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...

 as tỉnh).

Districts of Vietnam

The provinces of Vietnam

Provinces of Vietnam

Vietnam is divided into 58 provinces and five centrally governed cities existing at the same level as provinces ....

 are divided into district

District

Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...

s (huyện), provincial cities

Provincial city

Provincial cities , sometimes translated provincial municipalities, are cities lesser in rank than special municipalities of the Republic of China...

 (thành phố trực thuộc tỉnh), and town

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

s (thị xã).

Government and politics of Vietnam

Main article: Government of Vietnam and Politics of Vietnam

Politics of Vietnam

Notwithstanding the 1992 Constitution's affirmation of the central role of the Communist Party, the National Assembly, according to the Constitution, is the highest representative body of the people and the only organization with legislative powers. It has a broad mandate to oversee all government...

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  : single-party socialist republic
• Capital of Vietnam: Hanoi

• Elections in Vietnam
  Elections in Vietnam
  Elections in Vietnam gives information on election and election results in Vietnam.Vietnam elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The National Assembly has 498 members, elected for a five year term. Vietnam is a single-party state...
  
  
  • (specific elections)
• Political parties in Vietnam
• Political scandals of Vietnam
• Taxation in Vietnam

Executive branch of the government of Vietnam

• Head of state
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
  : President of Vietnam
  President of Vietnam
  The President of Vietnam is the head of state of Vietnam, although the functions of the President are often ceremonial...
  
  , Nguyễn Minh Triết
• Head of government
  Head of government
  Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
  
  : Prime Minister of Vietnam
  Prime Minister of Vietnam
  -Office:The Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the head of the executive branch of the Vietnamese government. The Prime Minister presides over the Vietnamese cabinet, and is responsible for appointing and supervising ministers...
  
  , Nguyễn Tấn Dũng
• Cabinet of Vietnam

Legislative branch of the government of Vietnam

• National Assembly of Vietnam
  National Assembly of Vietnam
  The Constitution of Vietnam recognizes the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as "the highest organ of state power." The National Assembly, a 493-member unicameral body elected to a five-year term, meets twice a year...
  
   (unicameral)

Judicial branch of the government of Vietnam

• Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam
  • District Courts of Vietnam
    • Provincial People’s Courts of Vietnam
  • Military Tribunals of Vietnam
  • Administrative Court of Vietnam
  • Economic Court of Vietnam
  • Labor Court of Vietnam

Foreign relations of Vietnam

• Diplomatic missions in Vietnam
• Diplomatic missions of Vietnam

International organization membership

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member of:

• Asian Development Bank
  Asian Development Bank
  The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
  
   (ADB)
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...
  
   (APEC)
• Asia-Pacific Telecommunity
  Asia-Pacific Telecommunity
  -Introduction:The Asia Pacific Telecommunity was founded on the joint initiatives of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the International Telecommunication Union ....
  
   (APT)
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations
  Association of Southeast Asian Nations
  The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN rarely ), is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has...
  
   (ASEAN)
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF)
• Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA)
• Colombo Plan
  Colombo Plan
  The Colombo Plan is a regional organization that embodies the concept of collective inter-governmental effort to strengthen economic and social development of member countries in the Asia-Pacific Region...
  
   (CP)
• East Asia Summit
  East Asia Summit
  The East Asia Summit is a forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian region. Membership will expand to 18 countries including the United States and Russia at the Sixth EAS in 2011. EAS meetings are held after annual ASEAN leaders’ meetings...
  
   (EAS)
• Food and Agriculture Organization
  Food and Agriculture Organization
  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
  
   (FAO)
• Group of 77
  Group of 77
  The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
  
   (G77)
• International Atomic Energy Agency
  International Atomic Energy Agency
  The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
  
   (IAEA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
  
   (IBRD)
• International Civil Aviation Organization
  International Civil Aviation Organization
  The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
  
   (ICAO)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
• International Development Association
  International Development Association
  The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
  
   (IDA)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
  
   (IFRCS)
• International Finance Corporation
  International Finance Corporation
  The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
  
   (IFC)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
  International Fund for Agricultural Development
  The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
  
   (IFAD)
• International Labour Organization
  International Labour Organization
  The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
  
   (ILO)
• International Maritime Organization
  International Maritime Organization
  The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
  
   (IMO)
• International Mobile Satellite Organization
  International Mobile Satellite Organization
  The International Mobile Satellite Organization is the intergovernmental organization that oversees certain public satellite safety and security communication services provided via the Inmarsat satellites...
  
   (IMSO)
• International Monetary Fund
  International Monetary Fund
  The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
  
   (IMF)
• International Olympic Committee
  International Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
  
   (IOC)
• International Organization for Migration
  International Organization for Migration
  The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
  
   (IOM)

• International Organization for Standardization
  International Organization for Standardization
  The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
  
   (ISO)
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
  
   (ICRM)
• International Telecommunication Union
  International Telecommunication Union
  The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
  
   (ITU)
• International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat.-External links:*...
  
   (ITSO)
• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency is a member organization of the World Bank Group that offers political risk insurance. It was established to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries. MIGA was founded in 1988 with a capital base of $1 billion and is headquartered in...
  
   (MIGA)
• Nonaligned Movement (NAM)
• Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)
• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   (UN)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
  
   (UNCTAD)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  The United Nations Industrial Development Organization , French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria...
  
   (UNIDO)
• Universal Postal Union
  Universal Postal Union
  The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
  
   (UPU)
• World Confederation of Labour
  World Confederation of Labour
  The World Confederation of Labour was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Totalitarian governments of the 1930s repressed the federation and imprisoned many of its leaders, limiting operations until the end of World War II...
  
   (WCL)
• World Customs Organization
  World Customs Organization
  The World Customs Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. With its worldwide membership, the WCO is recognized as the voice of the global customs community...
  
   (WCO)
• World Federation of Trade Unions
  World Federation of Trade Unions
  The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
  
   (WFTU)
• World Health Organization
  World Health Organization
  The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
  
   (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization
  World Intellectual Property Organization
  The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
  
   (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization
  World Meteorological Organization
  The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
  
   (WMO)
• World Tourism Organization
  World Tourism Organization
  The World Tourism Organization , based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information...
  
   (UNWTO)
• World Trade Organization
  World Trade Organization
  The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
  
   (WTO)

Law and order in Vietnam

• Capital punishment in Vietnam
  Capital punishment in Vietnam
  Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment in Vietnam. Capital punishment is a special penalty only applied for persons who commit serious crimes. The death penalty cannot be applied to juvenile offenders, pregnant women and women nursing children under 36 months old at the time the crime...
  
  
• Constitution of Vietnam
• Crime in Vietnam
• Human rights in Vietnam
  Human rights in Vietnam
  Human rights in Vietnam have long been a matter of much controversy between the Government of Vietnam and some international human rights organizations and Western governments, particularly that of the United States...
  
  
  • LGBT rights in Vietnam
    LGBT rights in Vietnam
    Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender persons in Vietnam may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Vietnam, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections...
    
    
  • Freedom of religion in Vietnam
    Freedom of religion in Vietnam
    The Constitution of Vietnam provides for freedom of worship but government restrictions still remain on the organized activities of religious groups.-Religious demography:...
    
    
• Law enforcement in Vietnam
• Prosecution
  • Supreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam
    Supreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam
    The Supreme People’s Procuracy of Vietnam is responsible for prosecutions and legal matters. It functions like the prosecutor’s office or attorney general’s office in Western countries – see public procurator and procurator.-Operations:...
    
    

Military of Vietnam

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    :
    • Ministry of Defence of Vietnam
      Ministry of Defence (Vietnam)
      Ministry of Defence is the governmental ministry of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that manages, coordinates and supervises military affairs, including all military units, paramilitary units, and similar agencies in the country. The major office of the Ministry of Defence is located within the...
      
      
• Forces
  • Army of Vietnam
  • Navy of Vietnam
  • Air Force of Vietnam
  • Special forces of Vietnam
• Military history of Vietnam
  Military history of Vietnam
  Army and warfare probably made their first appearance in Vietnamese history during the 3rd millennium BC. Throughout thousands of years, wars played a great role in shaping the identity and culture of people inhabited the land which is modern day Vietnam....
  
  
• Military ranks of Vietnam

History of Vietnam

Main article: History of Vietnam

History of Vietnam

The history of Vietnam covers a period of more than 2,700 years. By far Vietnam's most important historical international relationship has been with China. Vietnam's prehistory includes a legend about a kingdom known as Van Lang that included what is now China's Guangxi Autonomous Region and...

, Timeline of the history of Vietnam, and Current events of Vietnam

• Economic history of Vietnam
  Economic history of Vietnam
  Until French colonization in the mid-19th century, Vietnam's economy was uniformly agrarian, subsistence, and village-oriented. French colonizers, however, deliberately developed the regions differently, designating the South for agricultural production and the North for manufacturing...
  
  
• Military history of Vietnam
  Military history of Vietnam
  Army and warfare probably made their first appearance in Vietnamese history during the 3rd millennium BC. Throughout thousands of years, wars played a great role in shaping the identity and culture of people inhabited the land which is modern day Vietnam....
  
  

Culture of Vietnam

• Architecture of Vietnam
• Cuisine of Vietnam
  Cuisine of Vietnam
  Vietnamese cuisine is a style of cooking derived from Vietnam. Fish sauce and paste, soy paste, rice, fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables are commonly used. Vietnamese recipes utilize a diverse range of herbs, including lemongrass, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander and Thai basil leaves...
  
  
• Ethnic minorities in Vietnam
• Festivals in Vietnam
• Humor in Vietnam
• Languages of Vietnam
• Media in Vietnam
• National symbols of Vietnam
  • Coat of arms of Vietnam
    Coat of arms of Vietnam
    The emblem of Vietnam is circular, has red background and a yellow star in the middle which represent the Communist Party of Vietnam, the revolutionary history and bright future of Vietnam. The cog and crops represent the cooperation of agriculture and industrial labor.- History :It was adopted by...
    
    
  • Flag of Vietnam
    Flag of Vietnam
    The flag of Vietnam, also known as the "red flag with yellow star" , was designed in 1940 and used during an uprising against French rule in Cochinchina that year. The flag was used by the Việt Minh, a communist-led organization created in 1941 to oppose Japanese occupation...
    
    
  • National anthem of Vietnam
• People of Vietnam
• Prostitution in Vietnam
  Prostitution in Vietnam
  Prostitution in Vietnam is illegal.Prostitution is a major social issue that particularly affects women and children.Child prostitution is a problem. There are estimated to be at least 70,000 prostitutes in Vietnam, and 20,000 of these are children....
  
  
• Public holidays in Vietnam
  Public holidays in Vietnam
  Public holidays in Vietnam are days when workers get the day off work. Prior to 2007, Vietnamese workers observed 8 days of public holiday a year, among the lowest in the region. On March 28, 2007 the government added the traditional holiday commemorating the mythical Hùng Kings to its list of...
  
  
• Records of Vietnam
• Religion in Vietnam
  Religion in Vietnam
  The earliest established religions in Vietnam are Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism . Significant minorities of adherents to Roman Catholicism, Cao Dai, and Hoa Hao and smaller minorities of adherents to Hinduism, Islam, Protestantism and Theravada Buddhism exist.The majority of...
  
  
  • Buddhism in Vietnam
    Buddhism in Vietnam
    Buddhism in Vietnam as practiced by the ethnic Vietnamese is mainly of the Mahāyāna tradition. Buddhism came to Vietnam as early as the 2nd century CE through the North from Central Asia and via Southern routes from India...
    
    
  • Christianity in Vietnam
    Christianity in Vietnam
    Christianity was first introduced to Vietnam in the 16th century and established a solid position in Vietnamese society since the 19th century. Roman Catholics and Protestants today constitute 7% and 1% of the country’s population accordingly; the newest government census shows that is 8% ....
    
    
  • Hinduism in Vietnam
  • Islam in Vietnam
    Islam in Vietnam
    Islam in Vietnam is primarily the religion of the Cham people, a minority ethnic group related to Malays; however, roughly one-third of the Muslims in Vietnam are of other ethnic groups...
    
    
  • Judaism in Vietnam
  • Sikhism in Vietnam
• List of World Heritage Sites in Vietnam

Art in Vietnam

• Art in Vietnam
• Cinema of Vietnam
  Cinema of Vietnam
  The cinema of Vietnam originates in the 1920s, and has largely been shaped by wars that have been fought in the country from the 1940s to the 1970s. Better known Vietnamese language films include Cyclo, The Scent of Green Papaya and Vertical Ray of the Sun, all by French-trained Việt Kiều director...
  
  
• Literature of Vietnam
• Music of Vietnam
  Music of Vietnam
  Traditional Vietnamese music is highly diverse and syncretistic, combining native and foreign influences. Throughout its history, Vietnam has been heavily impacted by the Chinese musical tradition, as an integral part, along with Korea, Mongolia and Japan....
  
  
• Television in Vietnam
• Theatre in Vietnam

Sports in Vietnam

• Football in Vietnam
  Football in Vietnam
  Association football in Vietnam is run by the Vietnam Football Federation. The federation administers the Vietnam national football team, as well as the V-League, Vietnam First Division, and Vietnam Second Division....
  
  
• Vietnam at the Olympics
  Vietnam at the Olympics
  Vietnam first competed in the Olympic Games in 1952 as State of Vietnam, after the Partition of Vietnam only the Republic of Vietnam competed from 1956 to 1972. Then after the reunification of Vietnam, they have competed under the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 1980 onwards. Since their first...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Vietnam

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 59th (fifty-ninth)

• Agriculture in Vietnam
  Agriculture in Vietnam
  In 2004, agriculture and forestry accounted for 21.8 percent of Vietnam's gross domestic product , and between 1994 and 2004, the sector grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent. Agriculture's share of economic output has declined in recent years, falling as a share of GDP from 42% in 1989 to 26% in...
  
  
• Banking in Vietnam
  Banking in Vietnam
  -History:Following its reorganization in 1976, the State Bank of Vietnam became the central bank of the country. In addition to its national financial responsibilities, the State Bank also assumed some of the duties of a commercial bank. It maintained a head office in Hanoi, a division in Ho Chi...
  
  
  • National Bank of Vietnam
  • State Bank of Vietnam
    State Bank of Vietnam
    The State Bank of Vietnam is the central bank of Vietnam.-History:When French Indochina was under French rule, the colonial government governed the Indochinese monetary system through Indochinese Bank, which also acted as a commercial bank in French Indochina...
    
     (central bank)
• Communications in Vietnam
  Communications in Vietnam
  Communications in Vietnam include the use of telephones, radio, television and Internet.-Telephones:Vietnam is putting considerable effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system, but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern neighbors...
  
  
  • Internet in Vietnam
• Companies of Vietnam

• Currency of Vietnam
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Dồng
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : VND

• Economic history of Vietnam
  Economic history of Vietnam
  Until French colonization in the mid-19th century, Vietnam's economy was uniformly agrarian, subsistence, and village-oriented. French colonizers, however, deliberately developed the regions differently, designating the South for agricultural production and the North for manufacturing...
  
  
• Energy in Vietnam
  Energy in Vietnam
  Energy in Vietnam describes energy and electricity production, consumption and import in Vietnam. Energy policy of Vietnam describes the energy policy in the politics of Vietnam more in detail....
  
  
  • Energy policy of Vietnam
  • Oil industry in Vietnam
• Five-Year Plans of Vietnam
  Five-year plans of Vietnam
  The Five-Year Plans of Vietnam are a series of economic development initiatives. The Vietnamese economy are shaped primarily by the Vietnamese Communist Party through the plenary sessions of the Central Committee and national congresses...
  
  
• Health care in Vietnam
• Mining in Vietnam
• Vietnam Stock Exchange
• Tourism in Vietnam
  Tourism in Vietnam
  Tourism in Vietnam is a significant component of the modern Vietnamese economy. In 2004, Vietnam received 2.9 million international arrivals, up from 2.4 million the previous year. The annual increase represented a strong rebound from a slight decline in 2003 attributable to the Severe Acute...
  
  
• Transport in Vietnam
  Transport in Vietnam
  - Railways :The Vietnamese railway network has a total length of , dominated by the single track North-South Railway running between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The national railway network uses mainly metre gauge, although there are several standard gauge and mixed gauge lines in the North of the...
  
  
  • Airports in Vietnam
  • Rail transport in Vietnam
    Rail transport in Vietnam
    The railway system in Vietnam is owned and operated by the state-owned Vietnam Railways . The principal route, the single track North-South Railway running between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, accounts for of the network's total length of...
    
    
  • Roads in Vietnam
• Water supply and sanitation in Vietnam

See also

• Index of Vietnam-related articles
• List of international rankings
• List of Vietnam-related topics
• Member state of the United Nations
• Outline of Asia
  Outline of Asia
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Asia:Asia – world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
  
  
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  

External links

Government

• Portal of the Government of Vietnam
• Communist Party of Vietnam
• National Assembly: the Vietnamese legislative body
• General Statistics Office
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Economy

• Web site providing insights for doing business in Vietnam
• Site Vietnam economy
• National Securities Center
• Securities
• live price of stock

Media

State-run

• Voice of Vietnam: State radio broadcaster
• Vietnam Television: State television broadcaster
• Vietnam News Agency: Official state news agency
• Nhân Dân (The People
  Nhân Dân
  Nhân Dân is the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam. According to the newspaper, it is “the voice of the Party, State and people of Vietnam.”...
  
  ): Official Communist Party newspaper
• Quân đội Nhân Dân: Newspaper of the People's Army
• Vietnam Net: Largest Vietnamese portal, run by the government-owned Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Corporation
• Hà Nội Mới (New Hanoi): run by the Hanoi Communist Party
• Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Saigon): run by the Ho Chi Minh City Communist Party

Non state-run
While all media in Vietnam must be sponsored by a Communist Party organization and be registered with the government, the following media sources have less government control than others.

• VnExpress: Popular online newspaper
• Tuổi Trẻ (Youth): Daily newspaper with highest circulation, affiliated with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Organization of Ho Chi Minh City
• Thanh Niên (Youth): Major daily newspaper, affiliated with the Vietnam National Youth Federation
• Lao Động (Labour): Major daily newspaper, affiliated with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (the sole labour union in Vietnam)
• Tiền Phong (Vanguard): Major daily newspaper, affiliated with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth organization
• Vietnam Economic Times – for foreign investors.

Overviews

• Culture of Vietnam encyclopedia
• BBC – Country profile: Vietnam
• CIA World Factbook – Vietnam
• Freedom House "Countries at the Crossroads" report - Vietnam: information on government accountability, civil liberties, rule of law, and anticorruption efforts
• VietNam Map or a collection of Vietnamese maps
• Encyclopaedia Britannica – Vietnam
• US State Department – Vietnam includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
• US Library of Congress – Country Study: Vietnam
• Information about Vietnam: from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affair
• M&A Market in Vietnam's Transition Economy: Vuong, Q.H et al., 2010. Journal of Economic Policy and Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 1–54 (English)
• Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui: News concerning Vietnam (English & French)
• Business Anti-Corruption Portal Vietnam Country Profile
• Vietnam tourism website and Vietnam Travel Official Tourism website of Vietnam