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Vietnam
Area: 331,689 km2
Population: 83 million
Capital City: Hanoi (population 3.2 million)
Largest City: Ho Chi Minh City (population 6.1 million)
People: Kinh Vietnamese 85%, plus 53 other ethnic groups
Languages: Vietnamese, minority languages
Religion(s): mainly Buddhism, also Catholicism, Protestantism, Cao Dai and Hoa Hao religions
Currency: Vietnamese Dong, US Dollars also widely used
Major political parties: Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)
Government: Vietnam is a one-party communist state, led by a triumvirate of CPV General Secretary Mr Nong Duc Manh, State President Mr Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Mr Nguyen Tan Dung
Foreign Minister: Mr Pham Gia Khiem
Membership of international groupings/organisations: Vietnam is a member of the United Nations, Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
GEOGRAPHYIn area, Vietnam is slightly larger than the UK and Ireland. It stretches 1,600km north to south, but is only 40km wide at its narrowest point in the centre. It is predominantly mountainous, with densely-populated fertile plains in the north and south around the Red River and Mekong deltas respectively. The Vietnamese consider that Vietnam has 3 regions, the north, the centre and the south. Spoken Vietnamese differs considerably between them. Vietnam’s 53 ethnic minorities are primarily concentrated in mountainous areas in the north and central highlands. Climate varies considerably from north to south, but is generally hot (bar a cool winter in the north), humid and – during rainy season – wet.
HISTORYHistory since 1945During World War II, Japanese forces displaced the French colonial rulers of Vietnam. Following Japan's surrender, the Viet Minh, a communist-dominated nationalist grouping under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, stepped into the power vacuum and proclaimed Vietnam's independence in September 1945. The French tried to re-establish their authority over Vietnam, however, and fighting erupted between their forces and the Viet Minh. Following their defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the French agreed at the 1954 Geneva Conference to withdraw. Vietnam was effectively divided into a communist-controlled North (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and a Western-backed South (the Republic of Vietnam). After the South reneged on an agreement to hold nation-wide elections, the North began to strengthen the communist movement in the South with the aim of achieving national re-unification. The South became increasingly dependent on the USA.
The US began direct military intervention in the early 1960s and increased its commitment in Vietnam as the war escalated, reaching over 500,000 US troops in 1968. Withdrawal began thereafter due to lack of military success and domestic US opposition to the war. The US and North Vietnam finally reached a peace agreement in Paris in 1973. At this point, many Western countries, including the UK, established full diplomatic relations with North Vietnam. The civil war continued, however, and a full North Vietnamese invasion in 1975 led to a rapid collapse of the South. Vietnam was formally re-unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976 and admitted into the UN in 1977.
But national re-unification did not lead to peace and stability. Relations with Cambodia's Khmer Rouge government and their Chinese backers soon deteriorated. After a series of provocative border incidents, Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978, removed Pol Pot's regime and installed a friendly government. Vietnam's intervention was widely condemned internationally. China, incensed, launched a short punitive invasion into northern Vietnam in 1979, although quickly withdrew. Conflict in Cambodia continued into the 1980s as Vietnamese forces and their Cambodian allies faced attack from Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Vietnam endured a period of international isolation, supported only by the Soviet Union and its allies. Vietnamese forces finally withdrew from Cambodia in 1989.
Vietnam's economy, sapped by over 30 years of war, was further weakened by the disastrous introduction of Soviet-style collectivist economic policies after reunification. As Vietnam neared economic collapse, hundreds of thousands of refugees (the 'Vietnamese Boat People') fled in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Vietnam's government, faced also with declining Soviet aid, was forced to make a drastic change in economic direction. In 1986, Vietnam introduced a ground-breaking new economic programme called 'doi moi' (renovation), which slowly introduced liberal market principles and set the foundations for today's rapid economic growth in Vietnam.
Following formal settlement of the Cambodian conflict at the 1991 Paris Conference, Vietnam's international isolation ended. Vietnam normalised relations with China in 1991, with Japan in 1993 and (finally) with the US in 1995 - the same year Vietnam became a member of ASEAN.
POLITICSPolitical SystemVietnam is a one-party state in which the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) decides all major policy issues, which are then implemented by the government. The country is led by a triumvirate of CPV General Secretary, State President and Prime Minister. Although the National Assembly is increasingly powerful, it remains firmly subordinate to the CPV.
No legal opposition to the regime is permitted in Vietnam, but neither is there much sign of widespread popular opposition. The CPV still enjoys popular support following its success in defeating the French colonialist rulers, resisting American intervention, re-unifying the country, opposing Chinese encroachment and - most importantly - creating and maintaining peace and stability. In addition, liberal economic policies pursued since the late 1980s have delivered average GDP growth of around 8% in recent years and increasingly high living standards for most of the population. Vietnam's record on poverty reduction is excellent – the proportion of people living in poverty has fallen from 58% in 1993 to 19% in 2006. For their part, the younger generation appear more interested in their economic prospects than in politics. As Vietnam has opened to the world, ordinary people enjoy much more personal freedom on a day-to-day level than previously. But an ever-present, effective security apparatus keeps an effective watch on society and a lid on open dissent.
ElectionsThere are no free elections in Vietnam. Candidates for election to the National Assembly and local People's Councils must in practice be approved by the CPV. There is, however, an increasing minority of elected representatives who are not CPV members.
Vietnam's main legislative body is the National Assembly, which convenes twice per year. It has developed, in recent years, from little more than a 'rubber stamp' body to one increasingly able to scrutinise legislation and hold government to account. It has, on paper at least, wide powers over the state budget and its Members, 25% of whom are full time, are increasingly professional. Ultimately, however, the National Assembly remains firmly under the control of the CPV and thus is still far from being a proper democratic legislature. Elections to the 500-Member National Assembly are held every five years. The next elections are due in May 2007.
Recent Political DevelopmentsIn April 2006, the CPV convened its Tenth Party Congress, which set Vietnam's future direction and leadership until 2010. In June, the National Assembly voted to elect a new leadership including the top posts of State President, Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Assembly, as well as three Deputy Prime Ministers and six ministers.
Vietnam joined the WTOin January 2007. This will be a major boost for Vietnam’s export led economy and should further consolidate and spur Vietnam’s economic reforms. In the biggest international event ever held in Vietnam, Vietnam was also host to the APEC Summit in November 2006 attended by Heads of State/Government including China, Russia and the United States. In its next major international challenge, Vietnam intends to bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2008.
The CPV is increasingly concerned at the high level of corruption in Vietnam, which it perceives as a threat not only to economic growth but also to the popular legitimacy of the political system. A major campaign begun in 2006 has netted a number of senior figures (including the Transport Minister and a Deputy Minister of Trade). Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has declared corruption a top priority with a new anti-corruption agency set up under his direction. In a further move, the first Deputy Prime Minister has been put in charge of the Government's anti-corruption effort.
Apart from the prosecutions mentioned above, the anti-corruption campaign has made some progress with new procurement rules introduced for government. Butinternational donors and analysts are watching closely, to see if this anti-corruption campaign is genuine in taking on vested political interests or whether some areas remain off-limits to anti-corruption efforts. The state-owned media’s freedom to investigate corruption grew significantly in the run up to the last Party Congress, but there is still evidence of pressure on media to censor their investigations.
Another major issue facing Vietnam is the under-development and high poverty in remote, ethnic-minority regions, and the flux of unregistered internal migrants flocking to major cities. Despite fast economic growth, poverty among some ethnic minority groups in remote areas remains far above the national average.
Poverty, combined with land disputes and heavy-handed treatment (amounting at times to human rights abuse) of some ethnic minorities, led to unrest in the Central Highlands region in 2001 and 2004. The situation in the Central Highlands region is now slowly improving, but the development and human rights situation in the Northern Uplands remains a cause of major concern.
ECONOMYBasic economic facts (for 2006)GDP: US$60 billion
GDP per head: approx. US$730
Annual Growth: 8.17%
Annual Inflation: 6.6%
Major exports: oil and gas, textiles, footwear, seafood, rice, coffee
Exchange rate: £1 = approx. 30,000 Vietnam Dong (April 2006)
Compared with many of its neighbours, Vietnam suffered three 'lost decades' of economic development due to war. But it is catching up fast. Notwithstanding a hiccup following the 1997 Asian economic crisis, Vietnam has boomed since the CPV turned away from communist economic policies and central planning in the late 1980s under its 'doi moi' (renovation) policy. Vietnam is now among the fastest-growing economies in Asia with consistent GDP growth above 8% in recent years (8.17% in 2006). Vietnam has set a growth target of 8.2-8.5% for 2007.
WTO membership should help Vietnam maintain its high rate of growth by securing market access for Vietnam's key exports (especially textiles, footwear and seafood) and establishing Vietnam as a destination for foreign direct investment world-wide. FDI into Vietnam is booming. In 2006, FDI rose to over $10 billion a 60% increase on the previous year.
While impressive, some analysts have questioned the quality of Vietnam's economic growth. Much is driven by inefficient domestic investment by government and state-owned enterprises. Reform of state-owned enterprises, to place them on a sounder economic footing, is proceeding slowly. Large amounts of lending by state-owned banks to unreformed state-owned enterprises has resulted in large numbers of non-performing loans on their balance sheets. Vietnamese policymakers have yet to drive through root-and-branch reform of inefficient state-owned enterprises and the banking sector, which is vital to ready Vietnam's economy for the fierce global competition WTO membership will introduce.
HUMAN RIGHTSHuman rights in Vietnam are an issue which have attracted considerable public attention from NGOs and Parliament in recent times. In its 2006 Annual Report on Human Rights, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office cited Vietnam as a country of particular human rights concern.
Overall, the great majority of Vietnamese people enjoy greater security, prosperity and personal liberty than previously in their history. Vietnam has also made great strides in terms of economic and social rights over recent decades. Vietnam has a poor record with regard to civil and political rights, however, notwithstanding gradual improvements over recent years. Restrictions on freedom of expression freedom of the media and internet, freedom of religion and the high number of executions are particular causes for concern.
There are tight controls in freedom of expression, including internet and media freedom, in Vietnam. A number of 'cyber-dissidents' have been imprisoned for expressing opinions (unwelcome to the government) on the internet or by e-mail. The media is considered an official mouthpiece and journalists may not cover sensitive stories (although restrictions have lessened recently, especially regarding reporting corruption). Access to non-state approved sources of information is restricted
Vietnam is thought to have among the highest execution rates per capita in the world. Death penalty statistics are officially secret, but – until recently - executions were thought to number around 80-100 per year. It is unknown whether recent falls in the number of executions reported in the state-controlled media reflect a real fall or just greater under-reporting. Most executions are for drug offences, but economic crimes (eg. corruption) may also attract the death penalty. There are concerns that Vietnam's legal system does not offer fair trials in many cases. In a positive move, Vietnamese Ministers have spoken of reducing use of the death penalty, but there is no immediate prospect of abolition.
While individuals, by and large, enjoy freedom of religion in Vietnam, there are restrictions on non-authorised religious groups. Non-recognised Protestant groups, particularly in the Northern and Central Highlands regions, have faced severe restrictions and – at times - repression. The leaders of the breakaway Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam remain under de facto house arrest. In positive (if modest) steps forward, a 2004 Ordinance on Belief & Religion sets out a legal framework for official recognition of religious groups, while restrictions on some Protestant groups have been eased. In November 2006, the US removed Vietnam from its list of Countries of Particular Concern on religious freedom.
The UK raises regularly human rights concerns with Vietnam both bilaterally and, with EU partners, through twice-yearly EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue meetings. The EU also maintains a List of Prisoners/Detainees of Concern, whose cases are brought up regularly with the Vietnamese authorities. We also seek to help Vietnam constructively improve its human rights performance through targeted project-work with Government and other state bodies.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSFollowing years of isolation, Vietnam has sought to reach out and rejoin the world since the early 1990s. Vietnam joined ASEAN in 1995 and, in 2004, hosted the Fifth Asia-Europe Meeting of world leaders in Hanoi. Vietnam hosted the APEC Summit in November 2006 and joined the WTO in January 2007. Vietnam also aspires to take a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2008.
Vietnam's relations with its neighboursVietnamese harbour mixed feelings towards their largest neighbour, China, and relations are complex. One thousand years of Chinese rule of what is now northern Vietnam, ending in the 10th century, had a deep impact on Vietnamese culture and the Vietnamese psyche. In recent times, the political relationship has swung back and forth, from Chinese support for Ho Chi Minh during the war against the French to a short Chinese invasion of northern Vietnam in 1979. Communist solidarity between the two nations still sometimes takes a back seat to narrow national interests. Sovereignty over the Spratley Islands in the South China Sea and border disagreements continue to lead to occasional incidents.
Vietnam enjoys close political relations with its former allies and fellow ASEAN members in the governments of Laos and Cambodia. Among ordinary Lao and Cambodians, however, there remain suspicions that Vietnam – as in the past – seeks to dominate them.
Vietnam's relations with the USThe Vietnamese appear to harbour few grudges against the US. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the US established diplomatic relations in 1995. Following a visit by President Clinton and the signing of a US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement shortly thereafter, bilateral relations appeared to take off. The relationship was further strengthened by a landmark visit to the US by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in July 2005. There remain irritants, however, notably trade disputes and human rights. Many US-based NGOs and Vietnamese-Americans are vocal in their criticism of Vietnam's human rights record. US-Vietnam cooperation on the search for US MIAs (soldiers missing-in-action) is good. US President George W. Bush visited Vietnam for the APEC Summit in November 2006.
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