Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (498 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 May 2002 (next to be held 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - CPV 90%, other 10% (the
10% are not CPV members but are approved by the CPV to stand for
election); seats by party - CPV 447, CPV-approved 51
Judicial branch:
Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected for a five-year
term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president)
Political parties and leaders:
only party - Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH,
general secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
ACCT, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nguyen Tam CHIEN consulate(s) general: San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917 telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737 chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond F. BURGHARDT embassy: 7 Lang Ha Road, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [84] (4) 772-1500 FAX: [84] (4) 772-1510 consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City
Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
Economy Vietnam
Economy - overview:
Vietnam is a poor, densely-populated country that has had to
recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support from
the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally planned
economy. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to 1996 in
moving forward from an extremely low starting point - growth
averaged around 9% per year from 1993 to 1997. The 1997 Asian
financial crisis highlighted the problems in the Vietnamese economy
but, rather than prompting reform, reaffirmed the government's
belief that shifting to a market-oriented economy would lead to
disaster. GDP growth of 8.5% in 1997 fell to 6% in 1998 and 5% in
1999. Growth then rose to 6% to 7% in 2000-02 even against the
background of global recession. These numbers mask some major
difficulties in economic performance. Many domestic industries,
including coal, cement, steel, and paper, have reported large
stockpiles of inventory and tough competition from more efficient
foreign producers. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities have moved to
implement the structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and
to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The
US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement entered into force near the end
of 2001 and is expected to significantly increase Vietnam's exports
to the US. The US is assisting Vietnam with implementing the legal
and structural reforms called for in the agreement.