GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
	Size: On the map, Vietnam is shaped as the letter S. Vietnam comprises 331,689 square kilometers of land mass with a coastline of more than three thousand miles facing the South China Sea. Topography: Vietnam is long and narrow, and it widens in the North and South. North consists of highlands and the Red River Delta; South divided into coastal lowlands, and Mekong River Delta. Between the North and the South is long and narrow Cetral Vietnam with Giai Truong Son (central mountains) and high plateaus. Climate: Tropical and monsoonal; humidity averages 84 percent throughout year. Annual rainfall ranges from 120 to 300 centimeters, and annual temperatures vary between 5°C and 38°C. North Vietnam has four distinct seasons with high humidity. There are only two seasons: rainy and dry, in South Vietnam. The climate in Central Vietnam is harsh, and this region is often subject to natural calamities.
SOCIETY
	Population: 77 million people (1999 census); 2.1 percent average annual population growth rate. Nineteen percent urban; 81 percent rural. Population centers Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). Languages: Vietnamese official language; also French, various Chinese dialects, tribal languages, and English. Ethnic Groups: Vietnamese account for 88 percent of population (1979 figures). Fifty-three minorities account for remainder, including Hoa (Chinese, comprising approximately 1.8 percent), Tay, Thai, Khmer, Muong, Nung, Hmong, and numerous mountain tribes. Religion: Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Hinduism.
GOVERNMENT
	In 1976, Vietnam took the official name: the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. All citizens over 18 years of age have the right to elect the National Assembly (NA). At the first session of every legislature, the NA elects the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, committees and their heads, the President and Vice President of State; the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers; approves the structure and composition of the Government.
ECONOMY
	Ranking among 15 countries with the highest growth rate, Vietnam is now the third largest rice exporter in the world (June 2002) after Thailand and India. It became a full member of ASEAN on July 28, 1995 and signed a Trade Cooperation Agreement with the EU in July 1995. It also became a member of APEC at the end of 1998 and is now preparing for admission to WTO. A Trade Agreement between Vietnam and USA was signed on July 13, 2000 in Washington. The rapid and stable economic growth over recent years has brought Vietnam to the orbit of development and has drawn the attention and support of most countries in the region and the world.