r DPV; People's Democratic
Party Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracy
note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by the
government

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UN Security
Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Le Cong PHUNG
chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737
FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917
consulate(s) general: San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael W. MICHALAK
embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [84] (4) 3850-5000
FAX: [84] (4) 3850-5010
consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City

Flag description:

red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center

Economy
Vietnam

Economy - overview:

Vietnam is a densely-populated developing country that in the last
30 years 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. Economic stagnation marked the period
after reunification from 1975 to 1985. In 1986, the Sixth Party
Congress approved a broad economic reform package that introduced
market reforms and set the groundwork for Vietnam's improved
investment climate. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to
1997 in moving forward from an extremely low level of development
and significantly reducing poverty. The 1997 Asian financial crisis
highlighted the problems in the Vietnamese economy and temporarily
allowed opponents of reform to slow progress toward a
market-oriented economy. GDP growth averaged 6.8% per year from 1997
to 2004 even against the background of the Asian financial crisis
and a global recession. Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities have
reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalization and
international integration. They have moved to implement the
structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce
more competitive, export-driven industries. The economy grew 8.5% in
2007. Vietnam's membership in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and
e