th with hot, rainy season
(mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to
mid-March)

Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly,
mountainous in far north and northwest

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Ngoc Linh 3,143 m

Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate,
offshore oil and gas deposits, forests

Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures : 1%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 48% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 18,600 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive
flooding

Environment - current issues: logging and slash-and-burn agricultural
practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water
pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations;
groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban
industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading
environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

@Vietnam:People

Population: 75,123,880 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 13,713,340; female 12,946,322)
15-64 years: 59% (male 21,547,228; female 22,997,231)
65 years and over : 5% (male 1,573,823; female 2,345,936) (July 1997
est.)

Population growth rate: 1.51% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 22.3 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 6.8 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 37.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.38 years
male: 65.03 years
female: 69.86 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural)
adjective: Vietnamese

Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Muong, Tai, Meo, Khmer,
Man, Cham

Religions: Buddhist, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs,
Islam, Protest