e: tropical in south; monsoonal in north 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
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Ngoc Linh 3,143 m

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

Land use:
arable land: 22%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 1%
forest and woodland: 40%
other: 35%

Irrigated land: 18,300 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices
are contributing to deforestation; soil degradation; water pollution
and overfishing threatening marine life populations; inadequate
supplies of potable water because of groundwater contamination
natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive
flooding
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not
ratified - Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban

People
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Population: 73,976,973 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 13,739,304; female 12,988,929)
15-64 years: 59% (male 20,956,735; female 22,448,944)
65 years and over: 5% (male 1,548,513; female 2,294,548) (July 1996
est.)

Population growth rate: 1.57% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 23 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 6.95 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 38.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.02 years
male: 64.69 years
female: 69.48 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.69 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Ethnic divisions: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Muong, Thai,
Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham

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

Languages: Vietnamese (official), Fren