al 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

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, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 17% permanent crops: 5% other: 78% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive
flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: extending 1,650
km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point

People Vietnam

Population: 81,098,416 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 31.6% (male 13,259,152; female 12,392,089) 15-64 years:
(male 1,749,531; female 2,675,865) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.43% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 20.89 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.14 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 29.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 72.5 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.24% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 100,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,500 (1999 est.)

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