ose to 6.8% in 2000 and dropped back to
4.7% in 2001 against the background of global recession. These numbers
mask some major difficulties in economic performance. Many domestic
industries, including coal, cement, steel, and paper, have reported
large stockpiles of inventory and tough competition from more efficient
foreign producers. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities have moved slowly
in implementing the structural reforms needed to revitalize the economy
and produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The US-Vietnam
Bilateral Trade Agreement entered into force near the end of 2001 and is
expected to significantly increase Vietnam's exports to the US. The US
is assisting Vietnam with implementing the legal and structural reforms
called for in the agreement.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $168.1 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,100 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25% industry: 35% services:
40% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 37% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 29.9% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 36.1 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.3% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 38.2 million (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 67%, industry and services 33%
(1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 25% (1995 est.)

Budget: revenues: $5.3 billion expenditures: $5.6 billion, including
capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (1999 est.)

Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine building, mining,
cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, coal, steel, paper

Industrial production growth rate: 10.4% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production: 25.775 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 40.74% hydro: 59.26%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 23.97 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: paddy rice, corn, potatoes, rubber, soybeans,
coffee, tea, bananas, sugar; poultry, pigs; fish

Exports: $15.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Exports - commodities: crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber,
tea, garments, shoes

Exports - partners: Japan 18.1%, China 10.6%, Australia 8.8%, Singapore
6.1%, Taiwan 5.2%, Germany 5.1%, US 5.1%