(2000)

Imports: $15.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products,
fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles

Imports - partners: Singapore 17.7%, Japan 14.4%, Taiwan 12.1%, South
Korea 11.1%, China 9.1%, Thailand 5.2%, Hong Kong 3.9% (2000)

Debt - external: $13.2 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient: $2.1 billion in credits and grants pledged
by international donors for 2000

Currency: dong (VND)

Currency code: VND

Exchange rates: dong per US dollar - 15,085 (January 2002), 14,725
(2001), 14,168 (2000), 13,943 (1999), 13,268 (1998), 11,683 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Vietnam

Telephones - main lines in use: 2.6 million (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 730,155 (2000)

Telephone system: general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable
effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication
system, but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more
modern neighbors domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized
and connected to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic
cable or microwave radio relay networks; since 1991, main lines in use
have been substantially increased and the use of mobile telephones is
growing rapidly international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik
(Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 65, FM 7, shortwave 29 (1999)

Radios: 8.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: at least 7 (plus 13 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions: 3.57 million (1997)

Internet country code: .vn

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2000)

Internet users: 160,000 (2001)

Transportation Vietnam

Railways: 209 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges
(2001)

Highways: total: 93,300 km paved: 23,418 km unpaved: 69,882 km (1996)

Waterways: 17,702 km note: more than 5,149 km are navigable at all
times by vessels up to 1.8 m draft

Pipelines: petroleum products 150 km

Ports and harbors: Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City,
Ha Long, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Vinh, Vung Tau

Merchant marine: total: 153 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 782,912
GRT/1,173,186 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered
here as a flag of convenience: Cambodia 1, Japan 1, Singapore 1, United
Kingdom 2 (2002 est.) ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 113, chemical tanker
1, combination bulk 1,