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| | * [[Directory:Vietnam/Vietnam Geography|Vietnam Geography]] | | * [[Directory:Vietnam/Vietnam Geography|Vietnam Geography]] |
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| − | == Society ==
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| | * [[Directory:Vietnam/Vietnam Society|Vietnam Society]] | | * [[Directory:Vietnam/Vietnam Society|Vietnam Society]] |
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| − | '''Population:''' In 2004 Vietnam’s population was 82.2 million, and it was growing at a rate of
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| − | about 1.2 percent per year. The average population density was 246 people per square kilometer,
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| − | one of the highest levels in the world. The highest concentration of people was in the Red River
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| − | Delta, in the northeast where Hanoi is located, and the lowest concentration was in the northwest.
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| − | The population, which traditionally has been primarily rural, has become increasingly urbanized
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| − | since 1986, when the Doi Moi economic renewal program began to boost income and
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| − | employment opportunities in the cities. In 2004 about 26 percent of Vietnam’s population was
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| − | urban and 75 percent rural, down from 85 percent in the early 1980s. Vietnam’s net migration
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| − | rate was estimated at –0.45 migrant(s) per 1,000 population in 2004. Consistent with the trend
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| − | toward urbanization, urban areas, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, and the Central
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| − | Highlands, have attracted the most migrants. In addition, a steady stream of migrants continues
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| − | to move from the North to the South. As of 2002, the two largest groups of refugees were
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| − | Vietnamese and ethnic Chinese returning to Vietnam from Cambodia and the Montagnards from
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| − | Vietnam’s Central Highlands seeking asylum in Cambodia.
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | '''Demography:''' In 2004 Vietnam’s age distribution was estimated as follows: 0 to 14 years of age, 29.4 percent; 15 to 64, 65 percent; and 65 and older, 5.6 percent. This age distribution signals
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| − | slower population growth than in the past. According to 2005 estimates, Vietnam’s birthrate was
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| − | 17.07 births per 1,000 people, and the fertility rate was 1.94 children born per woman. The infant
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| − | mortality rate was 25.95 per 1,000 live births, and the death rate was 6.2 per 1,000. Also
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| − | according to 2005 estimates, life expectancy was 70.61 years for the total population, consisting
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| − | of 67.82 years for men and 73.6 years for women.
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| − | '''Ethnic Groups:''' Vietnamese are the predominant ethnic group, constituting 85 to 90 percent of
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| − | the population. Chinese account for 3 percent of the population. Other ethnic groups are the
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| − | Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Cham, and Montagnards, an indigenous group living in the Central
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| − | Highlands.
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| − | '''Languages:''' Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam. The Vietnamese have adopted a
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| − | Romanized script introduced by the French during the colonial period. English is increasingly
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| − | accepted as a second language. Some French language influence persists. Other languages used
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| − | are Chinese, Khmer, and mountain area dialects.
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | '''Religion:''' With 7.6 million followers, Buddhism is the most popular religion. The second most
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| − | popular religion is Roman Catholicism, with 6 million adherents. Other faiths, with the number
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| − | of followers indicated, are Cao Dai (2 million), Hoa Hao (1 million), Protestantism (500,000),
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| − | and Islam (50,000).
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | '''Education and Literacy:''' In 2003 Vietnam’s literacy rate was 94 percent, including 95.8 percent for men and 92.3 percent for women. However, educational attainment is less impressive.
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| − | Although five years of primary school education are considered compulsory and 92 percent of
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| − | eligible children were enrolled in primary school in 2000, only two-thirds completed the fifth
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| − | grade. The cost of tuition, books, and uniforms and the need to supplement family income are the
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| − | two main reasons for dropping out. A huge disparity exists in primary school enrollment between
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| − | the cities and rural parts of Vietnam. In some rural areas, only 10 to 15 percent of the children
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| − | progress beyond third grade, whereas almost 96 percent of pupils in Ho Chi Minh City complete
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| − | fifth grade. In 2000 enrollment in secondary school was only 62.5 percent, much lower than in
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| − | primary school. One of the government’s goals is to expand access to secondary education.
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| − |
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| − | '''Health:''' The overall quality of healthcare is regarded as good, as reflected by 2005 estimates of life expectancy (70.61 years) and infant mortality (25.95 per 1,000 live births). However,
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| − | malnutrition is still common in the provinces, and the life expectancy and infant mortality rates
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| − | are stagnating. In 2001 government spending on health care corresponded to just 0.9 percent of
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| − | gross domestic product (GDP). Government subsidies covered only about 20 percent of health
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| − | care expenses, with the remaining 80 percent coming out of individuals’ own pockets.
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| − | In 1954 the government in the North established a public health system that reached down to the
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| − | hamlet level. After reunification in 1976, this system was extended to the South. Beginning in
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| − | the late 1980s, the quality of health care began to decline as a result of budgetary constraints, a
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| − | shift of responsibility to the provinces, and the introduction of charges. Inadequate funding has
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| − | led to delays in planned upgrades to water supply and sewerage systems. As a result, almost half
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| − | the population has no access to clean water, a deficiency that promotes such infectious diseases
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| − | as malaria, dengue fever, typhoid, and cholera. Inadequate funding also has contributed to a
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| − | shortage of nurses, midwives, and hospital beds. In 2000 Vietnam had only 250,000 hospital
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| − | beds, or 14.8 beds per 10,000 people, a very low ratio among Asian nations, according to the
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| − | World Bank.
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| − | Vietnam has made progress in combating malaria, for which the mortality rate declined sharply,
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| − | to about 5 percent of the rate in the early 1990s, after the country introduced antimalarial drugs
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| − | and treatment. However, tuberculosis (TB) cases are on the rise, with 57 deaths per day reported
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| − | in May 2004. With an intensified vaccination program, better hygiene, and foreign assistance,
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| − | Vietnam hopes to reduce sharply the number of TB cases and annual new TB infections.
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| − | As of September 2005, Vietnam had diagnosed 101,291 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
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| − | cases, of which 16,528 developed acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and 9,554 died.
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| − | But the actual number of HIV-positive individuals is estimated to be much higher. An average of
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| − | 40–50 new infections are reported every day in Vietnam. Vietnam hopes to contain the HIV
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| − | infection rate at the current official rate of 0.35 percent, which is about average worldwide, by
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| − | limiting the disease as much as possible to sex workers and intravenous drug users. However, if
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| − | the current trend continues, the number of infected persons could reach 1 million by 2010. One
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| − | of the impediments to containing HIV/AIDS is that the victims face discrimination and
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| − | stigmatization that are more severe than almost anywhere else in the world, according to a
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| − | United Nations official. In June 2004, the Bush Administration announced that Vietnam would
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| − | be one of 15 nations to receive funding as part of a US$15 billion global AIDS plan.
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| − | '''Welfare:''' Vietnam’s welfare efforts target victims of the Second Indochina War (1954–75), such
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| − | as individuals disabled in combat or by toxic chemicals and the families of fallen combatants.
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| − | About 5 million Vietnamese, corresponding to more than 6 percent of the population, are
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| − | disabled. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs administers welfare. Vietnam
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| − | has legislated a social insurance system with provisions for old age, disability, and death;
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| − | sickness and maternity; and work injury. Coverage is reported to be mandatory for state
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| − | employees, non-state enterprises with more than 10 employees, and foreign-invested enterprises.
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| − | Special programs are said to exist for government civil servants and armed forces personnel.
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| | == Economy == | | == Economy == |