chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999);

Executive Vice President Ramon Alonzo CARRIZALEZ Rengifo (since 4

January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February

1999); Executive Vice President Ramon Alonzo CARRIZALEZ Rengifo

(since 4 January 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006

(next to be held in December 2012)

note: in 1999, a National Constituent Assembly drafted a new

constitution that increased the presidential term to six years; an

election was subsequently held on 30 July 2000 under the terms of

this constitution

election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of

vote - Hugo CHAVEZ Frias 62.9%, Manuel ROSALES 36.9%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (167 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three

seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela)

elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other

25), opposition 0; total seats by party as of 1 January 2008 -

pro-government 152 (PSUV 114, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25),

PODEMOS 15

Judicial branch:

Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia

(magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single

12-year term)

Political parties and leaders:

A New Time or UNT [Manuel ROSALES]; Christian Democrats or COPEI

[Cesar PEREZ Vivas]; Communist Party of Venezuela or PCV [Jeronimo

CARRERA]; Democratic Action or AD [Henry RAMOS Allup]; Fatherland

for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES];

Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; United Socialist

Party of Venezuela or PSUV [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Venezuela Project or PV

[Henrique SALAS Romer]; We Can or PODEMOS [Ismael GARCIA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS groups;

Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor organization

dominated by the Democratic Action)

International organization participation:

Caricom (observer), CDB, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, LAS

(observer), Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW,

OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union

Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Angelo

SANTOS

chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 342-2214

FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans,

New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires John

CAULFIELD

embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas de Valle

Arriba, Caracas 1080

mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037

telephone: [58] (212) 975-6411, 907-8400 (after hours)

FAX: [58] (212) 907-8199

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the

coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of

eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band

Economy

Venezuela

Economy - overview:

Venezuela remains highly dependent on oil revenues, which account

for roughly 90% of export earnings, more than 50% of the federal

budget revenues, and around 30% of GDP. A nationwide strike between

December 2002 and February 2003 had far-reaching economic

consequences - real GDP declined by around 9% in 2002 and 8% in 2003

- but economic output since then has recovered strongly. Fueled by

high oil prices, record government spending helped to boost GDP in

2006 by about 9% and in 2007 by about 8%. This spending, combined

with recent minimum wage hikes and improved access to domestic

credit, has created a consumption boom but has come at the cost of

higher inflation-roughly 20 percent in 2007. Imports also have

jumped significantly. Embolden by his December 2006 reelection,

President Hugo CHAVEZ in 2007 nationalized firms in the petroleum,

communications, and electricity sectors, which reduced foreign

influence in the economy. Although voters in December 2007 rejected

CHAVEZ's proposed constitutional changes, CHAVEZ still has

significant control of the economy and has indicated he intends to

continue to consolidate and centralize authority over the economy by

implementing "21st Century Socialism."

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$334.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$236.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$12,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.8%

industry: 38.4%

services: 57.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

12.37 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 13%

industry: 23%

services: 64% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8.5% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

37.9% (end 2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.7%

highest 10%: 35.2% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

48.2 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

23.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $65.83 billion

expenditures: $58.9 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

19.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

18.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

28.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17.11% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$63.18 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$8.889 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$50.24 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef,

pork, milk, eggs; fish

Industries:

petroleum, construction materials, food processing, textiles; iron

ore mining, steel, aluminum; motor vehicle assembly

Industrial production growth rate:

3.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

110.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

83.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

542 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 31.7%

hydro: 68.3%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

2.667 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

738,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.203 million bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - imports:

0 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

87.04 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

26.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

26.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

4.708 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$20 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$69.17 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural

products, basic manufactures

Exports - partners:

US 42.7%, Netherlands Antilles 8%, China 3.1% (2007)

Imports:

$45.46 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment,

construction materials

Imports - partners:

US 26.6%, Colombia 13.5%, Brazil 9.5%, China 6.7%, Mexico 5.2%,

Panama 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$48.66 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$33.48 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$43.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$43.96 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$13.81 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$8.251 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

bolivar (VEB)

Currency code:

VEB

Exchange rates:

bolivars (VEB) per US dollar - 2,147 (2007), 2,147 (2006), 2,089.8

(2005), 1,891.3 (2004), 1,607 (2003)

note: On 1 January 2008 Venezuela revalued its currency with 1000

old bolivares equal to 1 new bolivar

Communications

Venezuela

Telephones - main lines in use:

5.082 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

23.82 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern and expanding

domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent

substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas;

substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines;

installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of

digital multimedia services; fixed-line teledensity 20 per 100

persons; mobile-cellular teledensity more than 90 per 100 persons

international: country code - 58; submarine cable systems provide

connectivity to the Caribbean, Central and South America, and US;

satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1

PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in

the construction of an international fiber-optic network (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios:

10.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

66 (plus 45 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

4.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ve

Internet hosts:

145,394 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

5.72 million (2007)

Transportation

Venezuela

Airports:

390 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 128

over 3,047 m: 5

2,438 to 3,047 m: 10

1,524 to 2,437 m: 34

914 to 1,523 m: 61

under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 262

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 15

914 to 1,523 m: 97

under 914 m: 149 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

extra heavy crude oil 992 km; gas 5,400 km; oil 7,607 km; refined

products 1,650 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 682 km

standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 96,155 km

paved: 32,308 km

unpaved: 63,847 km (2002)

Waterways:

7,100 km

note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by

oceangoing vessels (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 62

by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 16, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas

5, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 2

foreign-owned: 12 (Chile 1, Denmark 1, Greece 3, Mexico 5, Panama 1,

Spain 1)

registered in other countries: 12 (Bahamas 1, Panama 10, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and

offshore waters in the Caribbean Sea as a significant risk for

piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous vessels, including

commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and

hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed

and stores or cargoes stolen

Military

Venezuela

Military branches:

National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacionale, FAN): Ground Forces

or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas

Navales or Armada; includes Marines, Coast Guard), Air Force

(Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or

National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;

30-month conscript service obligation - all citizens 18-50 years old

are obligated to register for military service (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,647,124

females age 16-49: 6,801,133 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,280,974

females age 16-49: 5,768,814 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 275,323

female: 274,106 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Venezuela

Disputes - international:

claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in Guyana,

preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has

expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before

the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that

Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into

their waters; dispute with Colombia over maritime boundary and

Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes islands near the Gulf of

Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary

activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region; in 2006, an

estimated 139,000 Colombians sought protection in 150 communities

along the border in Venezuela; US, France, and the Netherlands

recognize Venezuela's granting full effect to Aves Island, thereby

claiming a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large

portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and

Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest

Venezuela's full effect claim

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Venezuela is a source, transit, and destination

country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of

commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; Venezuelan women

and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation,

lured from the nation's interior to urban and tourist areas; child

prostitution in urban areas and child sex tourism in resort

destinations appear to be growing; Venezuelan women and girls are

trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to Western Europe,

Mexico, and Caribbean destinations

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Venezuela is placed on the Tier 2

Watch List, up from Tier 3, as it showed greater resolve to address

trafficking through law enforcement measures and prevention efforts

in 2007, although stringent punishment of offenders and victim

assistance remain lacking (2008)

Illicit drugs:

small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the processing of

opiates and coca derivatives; however, large quantities of cocaine,

heroin, and marijuana transit the country from Colombia bound for US

and Europe; significant narcotics-related money-laundering activity,

especially along the border with Colombia and on Margarita Island;

active eradication program primarily targeting opium; increasing

signs of drug-related activities by Colombian insurgents on border

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Vietnam

Introduction

Vietnam

Background:

The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by

1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared

independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until

its 1954 defeat by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the

Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the Communist North

and anti-Communist South. US economic and military aid to South

Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the

government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a

cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese

forces overran the South reuniting the country under Communist rule.

Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country

experienced little economic growth because of conservative

leadership policies. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi

moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have

committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted

structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce

more competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to

experience protests from various groups - such as the Protestant

Montagnard ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands and

the Hoa Hao Buddhists in southern Vietnam over religious

persecution. Montagnard grievances also include the loss of land to

Vietnamese settlers.

Geography

Vietnam

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin,

and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia

Geographic coordinates:

16 00 N, 106 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 329,560 sq km

land: 325,360 sq km

water: 4,200 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:

total: 4,639 km

border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km

Coastline:

3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to

September) and warm, dry season (October to 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: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

Natural resources:

phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas

deposits, forests, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 20.14%

permanent crops: 6.93%

other: 72.93% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

891.2 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 71.39 cu km/yr (8%/24%/68%)

per capita: 847 cu m/yr (2000)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across

at its narrowest point

People

Vietnam

Population:

86,116,560 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 25.6% (male 11,418,642/female 10,598,184)

15-64 years: 68.6% (male 29,341,216/female 29,777,696)

65 years and over: 5.8% (male 1,925,609/female 3,055,212) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 26.9 years

male: 25.8 years

female: 28 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.99% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.47 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 23.61 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 24.01 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 23.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.33 years

male: 68.52 years

female: 74.33 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.86 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

220,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

9,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis,

and plague

water contact disease: leptospirosis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural)

adjective: Vietnamese

Ethnic groups:

Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa

1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census)

Religions:

Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant

0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)

Languages:

Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second

language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages

(Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 90.3%

male: 93.9%

female: 86.9% (2002 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2000)

Education expenditures:

1.8% of GDP (1991)

Government

Vietnam

Country name:

conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

conventional short form: Vietnam

local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam

local short form: Viet Nam

abbreviation: SRV

Government type:

Communist state

Capital:

name: Hanoi

geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E

time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

59 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh

pho, singular and plural)

provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba

Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh

Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai,

Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong,

Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai

Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh

Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang

Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh,

Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen

Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai

municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh

Independence:

2 September 1945 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Constitution:

15 April 1992

Legal system:

based on communist legal theory and French civil law system; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006);

Vice President Nguyen Thi DOAN (since 25 July 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June

2006); Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh HUNG (since 28

June 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung HAI (since 2 August

2007), Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien NHAN (since 2 August

2007), Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia KHIEM (since 28 June 2006),

and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh TRONG (since 28 June 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president based on proposal of prime

minister and confirmed by National Assembly

elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its

members for five-year term; last held 27 June 2006 (next to be held

in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president from among the

members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed

by the prime minister; appointment of prime minister and deputy

prime ministers confirmed by National Assembly

election results: Nguyen Minh TRIET elected president; percent of

National Assembly vote - 94%; Nguyen Tan DUNG elected prime

minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 92%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (500 seats; members elected

by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 20 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

CPV 450, non-party CPV-approved 42, self-nominated 1; note - 493

candidates were elected; CPV and non-party CPV-approved delegates

were members of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front

Judicial branch:

Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected for a five-year

term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH]; other parties

proscribed

Political pressure groups and leaders:

8406 Bloc; Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV; People's Democratic

Party Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracy

note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by the

government