ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NAM, Sparteca, SPC,
SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Vanuatu does not have an
embassy in the US, it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the
UN
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited
to Vanuatu
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and
green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all
separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a
horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and
enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk
encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow
Economy
Economy--overview: The economy is based primarily on subsistence
or small-scale agriculture which provides a living for 65% of the
population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with
about 50,000 visitors in 1997, are other mainstays of the economy.
Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum
deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market.
Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is
hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports,
vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main
markets and between constituent islands.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$240 million (1997 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: NA%
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,300 (1997 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 23%
industry: 13%
services: 64% (1996)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (1997 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 65%, services 32%,
industry 3% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $94.4 million
expenditures: $99.8 million, including capital expenditures of $30.4
million (1996 est.)
Industries: food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning
Industrial production growth rate: 6.4% (1996 est.)
Electricity--production: 30 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 30 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams,
coconuts, fruits, vegetables; fish, beef
Exports: $30 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Exports--commodities: copra, beef, cocoa, timber, coffee
Exports--partners: Japan 28%, Spain 21%, Germany 14%, UK 7%, Cote
d'Ivoire 7%, Australia, New Caledonia (1996 est.)
Imports: $97 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Imports--commodities: machines and vehicles, food and beverages,
basic manufactures, raw materials and fuels, chemicals
Imports--partners: Japan 47%, Australia 23%, Singapore 8%, New
Zealand 6%, France 3%, Fiji (1996 est.)
Debt--external: $63 million (1996 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $45.8 million (1995)
Currency: 1 vatu (VT) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: vatu (VT) per US$1--129.66 (January 1999), 127.52
(1998), 115.87 (1997), 111.72 (1996), 112.11 (1995), 116.41 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 4,000 (1994 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 49,000 (1994 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 2,000 (1994 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 1,070 km
paved: 256 km
unpaved: 814 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo)
Merchant marine:
total: 82 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,327,078 GRT/1,764,558
DWT
ships by type: bulk 31, cargo 24, chemical tanker 3, combination
bulk 1, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 11,
vehicle carrier 6
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 15
countries among which are ships of Japan 28, India 10, US 10, Greece
3, Hong Kong 3, Australia 2, Canada 1, China 1, and France 1 (1998
est.)
Airports: 32 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 29
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 17 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police
Force (VPF; includes the paramilitary Vanuatu Mobile Force or VMF)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: claims Matthew and Hunter Islands east of
New Caledonia
======================================================================
@Venezuela
---------
Geography
Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and
the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 66 00 W
Map references: South America, Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 912,050 sq km
land: 882,050 sq km
water: 30,000 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly more than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total: 4,993 km
border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km
Coastline: 2,800 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 15 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain: Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest;
central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold,
bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,900 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: subject to floods, rockslides, mud slides;
periodic droughts
Environment--current issues: sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia;
oil and urban pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil
degradation; urban and industrial pollution, especially along the
Caribbean coast
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping
Geography--note: on major sea and air routes linking North and
South America
People
Population: 23,203,466 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 3,988,499; female 3,741,568)
15-64 years: 62% (male 7,231,546; female 7,184,769)
65 years and over: 5% (male 484,071; female 573,013) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.71% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 22.25 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 4.93 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 26.51 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.95 years
male: 69.97 years
female: 76.16 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.61 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Venezuelan(s)
adjective: Venezuelan
Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German,
African, indigenous people
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%
Languages: Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.1%
male: 91.8%
female: 90.3% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Venezuela
conventional short form: Venezuela
local long form: Republica de Venezuela
local short form: Venezuela
Data code: VE
Government type: republic
Capital: Caracas
Administrative divisions: 22 states (estados, singular--estado),1
federal district* (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependency**
(dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas,
Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**,
Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas,
Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, Zulia
note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled
island groups with a total of 72 individual islands
Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811)
Constitution: 23 January 1961
Legal system: based on Napoleonic code; judicial review of
legislative acts in Cassation Court only; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999);
note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February
1999); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003)
election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias elected president; percent of
vote--NA%
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress of the Republic or
Congreso de la Republica consists of the Senate or Senado (52 seats,
two from each state and the federal district (46), one for each of
the retired presidents, and others representing minorities (6);
members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and
Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (207 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate--last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA
December 2003); Chamber of Deputies--last held 6 December 1998 (next
to be held NA December 2003)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--AD 16, COPEI 14, Causa R 9, National Convergence 5, MAS 3,
independents 5; note--two former presidents (1 from AD, 1 from COPEI)
hold lifetime Senate seats; Chamber of Deputies--percent of vote by
party--AD 25.6%, COPEI 24.6%, MAS 10.6%, National Convergence 8.7%,
Causa R 19.3%; seats by party--AD 53, COPEI 51, Causa R 40, MAS 22,
National Convergence 18, other 23
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de
Justicia), magistrates are elected by both chambers in joint session
for a nine-year term, one-third are reelected every three years
Political parties and leaders: National Convergence or
Campins, president, and Donald RAMIREZ, secretary general];
ALFARO Ucero, secretary general]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS
Political pressure groups and leaders: FEDECAMARAS, a
conservative business group; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or
CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action); VECINOS
groups
International organization participation: CAN, Caricom
(observer), CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G- 3, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24,
G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES,
LAIA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans,
New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John Francis MAISTO
embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas
1060
mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037
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 seven white five-pointed stars centered in the
blue band
Economy
Economy--overview: The petroleum sector dominates the economy,
accounting for roughly a third of GDP, around 80% of export
earnings, and more than half of government operating revenues. As a
result, the steep downturn in international oil prices has had a
severe impact on the economy; fiscal cuts spurred by the loss of
revenues, high interest rates, and the sharp downturn in export
earnings drove the economy into recession in 1998. The recession
continued into 1999 with oil prices forecast to stay relatively low,
but rising. Although the government has pursued moderate austerity
measures to address the downturn in revenues, Venezuela's ongoing
reform program has largely stalled. Pressure on the
bolivar--overvalued by as much as 40%--was also significant through
much of 1998, increasing the probability of an adjustment of the
currency in 1999. Newly elected President Hugo CHAVEZ will be hard
pressed to address Venezuela's many economic ills. He has promised
to strike a balance between reforms designed to address the
structural deformities of the economy and addressing declining
living standards. CHAVEZ has sought to play down the populism that
marked his political campaign for the presidency in an effort to
allay investor concerns. The wide range of viewpoints represented on
CHAVEZ's economic team is likely to make rapid implementation of a
coherent policy difficult.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$194.5 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: -0.9% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$8,500 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 63%
services: 33% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: 31.3% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.5%
highest 10%: 35.6% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 29.9% (1998)
Labor force: 9.2 million
Labor force--by occupation: services 64%, industry 23%,
agriculture 13% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11.5% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $11.99 billion
expenditures: $11.48 billion, including capital expenditures of $3
billion (1996 est.)
Industries: petroleum, iron ore mining, construction materials,
food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly
Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1995 est.)
Electricity--production: 73 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 20.55%
hydro: 79.45%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 72.85 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 150 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas,
vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish
Exports: $16.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel,
chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures (1998)
Exports--partners: US and Puerto Rico 57%, Colombia, Brazil (1997)
Imports: $12.4 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities: raw materials, machinery and equipment,
transport equipment, construction materials (1998)
Imports--partners: US 53%, Japan, Colombia, Italy, Germany (1997)
Debt--external: $26.5 billion (1996)
Economic aid--recipient: $50.8 million (1995)
Currency: 1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: bolivares (Bs) per US$1--570.267 (January 1999),
547.556 (1998), 488.635 (1997), 417.333 (1996), 176.843 (1995),
148.503 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 1.44 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: modern and expanding
domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations
international: 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth station--1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 181, FM 0, shortwave 26
Radios: 9.04 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 66 (in addition, there are 45
repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 3.3 million (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 584 km (248 km privately owned)
standard gauge: 584 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways:
total: 84,300 km
paved: 33,214 km
unpaved: 51,086 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept
oceangoing vessels
Pipelines: crude oil 6,370 km; petroleum products 480 km; natural
gas 4,010 km
Ports and harbors: Amuay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, La
Salina, Maracaibo, Matanzas, Palua, Puerto Cabello, Puerto la Cruz,
Puerto Ordaz, Puerto Sucre, Punta Cardon
Merchant marine:
total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 535,882 GRT/937,461 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 9, combination bulk 1, liquefied gas
tanker 2, oil tanker 8, passenger-cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 5,
short-sea passenger 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 371 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 122
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 32
914 to 1,523 m: 59
under 914 m: 16 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 249
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 94
under 914 m: 145 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas
Nacionales or FAN) includes Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas
Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada),
Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation
or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia
Nacional)
Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 6,268,982 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,522,757 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 242,362 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $1.1 billion (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: claims all of Guyana west of the
Essequibo River; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf
of Venezuela
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, opium, and coca leaf
for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large
quantities of cocaine and heroin transit the country from Colombia
bound for US and Europe; important money-laundering hub; active
eradication program primarily targeting opium
======================================================================
@Vietnam
-------
Geography
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:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical 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
Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 48% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 18,600 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with
extensive flooding
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: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear
Test Ban
People
Population: 77,311,210 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34% (male 13,377,315; female 12,603,906)
15-64 years: 61% (male 22,934,553; female 24,277,488)
65 years and over: 5% (male 1,645,288; female 2,472,660) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.37% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 20.78 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.56 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 34.84 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.1 years
male: 65.71 years
female: 70.64 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.41 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural)
adjective: Vietnamese
Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Muong, Tai, Meo,
Khmer, Man, Cham
Religions: Buddhist, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs,
Islam, Protestant, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao
Languages: Vietnamese (official), Chinese, English, French,
Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7%
male: 96.5%
female: 91.2% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
conventional short form: Vietnam
local long form: Cong Hoa Chu Nghia Viet Nam
local short form: Viet Nam
abbreviation: SRV
Data code: VM
Government type: Communist state
Capital: Hanoi
Administrative divisions: 58 provinces (tinh, singular and
plural), 3 municipalities* (thu do, singular and plural); 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, Can Tho, Cao
Bang, Dac Lac, Da Nang, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai
Duong, Hai Phong*, Ha Nam, Ha Noi*, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Ho
Chi Minh*, 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
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal