Viet Nam shares borders with Lao’s PDR and Cambodia, the country has a coastline that is 3,260 kilometres long and the coastal regions constitute 41% of the whole country area. This leads to the abundance of diversified marine resources and coastal habitats in Viet Nam’s marine areas. Three-quarters consists of mountains and hills and the most grandiose and highest mountain ranges lie in the west and northwest of the country. The arable land accounts for only 17% and half of the cultivated area is irrigated while the country also has ample supplies of water from the rivers through the deltas and other lowland areas. Viet Nam has high temperatures and humidity all year round, especially in rainy seasons (UNESCO 2006, Government of Viet Nam n.d.).
The population in Viet Nam is currently more than 90 million, and the population growth rate was reported as 1.0 percent in 2011. About 70% of the population lives in rural areas and two-thirds of the labour force is employed in the agricultural sector. In terms of gender composition, about 50.2 % of the population is female. About one-fourth of the population is children under 15 and 5.5% are people aged 65 and above. The country has 54 different ethnic groups with strong cultural traditions, values and heritage, speaking nearly 100 languages. Literacy rate among total adult was 94% in 2009 (UNESCO 2007, Central Intelligence Agency n.d., World Bank n.d.).
Viet Nam is a lower middle income country. Due to the huge population residing in the coastal region, the coastal provinces contribute to approximately 30% of Viet Nam’s total GDP and about 50% of Viet Nam’s income depends on export. The main export products include clothes, shoes, marine products, crude oil, wooden products and rice, and the main export partners are US, Japan, China and South Korea. Viet Nam has enjoyed rapid economic growth since the late 1980s, but the global recession has hurt Viet Nam's export-oriented economy, with GDP growing less than 7 % in 2009-10. For a long time, Viet Nam’s economy was highly reliant on agriculture; however agriculture's share of the economic output has continued to shrink from about 25% in 2000 to about 20% in 2010, although proportionally the size of the industry grew from 36% to 41% in the same period. At the same time, economic growth has led to significant reduction in poverty, and the Government is now faced with the challenge of creating jobs opportunities to meet the needs of the growing labour force (UNESCO 2007, Central Intelligence Agency n.d., World Bank, n.d.).
The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam is a one-party state, where the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) holds the monopoly of the political process. Since reunification in 1974, Viet Nam has been governed by a troika composed of the President of the State, the Government Prime Minister and the CPV Secretary General. Key decisions are taken by consensus within the troika. The general political framework extends to the Party Congress and the Politburo, the latter formerly the Standing Committee of the Central Committee. The head of government is Prime Minister, and the cabinet is appointed by the president based on proposal of prime minister and confirmed by the National Assembly. The cabinet is constitutionally responsible to the National Assembly which is elected for a 5-year term by the popular vote (The Economist 2009, Central Intelligence Agency n.d., UN DESA 2004).
In addition to the central government, Viet Nam’s local administration system is divided geographically into 3 levels: communes (about 10400 units), districts (about 600 units) and provinces (58 units including 3 municipalities). At all 3 levels, there is a representative body (the people’s council) and an executive body (the people’s committee). The local people elect the people’s council, and the people’s council selects the chairman of the people’s committee. The popularly elected people’s council is ‘the local organ of the State power.’ Thus, local administration, including budgetary and administrative responsibilities, is managed by the people’s committee (UN DESA 2004).
Despite rapid economic growth over 2 decades, poverty rates still remain high and extreme poverty is heavily concentrated in remote, isolated and ethnic minority regions. Although remarkable progress has been made in recent years as a result of the economic boost, the quality of education is still lagging behind due to factors such as limited infrastructure, high dropout rates and lack of adequate resources. In addition, access to education for disadvantaged groups, such as ethnic minority groups and girls, continues to cause concern.
The spread of HIV and AIDS is also a significant threat for future prosperity in Viet Nam. Women, children, and young people are among the most vulnerable groups exposed to reproductive-health-related risks, including HIV. The majority of reported HIV cases are directly or indirectly related to injecting drug use and/or sex work. Access to and quality of health care varies depending on geographical location and income group.
In addition, Viet Nam faces increasing challenges of sustainable development due to economic growth through expansion of the tourism industry and rapid urban development around heritage sites. In 2008, the urban development rate was as high as 94% and urbanization, in combination with industrialization, is resulting in unsustainable levels of air and water pollution (UNESCO 2007, World Bank n.d.).
