Vietnam is located on the easternmost of the Indochina pensisula in Southeast Asian region. It borders with the People’s Republic of China on the north, Laos on the northwest, Cambodia on the southwest, and there is South China Sea along its eastern coastal areas.
Vietnam has seen its economy growing very fast. In fact, its economy has been one of the fastest growing ecoomies in the world. With the growth of its gross domestic products averaging between 6 and 8 percent during the last two decades, it has been the first fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia, and the second fastest growing one in East Asia, after China. During 1990-1997, its economy had been growing at an average of 8 percent per year, during 1998-2003 grew by an average of 6.5 percent per year, during 2004-2007 grew more than 8 percent, and during 2008-2009 decelerated to 6.2 percent, and it recovered to 6.5 percent during the first quarter of 2010.
Based on 2009 census Vietnam has a total population of 85 million, consisting of 54 ethnic groups. The largest among them is the Kinh ethnics, accounting for about 85 percent of the total population. The second largest ethnics are Tay and Thailand, respectively 1.89 percent and 1.8 percent and concentrated on northern mountainous area of Vietnam.
The Republic of Socialist Vietnam has only a single party. Its new constitution was approved in 1992 to replace the old version of 1975. The previous central role of Communist Party was returned in all agencies of the government, politics, and social. Only political organizations supported or cooperated with the Communist Party that can participate in the general elections. Those include Vietnamese Fatherland Front, Trade and Labor Union Party. Although Vietnam still has the socialism as its doctrine, it has significantly reduced its idealogical function since 1990s.
