Full country name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Area: 329,566 sq km

Population: 85.3 million

Capital City: Hanoi (pop. 4.1 million)

People: 84% ethnic Vietnamese, 2% ethnic Chinese, also Khmers, Chams (a remnant of the once-great Indianised Champa Kingdom) and members of over 50 ethnolinguistic groups (also known as Montagnards, 'highlanders' in French)

Language: Vietnamese, Russian, French, Chinese, English

Religion: Buddhism is the principal religion but there are also sizeable Taoist, Confucian, Muslim and Christian minorities

Government: Communist state

Economy: GDP (2006): $48.43 billion

Real growth rate (2006): 8.2%

Per capita income (2006): $3,100

Inflation rate (2006): 7.5%

External debt (2006 est.): 43.8% of GDP

Natural resources: Coal, crude oil, zinc, copper, silver, gold, manganese, iron

Cultivated land: 12.2 million hectares per year

Land use: 21% arable; 28% forest and woodland; 51% other

Major Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, paper

Exports (2006): $39.94 billion

Principal exports: garments/textiles, crude oil, footwear, rice (second-largest exporter in world), sea products, coffee, rubber, handicrafts

Major export partners (2006): US 21.3%, Japan 12.3%, Australia 9.4%, China 5.7%, Germany 4.5%, Singapore 4.8%, UK 4.6%

Imports (2005): $40.56 billion

Principal imports: machinery, oil and gas, garment materials, iron and steel, transport-related equipment

Major import partners: China 17.1%, Singapore 12.5%, Taiwan 11.2%, Japan 9.5%, South Korea 9.3%, Thailand 7.1%, Malaysia 4%