Population
80,000,000

Language
Vietnamese and ethnic
minority languages

Capital
Hanoi

Government
Socialist Republic

Ethnic groups
Vietnamese 88%, Chinese, Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Cham, mountain groups

Religions
Buddhist, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian, Muslim

GDP - per capita
$440 (PPP $1,996)

Area
329,560 sq km -
slightly larger than New Mexico

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)