The state president The State President is the Head of State, elected by the National Assembly from among its deputies to represent the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in domestic and foreign affairs, head of all people’s armed forces and takes charge of the position of Chairman of the Security and National Defense Council. The term of office of the State President is the same as that of the National Assembly.

The national assembly The National Assembly is the highest-level representative body of the people; the highest organ of state power of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the sole organ that has the constitutional and legislative rights. The National Assembly decides the fundamental domestic and foreign policies, the socio-economic tasks, national defense and security issues, the major principles governing the State machinery, the social relations and activities of citizens. The National Assembly exercises the right to supreme supervision of all activities of the State.

POLITICAL SYSTEM The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a rule-of-law state. The political system was established upon the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and comprises the following:

Aspects of development Viet Nam is located in a region considered a cradle of mankind, one of the earliest agricultural centres practicing wet rice farming, where the stone and metallurgical revolutions took place. On the basis of socio-economic development in the time of the Dong Son culture and given the struggle with nature and against aggression, Van Lang State, the first State in Viet Nam was established in the 7th century B.C. Thanks to their hard work and creativeness, Van Lang (and then Au Lac) residents created a civilization that influenced the entire Southeast Asian region. Together with the formation of the first State in Viet Nam’s history was the evolution of a diverse economy and advanced culture known as the Red River civilization (or Dong Son civilization) symbolized by Dong Son bronze drum, a heritage reflecting the quintessence of the lifestyle, traditions and culture of the ancient Vietnamese.

LANGUAGES In addition to their unique cultures, 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam have different languages. 24 ethnic groups have their own scripts such as Thai, H'Mong, Tay, Nung, Khmer, Gia Rai, Ede, Chinese and Cham, etc. And some of these scripts, are used at schools.

ETHNIC GROUPS Ethnic Groups: Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country with 54 ethnic groups coexisting peacefully, among which the Kinh people account for 86% of the population. Among ethnic minorities, the most populous are Tay, Thai, Muong, Hoa, Khmer, and Nung with a population of around 1 million each, while the least populous are Brau and Odu with several hundred people each. The Kinh people mainly inhabit in the low land and deltas. The majority of the other 53 ethnic groups are scattered over mountainous areas and the midland spreading from the North to the South. Most ethnic groups coexist in the same regions, particularly the ethnic minorities in Northern and Northern Central region.

Population Population: With over 83 million people (according to the 2005 Population Census), Vietnam is ranked 13th among the most populous countries in the world. 25% of the population lives in urban areas and 75% in rural areas. The population growth rate is 1.18% per annum. Ho Chi Minh City (5 million people) and Hanoi (3.5 million people) are the most populous cities in Vietnam. Given the trend toward urbanization in many regions in Vietnam, population in urban areas is expected to grow in the coming years.

Rivers Rivers Vietnam has a dense network of rivers and streams (2,360 rivers of more than 10 km in length), flowing in two main directions of Northwest and Southeast in a bow shape. The Red River and the Mekong River, the two largest rivers in Vietnam, create two vast and fertile deltas. Each year, the river and stream network is supplied with 310 billion cubic metres of water. The water supply for rivers and streams depends on the flood and drought seasons. 70%-80% of the annual water volume is provided in the flood season.

Climate Climate Vietnam is located in the tropical and temperate zone. Vietnam’s climate is characterized by high temperature and humidity all year round. North Vietnam, under the impact of the Chinese mainland, has more or less mainland climate. In addition, the Eastern Sea also affects Vietnam’s tropical monsoon climate. The monsoon climate does not spread evenly all over the Vietnamese territory, where there are different regions with different climates. Vietnam’s climate changes by seasons and by regions from the lowland to highland, from North to South and from East to West. Given the strong influence of the Northwest monsoon, the average temperature in Vietnam is lower than many Asian countries located at the same latitude.

Geographical location Geographical location Vietnam is located in the Eastern part of the Indochina peninsula, bordering China to the North, Laos and Cambodia to the West with a long land border of 4,550 km, and facing the Eastern Sea (South China Sea) and the Pacific to the East and the South. On the map, Vietnam is an S-shaped long strip of land, stretching from 23°23’ to 8°27’ North latitude. The country’s total length is 1,650 km from the northernmost point to the southernmost point. Its width, stretching from the Eastern coast to the Western border, is about 500 km at the widest part and about 50 km at the narrowest part.