1 Viet Nam Country Profile
Viet Nam Country Profile
Generic country information can be located from sources which are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures.
Generic Information:
Vietnam (Listeni/ˌviːətˈnɑːm/, /viˌɛt-/, /-ˈnæm/, /ˌvjɛt-/;[7] Vietnamese pronunciation: [viət˨ naːm˧] ( listen)), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV; Cộng hòa Xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam (About this sound listen)), is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With an estimated 90.3 million inhabitants as of 2012, it is the world's 13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous Asian country. The name Vietnam translates as "Southern Viet" (synonymous with the much more ancient term Nam Viet), and was first officially adopted in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long and again in 1945 with the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh. The country is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east.[8] Its capital city has been Hanoi since the reunification of North and South Vietnam in 1976. - Wikipedia (publisher), Vietnam, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam, Date last accessed: 19 Oct 2013.
For a brief history and economic overview of Vietnam, please select the following document:
Vietnam Country Profile Additional Information
Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.
Find the country in the generic links below:
Wikipedia Country Information Website of Wikipedia on Vietnam
IMF Country Information Website of the IMF on Vietnam
Economist Intelligence Unit* Website of the Economist on Vietnam
(*note - this is a paid service)
Facts and Figures:
Wolfram Alpha Website of Wolframalpha on Vietnam
World Bank Website of the Worldbank on Vietnam
Population Information: Website of the Worldpopulationreview on Vietnam
1.1 Viet Nam Humanitarian Background
Viet Nam Humanitarian Background
|
Disasters, Conflicts and Migration |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Natural Disasters |
Yes / No |
Comments / Details |
|
Drought |
Yes | Medium |
|
Earthquakes |
Yes | Low/Medium - According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Viet Nam has approximately 30 earthquake-prone areas |
|
Epidemics |
Yes | Medium - Outbreaks of known communicable diseases continue to occur regularly in Viet Nam and the region. Of particular concern is planning and preparedness for an influenza pandemic, a rare but recurrent event |
|
Extreme Temperatures |
Yes | Low - Cold spells affect Northern Viet Nam |
|
Flooding |
Yes | High -. More than one million people are affected by annual flooding in Viet Nam |
|
Insect Infestation |
Yes | n/a |
|
Mudslides |
Yes | High - Landslides are a common type of disaster in Viet Nam, consisting of river bank erosion, coastline erosion, and landslides on mountain slopes, etc. |
|
Volcanic Eruptions |
No | n/a |
|
High Waves / Surges |
Yes | Low - Though a tsunami has not yet happened in Viet Nam, many coastal areas of Viet Nam may be affected by a tsunami due to the earthquake potential that exists in some neighboring countries. |
|
Wildfires |
Yes | Medium |
|
High Winds |
Yes | High - The storm season lasts from May to December The frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones originating in the Pacific have increased over the last few decades and pose as one of the major disasters affecting Viet Nam |
|
Other Comments |
Because of its topography, Viet Nam is susceptible to typhoons, floods, droughts, sea water intrusion, landslides, forest fires and occasional earthquakes of which typhoons and floods are the most frequent and most devastating hazards. The storm season lasts from May to December with storms hitting the northern part of the country in May through June and moving gradually south from July to December. Given the massive concentration of its population along the coastline and in the low lying deltas, disasters cause a high loss of life and damaged livelihoods. The encroachment of economic activity and development into marginally suitable areas such as floodplains, costal swamps, drainage channels or other natural buffers only adds to the vulnerability of the population. |
|
|
Man-Made Issues |
||
|
Civil Strife |
No | n/a |
|
International Conflict |
No | n/a |
|
Internally Displaced Persons |
No | n/a |
|
Refugees Present |
Yes | Nearly a half million people had settled in the West before the 1987 Comprehensive Plan of Action ended in 1996. 110,000 Vietnamese who risked pirates and drowning on the high seas in an attempt to gain asylum in the West were rejected and sent home, some after languishing for years in refugee camps around the region. The majority have successfully reintegrated, allowing UNHCR in late 1998 to significantly reduce 25 years of activity in the Southeast Asian nation. |
|
Landmines / UXO Present |
Yes | In 2003, 166 casualties reported, down from 237 in 2001, however, estimates include 1,110 people killed and 1,882 injured every year on average |
|
Other Comments |
n/a |
For more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters:
Website of Emdat - Disaster Database
Calamities and Seasonal Affects
| Seasonal Affects on Transport | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Transport |
Comments |
From (month) to (month) |
|
Primary Road Transport |
Landslides, congestion | May to December |
|
Secondary Road Transport |
Landslides, congestion | May to December |
|
Rail Transport |
Landslides, congestion | May to December |
|
Air Transport |
- | - |
|
Waterway Transport |
- | - |
|
Seasonal Affects on Storage and Handling (economic, social, climate…) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Activity |
Comments |
From <month> to <month> |
|
Storage |
Shortage |
May to December |
|
Handling |
No affect |
n/a |
|
Other |
n/a |
n/a |
Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response
Government
The Government of Viet Nam holds primary responsibility for providing humanitarian assistance to people in need.
The United Nations Natural Disasters and Emergencies Program Coordination Group ( PCG 10) serves as a forum for UN agencies, including FAO, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNIFEM, UN HABITAT, WHO, IOM and WB.
The objective of this Preparedness Plan is to ensure coordination of UN assistance to the Government of Viet Nam (GoV) in respect to disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness, mitigation, relief/ rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The National Disaster Mitigation Partnership is the Government of Viet Nam’s counterpart to the PCG 10. The PCG 10 is expected to maintain close coordination with their Government counterparts, the National Cluster Leads.
On the 5th ASEAN Regional Forum on Disaster Relief, (Dec 2005) the Vietnamese delegate stressed on the necessity inter-agency coordination, especially between the military and civilian agencies.
Illustrating the government response measures and capacities in providing humanitarian assistance, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) reports on the operations (IFRC DREF Final operations report, 8 July 2009) following the Typhoon Hagupit:
“Following the weakening of Typhoon Hagupit from a full-fledged typhoon into a tropical depression, heavy rains caused flash floods and landslides in 11 northern provinces of Viet Nam on 26-28 September 2008. Of these, the provinces of Bac Giang, Lang Son, Quang Ninh and Son La suffered the worst results. Flooding was severe in many areas, particularly in the Bac Giang province where up to 62 communes and towns in three districts were submerged. In Quang Ninh province, as many as 70 communes in six districts were under deep water... (…).
Response from the central government in the wake of the disaster was mainly through the mobilization of army troops to evacuate affected people to safer and higher places such as cement buildings. After the immediate emergency, the government also worked through the health sector to provide Chloramine B to purify water, or support in cash of VND 2 million (USD 115) per family who lost family members in the disaster.
Local governments in their respective provinces immediately reacted during the emergency by providing instant noodles and water to those affected. Later assistance was mainly from local donors such as entrepreneurs, religious groups or organizations in the form of cash, instant noodles, rice or cloth, but in limited quantities.”
4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List
Humanitarian Community
4.2 Viet Nam Humanitarian Agency Contact List
Further Government and Humanitarian Community contact details can be found in the following document:
1.2 Viet Nam National Regulatory Departments
Viet Nam Regulatory Narrative
4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List
For further information on the National Regulatory Departments identified in the Government Contact List, please see the following document:
Vietnam National Regulatory Departments Additional Information
Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.
1.3 Viet Nam Customs Information
Viet Nam Customs Information
Duties and Tax Exemption
For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below:
4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List
Emergency Response:
[Note: This section contains information which is related and applicable to ‘crisis’ times. These instruments can be applied when an emergency is officially declared by the Government. When this occurs, there is usually a streamlined process to import goods duty and tax free.]
In the following table, state which of the following agreements and conventions apply to the country and if there are any other existing ones
|
Agreements / Conventions Description |
Ratified by Country? (Yes / No) |
|---|---|
|
WCO (World Customs Organization) member |
Yes, 01 Jul 1993 |
|
Annex J-5 Revised Kyoto Convention |
n/a |
|
OCHA Model Agreement |
n/a |
|
Tampere Convention (on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations) |
n/a |
|
Regional Agreements (on emergency/disaster response, but also customs unions, regional integration) |
n/a |
Exemption Certificate Document Requirements
|
Duties and Taxes Exemption Certificate Document Requirements (by commodity) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Food |
NFI (Shelter, WASH, Education) |
Medicines |
Vehicle & Spare Parts |
Staff & Office Supplies |
Telecoms Equipment |
|
Invoice |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Packing Lists |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
|
Other Documents |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
|
Additional Notes |
||||||
| See Vietnam Customs Information Additional Information | ||||||
Customs Clearance
General Information
For information on Customs Clearance, please select the following document: Vietnam Customs Information Additional Information
Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately