Vietnam is a communist state in Southeast Asia. Its official name is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and it is the most populous country among the mainland Southeast Asian countries.

Vietnamese has been the official language of Vietnam since the country gained independence from France in 1954. It is spoken by about 82 million people, mainly in Vietnam, but there are also Vietnamese speakers in the U.S., China, Cambodia, Laos, and a number of other countries.

Vietnam is a multi-nationality country with 54 ethnic groups. The Viet (Kinh) people account for 87 percent of the country's population. The other 53 ethnic minority groups, totaling over 8 million people, are scattered throughout the country. Among ethnic minorities, the largest ones are Tay, Thai, Muong, Hoa, Khmer, and Nung with a population of around 1 million each. (Source: Vietnam Government Portal, 2008).

Quick Facts:

• Vietnamese is ranked as the sixth most spoken non-English language in the U.S. by the Census Bureau. It jumps up at least two spots in several states, including: Arkansas, California, Georgia, and Louisiana. Vietnamese is the second most common non-English language spoken in Texas. Interested in finding out the top languages spoken in the state(s) your company conducts business? To request a copy of our proprietary report, "Foreign Speaker Demographics in the U.S. - Top 10 Languages in Every State," please contact us.



• As of 2007, just over 20 percent of Vietnam's population had Internet access.



• Miniwatts Research Group states that Vietnam achieved around 8 percent annual GDP growth from 1990 to 1997 and continued at around 7 percent from 2000 to 2002, making it the second-fastest growing economy in the world.



• In November 2007, Vietnam was officially admitted to the World Trade Organization; becoming its 150th member.



• The U.S. - Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), which went into effect on December 10, 2001, is the centerpiece of U.S. efforts to open Vietnam's market and promote reform of its trade.

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