Part of the country series of articles.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: NORMAL PRECAUTIONSThe Commonwealth advises travellers to exercise normal precautions when travelling in this country. Travellers should familiarise themselves with local laws and customs and consular availability.
| Socialist Republic of Vietnam | |
|---|---|
| Single-Party Socialist Republic | |
 |
|
| Capital | Hanoi |
| Languages | Vietnamese, French, and many regional languages |
| Population | 68,400,000 |
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a single-party socialist state in Southeast Asia and one of the most industrialised countries in the region. It is an ancient civilisation with a long and complicated history with China, despite their political similarities. Perhaps because of this proximity, Vietnam has a close political and economic relationship with the Soviet Union, and also has substantial influence over the Lao PDR as a quasi-client state, largely to undermine Chinese interests in the region. It also has good economic relations with Saigon despite its longstanding claim to unification, and is a major importer of Saigonese rice and fish.
Vietnam has substantial manufacturing and heavy industries, and has become an economic gateway to Asia for the Soviet bloc. It exports textiles, coal, rice and electronics (much of which is based on Soviet designs and sold under license). It is also famous for its coffee, which is grown in the southern highlands and sold even to Western countries, and its handsome capital of Hanoi, an ancient city of wide, tree-lined boulevards and unusually restrained socialist architecture.