Vietnam

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Introduction - Vietnam:
Location - Vietnam:
People - Vietnam:
Government - Vietnam:
Economy - Vietnam:
Communications - Vietnam:
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Military - Vietnam:
Military branches	Peoples Armed Forces: Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (includes Peoples Navy Command (with naval infantry, coast guard), Air and Air Defense Force (Kon Quan Nhan Dan), Border Defense Command), Peoples Public Security Forces, Militia Force, Self-Defense Forces (2005)

Military service age and obligation	18 years of age (male) for compulsory military service; females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (3 to 4 years in the navy); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Forces (2006)

Manpower available for military service	males age 18-49: 21,341,813 females age 18-49: 21,430,808 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service	males age 18-49: 16,032,358 females age 18-49: 17,921,241 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually	males age 18-49: 915,572 females age 18-49: 864,161 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures percent of gdp	2.5% (2005 est.)

Disputes international	southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamese squatters and armed encroachments along border; an estimated 300,000 Vietnamese refugees reside in China; establishment of a maritime boundary with Cambodia is hampered by unresolved dispute over the sovereignty of offshore islands; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed; China occupies the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding code of conduct desired by several of the disputants; Vietnam continues to expand construction of facilities in the Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands