Vietnam - Transportation

Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational Issues

Vietnam is located Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia. The climate is tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March). The terrain is low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest.

Airports

This entry gives the total number of airports or airfields recognizable from the air. The runway(s) may be paved (concrete or asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, earth, sand, or gravel surfaces) but may include closed or abandoned installations. Airports or airfields that are no longer recognizable (overgrown, no facilities, etc.) are not included. Note that not all airports have accommodations for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.
Airports : 44 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways - total : 37
Airports - with paved runways - over 3,047 m : 9
Airports - with paved runways - 2,438 to 3,047 m : 5
Airports - with paved runways - 1,524 to 2,437 m : 13
Airports - with paved runways - 914 to 1,523 m : 10 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total : 7
Airports - with unpaved runways - 1,524 to 2,437 m : 1
Airports - with unpaved runways - 914 to 1,523 m : 3
Airports - with unpaved runways - under 914 m : 3 (2007)

Heliports

This entry gives the total number of heliports with hard- surface runways, helipads, or landing areas that support routine sustained helicopter operations exclusively and have support facilities including one or more of the following facilities
Heliports : 1 (2007)

Pipelines

This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for transporting products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum products.
Pipelines : condensate/gas 432 km; gas 510 km; oil 49 km; refined products 206 km (2007)

Railways

This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts by gauge
Railways - total : 2,600 km
Railways - standard gauge : 178 km 1.435-m gauge
Railways - narrow gauge : 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge
Railways - dual gauge : 253 km three-rail track combining 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (2006)

Roadways

This entry gives the total length of the road network and includes the length of the paved and unpaved portions.
Roadways - total : 222,179 km
Roadways - paved : 42,167 km
Roadways - unpaved : 180,012 km (2004)

Waterways

This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water.
Waterways : 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2005)

Merchant marine

Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc. This entry contains information in four fields - total, ships by type, foreign-owned, and registered in other countries. *** Total includes the number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc., that a ship can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross register tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered volume of a ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it to tons on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable relationship between GRT and DWT. *** Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers, combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional large-load carriers, petroleum tankers, passenger ships, passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized tankers, and vehicle carriers. *** Foreign-owned are ships that fly the flag of one country but belong to owners in another. *** Registered in other countries are ships that belong to owners in one country but fly the flag of another.
Merchant marine - total : 387
Merchant marine - by type : barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 36, cargo 280, chemical tanker 12, container 14, liquefied gas 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 32, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1
Merchant marine - foreign-owned : 2 (Hong Kong 1, Japan 1)
Merchant marine - registered in other countries : 64 (Honduras 1, Liberia 4, Mongolia 23, Panama 30, Tuvalu 5, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals

This entry lists major ports and terminals primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of containers handled or ship visits were also considered.
Ports and terminals : Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City

Transportation - note

This entry includes miscellaneous transportation information of significance not included elsewhere.
Transportation - note : the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

More Information about the country

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