Thailand Vietnam

Background A unified Thai kingdom was "The conquest of established in the mid-14th century. Vietnam by France Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is began in 1858 and the only Southeast Asian country was completed by never to have been colonized by a 1884. It became part European power. A bloodless of French Indochina revolution in 1932 led to the in 1887. Vietnam establishment of a constitutional declared monarchy. In alliance with Japan independence after during World War II, Thailand became World War II, but a US treaty ally in 1954 after sending France continued to troops to Korea and later fighting rule until its 1954 alongside the US in Vietnam. Thailand defeat by communist since 2005 has experienced several forces under Ho Chi rounds of political turmoil including a MINH. Under the military coup in 2006 that ousted then Geneva Accords of Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat, 1954, Vietnam was followed by large-scale street protests divided into the by competing political factions in communist North 2008, 2009, and 2010. THAKSIN's and anti-communist youngest sister, YINGLAK Chinnawat, South. US economic in 2011 led the Puea Thai Party to an and military aid to electoral win and assumed control of South Vietnam grew the government. A blanket amnesty through the 1960s in bill for individuals involved in street an attempt to bolster protests, altered at the last minute to the government, but include all political crimes - including US armed forces all convictions against THAKSIN - were withdrawn triggered months of large-scale anti- following a cease- government protests in Bangkok fire agreement in beginning in November 2013. 1973. Two years In early May 2014, YINGLAK was later, North removed from office by the Vietnamese forces Constitutional Court and in late May overran the South 2014 the Royal Thai Army, led by reuniting the country Royal Thai Army Gen. PRAYUT Chan- under communist ocha, staged a coup against the rule. Despite the caretaker government. PRAYUT was return of peace, for appointed prime minister in August over a decade the 2014. The interim military government country experienced created several interim institutions to little economic promote reform and draft a new growth because of constitution, which was passed in a conservative national referendum in August 2016. leadership policies, Elections are tentatively set for late- the persecution and Thailand Vietnam

2018. King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet mass exodus of passed away in October 2016 after 70 individuals - many of years on the throne; his only son, them successful WACHIRALONGKON South Vietnamese Bodinthrathepphayawarangkun, merchants - and ascended the throne in December growing 2016. He signed the new constitution international in April 2017. Thailand has also isolation. However, experienced violence associated with since the enactment the ethno-nationalist insurgency in its of Vietnam's ""doi southern Malay-Muslim majority moi"" (renovation) provinces. Since January 2004, policy in 1986, thousands have been killed and Vietnamese wounded in the insurgency. authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export- driven industries. The communist leaders maintain tight control on political expression but have demonstrated some modest steps toward better protection of human rights. The country continues to experience small- scale protests, the vast majority connected to either land-use issues, calls for increased political space, or the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. The small-scale Thailand Vietnam

protests in the urban areas are often organized by human rights activists, but many occur in rural areas and involve various ethnic minorities such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands, Hmong in the Northwest Highlands, and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region. "

Geography

Thailand Vietnam

Location Southeastern Asia, Southeastern Asia, bordering bordering the Andaman the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Sea and the Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, Thailand, southeast of as well as China, Laos, and Burma Cambodia

Geographic 15 00 N, 100 00 E 16 10 N, 107 50 E coordinates

Map Southeast Asia Southeast Asia references

Area total: 513,120 sq km total: 331,210 sq km land: 510,890 sq km land: 310,070 sq km water: 2,230 sq km water: 21,140 sq km

Area - about three times the size about three times the size of comparative of Florida; slightly more Tennessee; slightly larger than New Mexico Thailand Vietnam

than twice the size of Wyoming

Land total: 5,673 km total: 4,616 km boundaries border countries border countries (4): Burma 2,416 km, (3): Cambodia 1,158 km, Cambodia 817 km, Laos China 1,297 km, Laos 2,161 1,845 km, Malaysia 595 km km

Coastline 3,219 km 3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm territorial sea: 12 nm claims exclusive economic contiguous zone: 24 nm zone: 200 nm exclusive economic continental shelf: 200-m zone: 200 nm depth or to the depth of continental shelf: 200 nm exploitation or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate tropical; rainy, warm, tropical in south; monsoonal cloudy southwest monsoon in north with hot, rainy (mid-May to September); season (May to September) dry, cool northeast and warm, dry season monsoon (November to (October to March) mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid

Terrain central plain; Khorat low, flat delta in south and Plateau in the east; north; central highlands; hilly, mountains elsewhere mountainous in far north and northwest

Elevation mean elevation: 287 m mean elevation: 398 m extremes elevation elevation extremes: lowest extremes: lowest point: point: South China Sea 0 m Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Fan Si Pan highest point: Doi Inthanon 3,144 m 2,565 m Thailand Vietnam

Natural tin, rubber, natural gas, phosphates, coal, resources tungsten, tantalum, timber, manganese, rare earth lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, elements, bauxite, chromate, fluorite, arable land offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use agricultural land: 41.2% agricultural land: 34.8% arable land 30.8%; arable land 20.6%; permanent crops 8.8%; permanent crops 12.1%; permanent pasture 1.6% permanent pasture 2.1% forest: 37.2% forest: 45% other: 21.6% (2011 est.) other: 20.2% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land 64,150 sq km (2012) 46,000 sq km (2012)

Natural land subsidence in Bangkok occasional typhoons (May to hazards area resulting from the January) with extensive depletion of the water flooding, especially in the table; droughts Mekong River delta

Environment air pollution from vehicle logging and slash-and-burn - current emissions; water pollution agricultural practices issues from organic and factory contribute to deforestation wastes; deforestation; soil and soil degradation; water erosion; wildlife pollution and overfishing populations threatened by threaten marine life illegal hunting populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Environment party to: Biodiversity, party to: Biodiversity, - Climate Change, Climate Climate Change, Climate international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Change-Kyoto Protocol, agreements Desertification, Endangered Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Species, Environmental Thailand Vietnam

Wastes, Marine Life Modification, Hazardous Conservation, Ozone Layer Wastes, Law of the Sea, Protection, Tropical Timber Ozone Layer Protection, Ship 83, Tropical Timber 94, Pollution, Wetlands Wetlands signed, but not signed, but not ratified: none of the ratified: Law of the Sea selected agreements

Geography - controls only land route extending 1,650 km north to note from Asia to Malaysia and south, the country is only 50 Singapore; ideas for the km across at its narrowest construction of a canal point across the Kra Isthmus that would create a bypass to the Strait of Malacca and shorten shipping times around Asia continue to be discussed

Population highest population density though it has one of the distribution is found in and around highest population densities Bangkok; significant in the world, the population is population clusters found not evenly dispersed; througout large parts of clustering is heaviest along the country, particularly the South China Sea and Gulf north and northeast of of Tonkin, with the Mekong Bangkok and in the Delta (in the south) and the extreme southern region of Red River Valley (in the the country north) having the largest concentrations of people

Demographics

Thailand Vietnam

Population 68,414,135 96,160,163 (July 2017 est.) note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant Thailand Vietnam

mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2017 est.)

Age structure 0-14 years: 16.93% (male 0-14 years: 23.55% 5,933,269/female (male 11,909,326/female 5,649,864) 10,735,324) 15-24 years: 14.17% 15-24 years: 16.23% (male 4,943,583/female (male 8,098,019/female 4,752,038) 7,509,021) 25-54 years: 46.32% 25-54 years: 45.56% (male 15,677,322/female (male 22,087,095/female 16,009,399) 21,719,615) 55-64 years: 12% (male 55-64 years: 8.55% 3,851,575/female (male 3,798,928/female 4,358,837) 4,419,837) 65 years and 65 years and over: 10.58% (male over: 6.12% (male 3,165,799/female 2,281,923/female 4,072,449) (2017 est.) 3,601,075) (2017 est.)

Median age total: 37.7 years total: 30.5 years male: 36.6 years male: 29.4 years female: 38.7 years (2017 female: 31.7 years (2017 est.) est.)

Population 0.3% (2017 est.) 0.93% (2017 est.) growth rate

Birth rate 11 births/1,000 population 15.5 births/1,000 (2017 est.) population (2017 est.)

Death rate 8 deaths/1,000 population 5.9 deaths/1,000 (2017 est.) population (2017 est.)

Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 rate population (2017 est.) population (2017 est.) Thailand Vietnam

Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 0-14 years: 1.11 male(s)/female male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.04 15-24 years: 1.08 male(s)/female male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.98 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.89 55-64 years: 0.85 male(s)/female male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female male(s)/female total population: 0.97 total population: 1 male(s)/female (2016 est.) male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Infant total: 9.2 deaths/1,000 live total: 17.3 deaths/1,000 mortality rate births live births male: 10.1 deaths/1,000 male: 17.6 deaths/1,000 live births live births female: 8.2 deaths/1,000 female: 16.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) live births (2017 est.)

Life total population: 74.9 total population: 73.7 expectancy at years years birth male: 71.7 years male: 71.2 years female: 78.3 years (2017 female: 76.4 years (2017 est.) est.)

Total fertility 1.52 children born/woman 1.81 children born/woman rate (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - 1.1% (2016 est.) 0.4% (2016 est.) adult prevalence rate

Nationality noun: Thai (singular and noun: Vietnamese plural) (singular and plural) adjective: Thai adjective: Vietnamese Thailand Vietnam

Ethnic groups Thai 97.5%, Burmese 1.3%, Kinh (Viet) 85.7%, Tay other 1.1%, unspecified 1.9%, Thai 1.8%, Muong <.1% (2015 est.) 1.5%, Khmer 1.5%, Mong 1.2%, Nung 1.1%, Hoa 1%, other 4.3% note: 54 ethnic groups are recognized by the Vietnamese Government (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - 450,000 (2016 est.) 250,000 (2016 est.) people living with HIV/AIDS

Religions Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim Buddhist 7.9%, Catholic 4.3%, Christian 1%, other 6.6%, Hoa Hao 1.7%, Cao <.1%, none <.1% (2015 Dai 0.9%, Protestant 0.9%, est.) Muslim 0.1%, none 81.8% (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - 16,000 (2016 est.) 8,000 (2016 est.) deaths

Languages Thai (official) 90.7%, Vietnamese (official), Burmese 1.3%, other 8% English (increasingly note: English is a secondary favored as a second language of the elite (2010 language), some French, est.) Chinese, and Khmer, mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo- Polynesian)

Literacy definition: age 15 and over definition: age 15 and can read and write over can read and write total population: 92.9% total population: 94.5% male: 94.7% male: 96.3% female: 91.2% (2015 est.) female: 92.8% (2015 est.)

Major degree of risk: very high degree of risk: very high infectious food or waterborne food or waterborne diseases diseases: bacterial diarrhea diseases: bacterial Thailand Vietnam

vectorborne diarrhea, hepatitis A, and diseases: dengue fever, typhoid fever Japanese encephalitis, and vectorborne malaria (2016) diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis (2016)

Education 4.1% of GDP (2013) 5.7% of GDP (2013) expenditures

Urbanization urban population: 52.7% urban population: 34.9% of total population (2017) of total population (2017) rate of rate of urbanization: 2.2% annual urbanization: 2.59% rate of change (2015-20 annual rate of change est.) (2015-20 est.)

Drinking water improved: improved: source urban: 97.6% of population urban: 99.1% of population rural: 98% of population rural: 96.9% of population total: 97.8% of population total: 97.6% of population unimproved: unimproved: urban: 2.4% of population urban: 0.9% of population rural: 2% of population rural: 3.1% of population total: 2.2% of population total: 2.4% of population (2015 est.) (2015 est.)

Sanitation improved: improved: facility access urban: 89.9% of population urban: 94.4% of population rural: 96.1% of population rural: 69.7% of population total: 93% of population total: 78% of population unimproved: unimproved: urban: 10.1% of population urban: 5.6% of population rural: 3.9% of population rural: 30.3% of population total: 7% of population total: 22% of population (2015 est.) (2015 est.)

Major cities - BANGKOK (capital) 9.27 Ho Chi Minh City 7.298 population million; Samut Prakan 1.814 million; HANOI (capital) million (2015) 3.629 million; Can Tho 1.175 million; Haiphong Thailand Vietnam

1.075 million; Da Nang 952,000; Bien Hoa 834,000 (2015)

Maternal 20 deaths/100,000 live 54 deaths/100,000 live mortality rate births (2015 est.) births (2015 est.)

Children 9.2% (2012) 14.1% (2015) under the age of 5 years underweight

Health 6.5% of GDP (2014) 7.1% of GDP (2014) expenditures

Physicians 0.39 physicians/1,000 1.18 physicians/1,000 density population (2010) population (2013)

Hospital bed 2.1 beds/1,000 population 2 beds/1,000 population density (2010) (2010)

Obesity - 10% (2016) 2.1% (2016) adult prevalence rate

Child labor - total number: 818,399 total number: 2,545,616 children ages percentage: 8% (2006 percentage: 16% (2006 5-14 est.) est.)

Contraceptive 79.3% (2012) 75.7% (2015) prevalence rate

Dependency total dependency total dependency ratios ratio: 40 ratio: 42.5 youth dependency youth dependency ratio: 25.2 ratio: 32.9 Thailand Vietnam

elderly dependency elderly dependency ratio: 14.8 ratio: 9.6 potential support potential support ratio: 6.8 (2015 est.) ratio: 10.4 (2015 est.)

Government

Thailand Vietnam

Country "conventional long "conventional long name form: Kingdom of form: Socialist Republic of Thailand Vietnam conventional short conventional short form: Thailand form: Vietnam local long form: Ratcha local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Anachak Thai Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam local short form: Prathet local short form: Viet Nam Thai abbreviation: SRV former: Siam etymology: ""Viet nam"" etymology: ""Land of the translates as ""Viet south,"" Tai [People]""; the where ""Viet"" is an ethnic self meaning of ""tai"" is identification dating to a second uncertain, but may century B.C. kingdom and originally have meant ""nam"" refers to its location in ""human beings,"" relation to other Viet kingdoms ""people,"" or ""free " people"" "

Government constitutional monarchy; communist state type note - interim military- affiliated government since May 2014

Capital name: Bangkok name: Hanoi (Ha Noi) geographic geographic coordinates: 21 coordinates: 13 45 N, 02 N, 105 51 E 100 31 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 time difference: UTC+7 hours ahead of Washington, (12 hours ahead of DC, during Standard Time) Washington, DC, during Standard Time) Thailand Vietnam

Administrati 76 provinces (changwat, 58 provinces (tinh, singular and ve divisions singular and plural) and 1 plural) and 5 municipalities municipality* (maha (thanh pho, singular and plural) nakhon); Amnat Charoen, provinces: An Giang, Bac Ang Thong, Bueng Kan, Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Buri Ram, Chachoengsao, Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum, Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Mau, Cao Bang, Dak Lak, Dak Chumphon, Kalasin, Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Kamphaeng Phet, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Ha Nam, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong, Krabi, Krung Thep* Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung (Bangkok), Lampang, Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Mae Hong Son, Maha Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Pathom, Nakhon Phanom, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Nakhon Ratchasima, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Thammarat, Nan, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Narathiwat, Nong Bua Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Pattani, Phangnga, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai Phatthalung, Phayao, municipalities: Can Tho, Da Phetchabun, Phetchaburi, Nang, Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Ho Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Chi Minh City (Saigon) Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket, Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Saraburi, Satun, Sing Buri, Si Sa Ket, Songkhla, Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon Thailand Vietnam

Independen 1238 (traditional founding 2 September 1945 (from ce date; never colonized) France)

National Birthday of King Maha Independence Day (National holiday VAJIRALONGKORN, 28 Day), 2 September (1945) July (1952)

Constitution many previous; draft of several previous; latest adopted latest completed 29 March 15 April 1992, effective 1 2016, approved by January 1995; amended 2001, referendum 7 August 2013 (2016) 2016, signed by the king 6 April 2017; note - the final version has several changes not reflected in the one passed by referendum (2016)

Legal civil law system with civil law system; note - the civil system common law influences code of 2005 reflects a European-style civil law

Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive chief of state: King chief of state: President Tran branch WACHIRALONGKON Dai QUANG (since 2 April Bodinthrathepphayawaran 2016); Vice President Dang Thi gkun, also spelled Ngoc THINH (since 7 April Vajiralongkorn 2016) Bodindradebayavarangkun head of government: Prime (since 1 December 2016); Minister Nguyen Xuan PHUC note - King PHUMIPHON (since 7 April 2016); Deputy Adunyadet, also spelled Prime Ministers Truong Hoa BHUMIBOL Adulyadej BINH (since 9 April 2016), (since 9 June 1946) died Vuong Dinh HUE (since 9 April 13 October 2016 2016), Vu Duc DAM (since 13 head of November 2013), Trinh Dinh government: Interim DUNG (since 9 April 2016), Prime Minister Gen. Pham Binh MINH (since 13 PRAYUT Chan-ocha (since November 2013) Thailand Vietnam

25 August 2014); Deputy cabinet: Cabinet proposed by Prime Ministers PRAWIT prime minister, appointed by Wongsuwan, Gen. (since the president, and confirmed by 31 August 2014), the National Assembly WISSANU Kruea-ngam elections/appointments: pre (since 31 August 2014), sident indirectly elected by SOMKHIT Chatusiphithak National Assembly from among (since 20 August 2015), its members for a single 5-year PRACHIN Chantong, Air term; election last held on 2 Chief Mar. (since 20 April 2016 (next to be held in August 2015), CHATCHAI spring 2021); prime minister Sarikan, Gen. (since 23 appointed by the president November 2017) from among members of the cabinet: Council of National Assembly, confirmed Ministers nominated by by National Assembly; deputy the prime minister, prime ministers appointed by appointed by the king; a the prime minister, confirmed Privy Council advises the by National Assembly king election results: Tran Dai elections/appointment QUANG (CPV) elected s: the monarchy is president; percent of National hereditary; the House of Assembly vote - 98.9%; Representatives approves Nguyen Xuan PHUC elected a person for Prime Minister prime minister; percent of who must then be National Assembly vote - 91.0% appointed by the King (as stated in the transitory provision of the 2017 constitution); the office of prime minister can be held for up to a total of 8 years note: Gen. Prayut Chan- ocha was appointed interim prime minister in August 2014, three months after he staged the coup that removed the previously elected government of Prime Minister YINGLUCK Chinnawat, also spelled YINGLUCK Shinawatra Thailand Vietnam

Legislative description: in transition; description: unicameral branch following the May 2014 National Assembly or Quoc Hoi military coup, a National (500 seats; members directly Legislative Assembly or elected by absolute majority Sapha Nitibanyat Haeng vote with a second round if Chat of no more than 220 needed; members serve 5-year members replaced the terms) bicameral National elections: last held on 22 May Assembly; expanded to 2016 (next to be held in May 250 members in 2021) September 2016; elections election results: percent of for a permanent legislative vote by party - CPV 95.8%, body are scheduled for non-party members 4.2%; November 2018; the 2017 seats by party - CPV 473, non- constitution calls for a party CPV-approved 19, self- 250-member military- nominated 2; note - 496 appointed Senate with 5- candidates elected, 2 CPV year terms and a 500- candidates-elect were member elected House of disqualified Representatives with 4- year terms elections: Senate - last held on 30 March 2014 but invalidated by the coup (in future, members will be appointed); House of Representatives - last held on 2 February 2014 but later declared invalid by the Constitutional Court (next to be held in November 2018) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial highest highest court(s): Supreme branch court(s): Supreme Court People's Court (consists of the of Justice (consists of chief justice and 13 judges) court president, 6 vice- judge selection and term of presidents, and 60-70 office: chief justice elected by Thailand Vietnam judges, and organized into the National Assembly on the 10 divisions); recommendation of the Constitutional Court president for a 5-year, (consists of court renewable term; other judges president and 8 judges); appointed by the president for Supreme Administrative 5-year terms Court (number of judges subordinate courts: Court of determined by Judicial Appeals; administrative, civil, Commission of the criminal, economic, and labor Administrative Courts) courts; Central Military Court; judge selection and People's Special Courts; note - term of office: Supreme the National Assembly can Court judges selected by establish special tribunals the Judicial Commission of the Courts of Justice and approved by the monarch; judge term determined by the monarch; Constitutional Court justices - 3 judges drawn from the Supreme Court, 2 judges drawn from the Administrative Court, and 4 judge candidates selected by the Selective Committee for Judges of the Constitutional Court and confirmed by the Senate; judges appointed by the monarch to serve single 9-year terms; Supreme Administrative Court judges selected by the Judicial Commission of the Administrative Courts and appointed by the monarch; judges appointed for life subordinate courts: courts of first instance and appeals courts within both the judicial and administrative systems; military courts Thailand Vietnam

Political Chat Thai Phatthana Party Communist Party of Vietnam or parties and or CTP (Thai Nation CPV [Nguyen Phu TRONG] leaders Development Party) Phumchai (Bhumjai) Thai note: other parties proscribed Party or PJT (Thai Pride) [ANUTHIN Chanwirakun] Prachathipat Party or DP (Democrat Party) [ABHISIT Wechachiwa, also spelled ABHISIT Vejjajiva] Puea Thai Party (For Thais Party) or PTP [acting leader WIROT Paoin]

Political New Democracy 8406 Bloc pressure Movement Democratic Party of Vietnam or groups and People's Democratic DPV leaders Reform Committee or People's Democratic Party PDRC Vietnam or PDP-VN United Front for Alliance for Democracy Democracy Against note: these groups advocate Dictatorship or UDD democracy but are not recognized by the government

Internation ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, CICA, al BIMSTEC, BIS, CD, CICA, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, organization CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, participatio IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, n committees), ICRM, IDA, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, (observer), OIC WTO (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, Thailand Vietnam

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic chief of chief of mission: Ambassador representati mission: Ambassador Pham Quang VINH (since 23 on in the (vacant); Charge d'Affaires February 2015) US PHATTHARAWAN chancery: 1233 20th Street Wetchasat (since 27 NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC October 2017) 20036 chancery: 1024 telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737 Wisconsin Avenue NW, FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917 Suite 401, Washington, DC consulate(s) 20007 general: Houston, San telephone: [1] (202) Francisco 944-3600 consulate: New York FAX: [1] (202) 944-3611 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic chief of chief of mission: Ambassador representati mission: Ambassador Daniel KRITENBRINK (since 6 on from the Glyn T. DAVIES (since 28 November 2017) US November 2015) embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, embassy: 95 Wireless Hanoi Road, Bangkok 10330 mailing address: 7 Lang Ha mailing address: APO AP Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi; 96546 4550 Hanoi Place, Washington, telephone: [66] (2) 205- DC 20521-4550 4000 telephone: [84] (4) 3850-5000 FAX: [66] (2) 254-2990, FAX: [84] (4) 3850-5010 205-4131 consulate(s) general: Ho Chi consulate(s) Minh City general: Chiang Mai

Flag five horizontal bands of red field with a large yellow description red (top), white, blue five-pointed star in the center; (double width), white, and red symbolizes revolution and red; the red color blood, the five-pointed star symbolizes the nation and represents the five elements of the blood of life; white the populace - peasants, represents religion and the workers, intellectuals, traders, Thailand Vietnam

purity of Buddhism; blue and soldiers - that unite to build stands for the monarchy socialism note: similar to the flag of Costa Rica but with the blue and red colors reversed

National "name: ""Phleng Chat "name: ""Tien quan ca"" (The anthem Thai"" (National Anthem of Song of the Marching Troops) Thailand) lyrics/music: Nguyen Van lyrics/music: Luang CAO SARANUPRAPAN/Phra note: adopted as the national JENDURIYANG anthem of the Democratic note: music adopted Republic of Vietnam in 1945; it 1932, lyrics adopted 1939; became the national anthem of by law, people are the unified Socialist Republic of required to stand for the Vietnam in 1976; although it national anthem at 0800 consists of two verses, only the and 1800 every day; the first is used as the official anthem is played in anthem schools, offices, theaters, " and on television and radio during this time; ""Phleng Sanlasoen Phra Barami"" (A Salute to the Monarch) serves as the royal anthem and is played in the presence of the royal family and during certain state ceremonies "

Internation has not submitted an ICJ has not submitted an ICJ al law jurisdiction declaration; jurisdiction declaration; non- organization non-party state to the ICCt party state to the ICCt participatio n

National garuda (mythical half- yellow, five-pointed star on red symbol(s) man, half-bird figure), field; lotus blossom; national elephant; national colors: colors: red, yellow red, white, blue Thailand Vietnam

Citizenship citizenship by birth: no citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent citizenship by descent only: at least one parent only: at least one parent must must be a citizen of be a citizen of Vietnam Thailand dual citizenship dual citizenship recognized: no recognized: no residency requirement for residency requirement naturalization: 5 years for naturalization: 5 years

Economy

Thailand Vietnam

Economy - With a relatively well- Vietnam is a densely overview developed infrastructure, a populated developing free-enterprise economy, country that has been and generally pro- transitioning from the investment policies, rigidities of a centrally Thailand is highly planned, highly agrarian dependent on international economy since 1986 to a trade, with exports more industrial and market accounting for about two- based economy, raising thirds of GDP. Thailand’s incomes substantially. In exports include electronics, 2016 and 2017, Vietnam agricultural commodities, missed its yearly growth automobiles and parts, and target of 6.7% due to processed foods. The environmental issues – industry and service drought and salinization - sectors produce about impacting the agricultural 90% of GDP. The sector, and low oil prices agricultural sector, affecting the extractive comprised mostly of small- sector. However, annual scale farms, contributes GDP growth reached 6.3%, only 10% of GDP but reflecting strengthening employs about one-third of domestic demand and the labor force. Thailand strong manufacturing has attracted an estimated exports. 3.0-4.5 million migrant workers, mostly from Vietnam has a young neighboring countries. population, stable political system, commitment to Over the last few decades, sustainable growth, Thailand Vietnam

Thailand has sustained relatively low inflation, strong growth and has stable currency, strong FDI reduced poverty inflows, and strong substantially. In 2013, the manufacturing sector. In Thai Government addition, the country is implemented a nationwide committed to continuing its 300 baht (roughly $10) per global economic day minimum wage policy integration. Vietnam joined and deployed new tax the WTO in January 2007 reforms designed to lower and concluded several free rates on middle-income trade agreements in 2015- earners. 16, including the EU- Vietnam Free Trade Growth has slowed in the Agreement, the Korean last few years, however, Free Trade Agreement, due to domestic political and the Eurasian Economic turmoil and sluggish global Union Free Trade demand. Nevertheless, Agreement. Thailand’s economic fundamentals are sound, However, to continue its with low inflation, low trajectory of strong unemployment, and economic growth, the reasonable public and government acknowledges external debt levels. the need to spark a Tourism and government ?second wave’ of reforms, spending - mostly on including reforming state- infrastructure and short- owned-enterprises, term stimulus measures – reducing red tape, have helped to boost the increasing business sector economy, and The Bank of transparency, reducing the Thailand has been level of non-performing supportive, with several loans in the banking interest rate reductions. sector, and increasing financial sector Over the longer-term, transparency. Vietnam has Thailand faces labor demonstrated a shortages, and domestic commitment to sustainable debt levels, political growth over the last uncertainty, and an aging several years, but a recent population pose risks to slowdown in economic growth. growth could test the government’s resolve.

In 2016, Vietnam cancelled its civilian nuclear energy Thailand Vietnam

development program, citing public concerns about safety and the high cost of the program, and is facing growing pressure on energy infrastructure. Overall, the country’s infrastructure fails to meet the needs of an expanding middle class. As the 2017 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) chair, Vietnam lead the dialogue on key APEC priorities such as inclusive growth, innovation, food security and climate change.

GDP $1.229 trillion (2017 est.) $643.9 billion (2017 est.) (purchasing $1.185 trillion (2016 est.) $605.7 billion (2016 est.) power parity) $1.148 trillion (2015 est.) $570.3 billion (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 note: data are in 2017 dollars dollars

GDP - real 3.7% (2017 est.) 6.3% (2017 est.) growth rate 3.2% (2016 est.) 6.2% (2016 est.) 2.9% (2015 est.) 6.7% (2015 est.)

GDP - per $17,800 (2017 est.) $6,900 (2017 est.) capita (PPP) $17,200 (2016 est.) $6,500 (2016 est.) $16,700 (2015 est.) $6,200 (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 note: data are in 2017 dollars dollars

GDP - agriculture: 8.2% agriculture: 15.9% composition by industry: 36.2% industry: 32.7% sector services: 55.6% (2017 services: 41.3% (2017 est.) est.) Thailand Vietnam

Population 7.2% (2015 est.) 11.3% (2012 est.) below poverty line

Household lowest 10%: 2.8% lowest 10%: 3.2% income or highest 10%: 31.5% highest 10%: 30.2% consumption by (2009 est.) (2008) percentage share

Inflation rate 0.6% (2017 est.) 4.4% (2017 est.) (consumer 0.2% (2016 est.) 2.7% (2016 est.) prices)

Labor force 38.37 million (2017 est.) 56.46 million (2017 est.)

Labor force - by agriculture: 31.8% agriculture: 48% occupation industry: 16.7% industry: 21% services: 51.5% (2015 services: 31% (2012) est.)

Unemployment 0.7% (2017 est.) 2.3% (2017 est.) rate 0.8% (2016 est.) 2.3% (2016 est.)

Distribution of 44.5 (2015) 37.6 (2008) family income - 48.4 (2011) 36.1 (1998) Gini index

Budget revenues: $79.6 billion revenues: $49.41 billion expenditures: $90.56 expenditures: $61.14 billion (2017 est.) billion (2017 est.)

Industries tourism, textiles and food processing, garments, garments, agricultural shoes, machine-building; processing, beverages, mining, coal, steel; tobacco, cement, light cement, chemical fertilizer, manufacturing such as glass, tires, oil, mobile jewelry and electric phones appliances, computers and Thailand Vietnam

parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts, agricultural machinery, air conditioning and refrigeration, ceramics, aluminum, chemical, environmental management, glass, granite and marble, leather, machinery and metal work, petrochemical, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, printing, pulp and paper, rubber, sugar, rice, fishing, cassava, world's second- largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer

Industrial 3.6% (2017 est.) 6.4% (2017 est.) production growth rate

Agriculture - rice, cassava (manioc, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, products tapioca), rubber, corn, pepper, soybeans, sugarcane, coconuts, palm cashews, sugar cane, oil, pineapple, livestock, peanuts, bananas; pork; fish products poultry; seafood

Exports $228.2 billion (2017 est.) $194.6 billion (2017 est.) $214.3 billion (2016 est.) $176.6 billion (2016 est.)

Exports - automobiles and parts, clothes, shoes, electronics, commodities computer and parts, seafood, crude oil, rice, jewelry and precious coffee, wooden products, stones, polymers of machinery ethylene in primary forms, refine fuels, electronic integrated circuits, Thailand Vietnam

chemical products, rice, fish products, rubber products, sugar, cassava, poultry, machinery and parts, iron and steel and their products

Exports - US 11.4%, China 11.1%, US 20.2%, China 14.2%, partners Japan 9.6%, Hong Kong Japan 8.2%, South Korea 5.3%, Australia 4.8%, 6.2% (2016) Malaysia 4.5%, Vietnam 4.4% (2016)

Imports $190 billion (2017 est.) $190.1 billion (2017 est.) $177.7 billion (2016 est.) $162.6 billion (2016 est.)

Imports - machinery and parts, crude machinery and equipment, commodities oil, electrical machinery petroleum products, steel and parts, chemicals, iron products, raw materials for & steel and product, the clothing and shoe electronic integrated industries, electronics, circuit, automobile’s parts, plastics, automobiles jewelry including silver bars and gold, computers and parts, electrical household appliances, soybean, soybean meal, wheat, cotton, dairy products

Imports - China 21.6%, Japan China 25.1%, South Korea partners 15.8%, US 6.2%, Malaysia 17.5%, Japan 7.9%, US 5.6% (2016) 6%, Thailand 4.7% (2016)

Debt - external $135.5 billion (31 $91.79 billion (31 December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) $130.6 billion (31 $84.34 billion (31 December 2016 est.) December 2016 est.)

Exchange rates baht per US dollar - dong (VND) per US dollar - 34.34 (2017 est.) 22,784 (2017 est.) Thailand Vietnam

35.296 (2016 est.) 22,355 (2016 est.) 35.296 (2015 est.) 22,355 (2015 est.) 34.248 (2014 est.) 21,909 (2014 est.) 32.48 (2013 est.) 21,189 (2013 est.)

Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year

Public debt 44.1% of GDP (2017 est.) 62.3% of GDP (2017 est.) 41.2% of GDP (2016 est.) 61.6% of GDP (2016 est.) note: data cover general note: official data; data government debt, and cover general government includes debt instruments debt, and includes debt issued (or owned) by instruments issued (or government entities other owned) by government than the treasury; the data entities other than the include treasury debt held treasury; the data include by foreign entities; the treasury debt held by data include debt issued by foreign entities; the data subnational entities, as well include debt issued by as intra-governmental subnational entities, as well debt; intra-governmental as intra-governmental debt consists of treasury debt; intra-governmental borrowings from surpluses debt consists of treasury in the social funds, such as borrowings from surpluses for retirement, medical in the social funds, such as care, and unemployment; for retirement, medical debt instruments for the care, and unemployment; social funds are sold at debt instruments for the public auctions social funds are not sold at public auctions

Reserves of $193.5 billion (31 $38.75 billion (31 foreign December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) exchange and $171.9 billion (31 $36.91 billion (31 gold December 2016 est.) December 2016 est.)

Current Account $44 billion (2017 est.) $2.794 billion (2017 est.) Balance $46.83 billion (2016 est.) $8.235 billion (2016 est.)

GDP (official $437.8 billion (2016 est.) $216 billion (2016 est.) exchange rate) Thailand Vietnam

Stock of direct $205.5 billion (31 $128.3 billion (31 foreign December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) investment - at $193.5 billion (31 $115.4 billion (31 home December 2016 est.) December 2016 est.)

Stock of direct $112.3 billion (31 $7.7 billion (31 December foreign December 2017 est.) 2009 est.) investment - $96.27 billion (31 $5.3 billion (31 December abroad December 2016 est.) 2008 est.)

Market value of $348.8 billion (31 $51.88 billion (31 publicly traded December 2015 est.) December 2015 est.) shares $430.4 billion (31 $46.07 billion (31 December 2014 est.) December 2014 est.) $354.4 billion (31 $40.06 billion (31 December 2013 est.) December 2013 est.)

Central bank 1.5% (31 December 2016) 9% (31 December 2012) discount rate 1.5% (31 December 2015) 15% (31 December 2011)

Commercial 6.2% (31 December 2017 6.8% (31 December 2017 bank prime est.) est.) lending rate 6.31% (31 December 2016 6.96% (31 December 2016 est.) est.)

Stock of $537.2 billion (31 $320.1 billion (31 domestic credit December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) $507.5 billion (31 $277.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.) December 2016 est.)

Stock of narrow $56.36 billion (31 $84.22 billion (31 money December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) $52.03 billion (31 $73.48 billion (31 December 2016 est.) December 2016 est.)

Stock of broad $546.1 billion (31 $341.4 billion (31 money December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) $510.4 billion (31 $299.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.) December 2016 est.) Thailand Vietnam

Taxes and other 18.2% of GDP (2017 est.) 22.9% of GDP (2017 est.) revenues

Budget surplus -2.5% of GDP (2017 est.) -5.4% of GDP (2017 est.) (+) or deficit (-)

Unemployment, total: 0.9% total: 7% youth ages 15- male: 0.8% male: 6.8% 24 female: 1.1% (2015 est.) female: 7.3% (2015 est.)

GDP - household household composition, by consumption: 50.1% consumption: 68.5% end use government government consumption: 17% consumption: 6.6% investment in fixed investment in fixed capital: 24.2% capital: 24.8% investment in investment in inventories: -7% inventories: 2.9% exports of goods and exports of goods and services: 70.4% services: 98.6% imports of goods and imports of goods and services: -54.7% (2017 services: -101.4% (2017 est.) est.)

Gross national 32.8% of GDP (2017 est.) 28% of GDP (2017 est.) saving 33.5% of GDP (2016 est.) 30.7% of GDP (2016 est.) 30.3% of GDP (2015 est.) 27.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

Energy

Thailand Vietnam

Electricity - 167.9 billion kWh (2015 146.9 billion kWh (2015 production est.) est.)

Electricity - 168.3 billion kWh (2015 134.3 billion kWh (2015 consumption est.) est.) Thailand Vietnam

Electricity - exports 2.267 billion kWh (2015 811 million kWh (2015 est.) est.)

Electricity - imports 14.41 billion kWh (2015 2.393 billion kWh (2015 est.) est.)

Oil - production 257,500 bbl/day (2016 301,800 bbl/day (2016 est.) est.)

Oil - imports 830,500 bbl/day (2014 0 bbl/day (2014 est.) est.)

Oil - exports 12,200 bbl/day (2014 183,600 bbl/day (2014 est.) est.)

Oil - proved 396.4 million bbl (1 4.4 billion bbl (1 January reserves January 2017 es) 2017 es)

Natural gas - 206.8 billion cu m (1 699.4 billion cu m (1 proved reserves January 2017 es) January 2017 es)

Natural gas - 39.82 billion cu m (2015 9.08 billion cu m (2015 production est.) est.)

Natural gas - 114.8 billion cu m (2015 15.5 billion cu m (2015 consumption est.) est.)

Natural gas - 0 cu m (2013 est.) 0 cu m (2013 est.) exports

Natural gas - 13.33 billion cu m (2015 0 cu m (2013 est.) imports est.)

Electricity - 40.97 million kW (2015 40.49 million kW (2015 installed generating est.) est.) capacity Thailand Vietnam

Electricity - from 76.7% of total installed 58% of total installed fossil fuels capacity (2015 est.) capacity (2015 est.)

Electricity - from 8.9% of total installed 41% of total installed hydroelectric plants capacity (2015 est.) capacity (2015 est.)

Electricity - from 0% of total installed 0% of total installed nuclear fuels capacity (2015 est.) capacity (2015 est.)

Electricity - from 14.2% of total installed 1% of total installed other renewable capacity (2015 est.) capacity (2015 est.) sources

Refined petroleum 1.213 million bbl/day 156,900 bbl/day (2014 products - (2014 est.) est.) production

Refined petroleum 1.272 million bbl/day 422,000 bbl/day (2015 products - (2015 est.) est.) consumption

Refined petroleum 238,800 bbl/day (2014 28,860 bbl/day (2014 products - exports est.) est.)

Refined petroleum 162,800 bbl/day (2014 256,600 bbl/day (2014 products - imports est.) est.)

Carbon dioxide 301 million Mt (2013 142 million Mt (2013 est.) emissions from est.) consumption of energy

Electricity access population without population without electricity: 700,000 electricity: 2,600,000 electrification - total electrification - total population: 99% population: 99% electrification - urban electrification - urban areas: 99.7% areas: 100% Thailand Vietnam

electrification - rural electrification - rural areas: 98.3% (2013) areas: 98% (2013)

Telecommunications

Thailand Vietnam

Telephones total subscriptions: 4.706 total - main lines million subscriptions: 5,598,017 in use subscriptions per 100 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (July 2016 inhabitants: 6 (July 2016 est.) est.)

Telephones total: 116.606 million total: 122 million - mobile subscriptions per 100 subscriptions per 100 cellular inhabitants: 171 (July inhabitants: 129 (July 2016 2016 est.) est.)

Telephone general assessment: high general system quality system, especially in assessment: Vietnam is urban areas like Bangkok putting considerable effort into domestic: fixed-line modernization and expansion system provided by both a of its telecommunication government-owned and system commercial provider; domestic: all provincial wireless service expanding exchanges are digitalized and rapidly connected to Hanoi, Da Nang, international: country and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber- code - 66; connected to optic cable or microwave radio major submarine cable relay networks; main lines systems providing links have been increased, and the throughout Asia, Australia, use of mobile telephones is Middle East, Europe, and growing rapidly US; satellite earth stations - international: country code - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 84; a landing point for the 1 Pacific Ocean) (2016) SEA-ME-WE-3, the C2C, and Thailand-Vietnam-Hong Kong submarine cable systems; the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable system, completed in 2009, provided new access links to Asia and Thailand Vietnam

the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2016)

Internet .th .vn country code

Internet total: 32,398,778 total: 49.741 million users percent of percent of population: 47.5% (July population: 52.7% (July 2016 est.) 2016 est.)

Broadcast 26 digital TV stations in government controls all media Bangkok broadcast broadcast media exercising nationally, 6 terrestrial TV oversight through the Ministry stations in Bangkok of Information and broadcast nationally via Communication (MIC); relay stations - 2 of the government-controlled national stations are owned by the TV provider, Vietnam military, the other 4 are Television (VTV), operates a government-owned or network of 9 channels with controlled, leased to private several regional broadcasting enterprise, and all are centers; programming is required to broadcast relayed nationwide via a government-produced news network of provincial and programs twice a day; municipal TV stations; law multi-channel satellite and limits access to satellite TV but cable TV subscription many households are able to services are available; radio access foreign programming frequencies have been via home satellite equipment; allotted for more than 500 government-controlled Voice of government and commercial Vietnam, the national radio radio stations; many small broadcaster, broadcasts on 6 community radio stations channels and is repeated on operate with low-power AM, FM, and shortwave transmitters (2017) stations throughout Vietnam (2008)

Transportation Thailand Vietnam

Railways total: 4,127 km total: 2,600 km standard gauge: 84 km standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge (84 km 1.435-m gauge; 253 km electrified) mixed gauge narrow gauge: 4,043 km narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge (2017) 1.000-m gauge (2014)

Roadways total: 180,053 km (includes total: 195,468 km 450 km of expressways) paved: 148,338 km (2006) unpaved: 47,130 km (2013)

Waterways 4,000 km (3,701 km 47,130 km (30,831 km navigable by boats with weight under 50 tons) drafts up to 0.9 m) (2011) (2011)

Pipelines condensate 2 km; gas 5,900 condensate 72 km; km; liquid petroleum gas 85 condensate/gas 398 km; gas km; oil 1 km; refined 955 km; oil 128 km; products 1,097 km (2013) oil/gas/water 33 km; refined products 206 km; water 13 km (2013)

Ports and major major seaport(s): Cam terminals seaport(s): Bangkok, Laem Pha Port, Da Nang, Chabang, Map Ta Phut, Haiphong, Phu My, Quy Prachuap Port, Si Racha Nhon container port(s) river port(s): Ho Chi Minh (TEUs): Bangkok (Mekong) (1,559,000), Laem Chabang container port(s) (6,780,000) (2015) (TEUs): Saigon (6,556,000), LNG terminal(s) Saigon New Port (5,026,000) (import): Map Ta Phut (2015)

Merchant total: 781 total: 1,818 marine by type: bulk carrier 25, by type: bulk carrier 81, container ship 23, general container ship 34, general cargo 94, oil tanker 240, cargo 1,259, oil tanker 109, other 399 (2017) other 335 (2017)

Airports 101 (2013) 45 (2013) Thailand Vietnam

Airports - total: 63 total: 38 with paved over 3,047 m: 8 over 3,047 m: 10 runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 9 (2013) under 914 m: 6 (2013)

Airports - total: 38 total: 7 with 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 runways 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 3 (2013) under 914 m: 26 (2013)

Heliports 7 (2013) 1 (2013)

National air number of registered air number of registered air transport carriers: 19 carriers: 4 system inventory of registered inventory of registered aircraft operated by air aircraft operated by air carriers: 276 carriers: 140 annual passenger traffic annual passenger traffic on registered air on registered air carriers: 54,259,629 carriers: 29,944,771 annual freight traffic on annual freight traffic on registered air registered air carriers: 2,134,149,001 mt- carriers: 384,470,240 mt- km (2015) km (2015)

Civil aircraft HS (2016) VN (2016) registration country code prefix

Military

Thailand Vietnam

Military Royal Thai Armed Forces People's Armed Forces: branches (Kongthap Thai, RTARF): People's Army of Vietnam Royal Thai Army (PAVN, includes Vietnam (Kongthap Bok Thai, People's Navy (with Naval Thailand Vietnam

RTA), Royal Thai Navy Infantry), Vietnam People's Air (Kongthap Ruea Thai, and Air Defense Force, Border RTN, includes Royal Thai Defense Command, Coast Marine Corps), Royal Thai Guard) (2013) Air Force (Kongthap Agard Thai, RTAF) (2017)

Military 21 years of age for 18-25 years of age for male service age compulsory military compulsory and voluntary and obligation service; 18 years of age military service; females may for voluntary military volunteer for active duty service; males register at military service; conscription 18 years of age; 2-year typically takes place twice conscript service annually and service obligation obligation (2012) is 18 months (Army, Air Defense), 2 years (Navy and Air Force); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Force service; males may enroll in military schools at age 17 (2013)

Military 1.5% of GDP (2017) 2.44% of GDP (2016) expenditures - 1.45% of GDP (2016) 2.36% of GDP (2015) percent of 1.44% of GDP (2015) 2.29% of GDP (2014) GDP 1.41% of GDP (2014) 2.18% of GDP (2013) 1.4% of GDP (2013) 2.16% of GDP (2012)

ntroduction

Cambodia Laos

Background Most Cambodians consider Modern-day Laos has its themselves to be Khmers, roots in the ancient Lao descendants of the Angkor kingdom of Lan Xang, Empire that extended over established in the 14th much of Southeast Asia and century under King FA reached its zenith between NGUM. For 300 years Lan the 10th and 13th centuries. Xang had influence reaching Cambodia Laos

Attacks by the Thai and Cham into present-day Cambodia (from present-day Vietnam) and Thailand, as well as over weakened the empire, all of what is now Laos. After ushering in a long period of centuries of gradual decline, decline. The king placed the Laos came under the country under French domination of Siam protection in 1863, and it (Thailand) from the late 18th became part of French century until the late 19th Indochina in 1887. Following century, when it became Japanese occupation in World part of French Indochina. War II, Cambodia gained full The Franco-Siamese Treaty independence from France in of 1907 defined the current 1953. In April 1975, after a Lao border with Thailand. In seven-year struggle, 1975, the communist Pathet communist Khmer Rouge Lao took control of the forces captured Phnom Penh government, ending a six- and evacuated all cities and century-old monarchy and towns. At least 1.5 million instituting a strict socialist Cambodians died from regime closely aligned to execution, forced hardships, Vietnam. A gradual, limited or starvation during the return to private enterprise Khmer Rouge regime under and the liberalization of POL POT. A December 1978 foreign investment laws Vietnamese invasion drove began in 1988. Laos became the Khmer Rouge into the a member of ASEAN in 1997 countryside, began a 10-year and the WTO in 2013. Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a cease-fire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN- sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. Cambodia Laos

The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders have been tried or are awaiting trial for crimes against humanity by a hybrid UN-Cambodian tribunal supported by international assistance. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, King Norodom SIHANOUK abdicated the throne and his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. The most recent local (Commune Council) elections were held in Cambodia in 2012, with little of the preelection violence that preceded prior elections. National elections in July 2013 were disputed, with the opposition - the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) - boycotting the National Assembly. The political impasse was ended nearly a year later, with the CNRP agreeing to enter parliament in exchange for ruling party commitments to electoral and legislative reforms. The CNRP made further gains in local commune elections in June 2017, accelerating sitting Prime Minister Hun SEN’s efforts to marginalize the CNRP before national elections in 2018. Hun Sen Cambodia Laos

arrested CNRP’s President Kem Sokha in September 2017 and subsequently dissolved the CNRP in November 2017 and banned its leaders from participating in politics for at least five years. CNRP’s seats in the National Assembly were redistributed to smaller, more pliant opposition parties.

Geography

Cambodia Laos

Location Southeastern Asia, bordering Southeastern Asia, the Gulf of Thailand, between northeast of Thailand, west Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos of Vietnam

Geographic 13 00 N, 105 00 E 18 00 N, 105 00 E coordinates

Map Southeast Asia Southeast Asia references

Area total: 181,035 sq km total: 236,800 sq km land: 176,515 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 4,520 sq km water: 6,000 sq km

Area - one and a half times the size about twice the size of comparative of Pennsylvania; slightly Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oklahoma larger than Utah

Land total: 2,530 km total: 5,274 km boundaries border countries (3): Laos border countries 555 km, Thailand 817 km, (5): Burma 238 km, Vietnam 1,158 km Cambodia 555 km, China 475 km, Thailand 1,845 km, Vietnam 2,161 km Cambodia Laos

Coastline 443 km 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm none (landlocked) claims contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate tropical; rainy, monsoon tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); season (May to dry season (December to November); dry season April); little seasonal (December to April) temperature variation

Terrain mostly low, flat plains; mostly rugged mountains; mountains in southwest and some plains and plateaus north

Elevation mean elevation: 126 m mean elevation: 710 m extremes elevation extremes: lowest elevation point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m extremes: lowest point: highest point: Phnum Aoral Mekong River 70 m 1,810 m highest point: Phu Bia 2,817 m

Natural oil and gas, timber, timber, hydropower, resources gemstones, iron ore, gypsum, tin, gold, manganese, phosphates, gemstones hydropower potential, arable land

Land use agricultural land: 32.1% agricultural land: 10.6% arable land 22.7%; arable land 6.2%; permanent crops 0.9%; permanent crops 0.7%; permanent pasture 8.5% permanent pasture 3.7% forest: 56.5% forest: 67.9% other: 11.4% (2011 est.) other: 21.5% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land 3,540 sq km (2012) 3,100 sq km (2012) Cambodia Laos

Natural monsoonal rains (June to floods, droughts hazards November); flooding; occasional droughts

Environment illegal logging activities unexploded ordnance; - current throughout the country and deforestation; soil erosion; issues strip mining for gems in the most of the population western region along the does not have access to border with Thailand have potable water resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing

Environment party to: Biodiversity, party to: Biodiversity, - Climate Change, Climate Climate Change, Climate international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Change-Kyoto Protocol, agreements Desertification, Endangered Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Species, Environmental Marine Life Conservation, Modification, Law of the Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Sea, Ozone Layer Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Protection Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not signed, but not ratified: none of the ratified: Law of the Sea selected agreements

Geography - a land of paddies and forests landlocked; most of the note dominated by the Mekong country is mountainous River and Tonle Sap and thickly forested; the (Southeast Asia's largest Mekong River forms a large freshwater lake) part of the western boundary with Thailand

Population population concentrated in most densely populated distribution the southeast, particularly in area is in and around the Cambodia Laos

and around the capital of capital city of Vientiane; Phnom Penh; further large communities are distribution is linked closely to primarily found along the the Tonle Sap and Mekong Mekong River along the Rivers southwestern border; overall density is considered one of the lowest in Southeast Asia

Demographics

Cambodia Laos

Population 16,204,486 7,126,706 (July 2017 note: estimates for this est.) country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2017 est.)

Age structure 0-14 years: 31.01% (male 0-14 years: 32.76% 2,537,753/female 2,487,633) (male 1,180,227/female 15-24 years: 18.36% (male 1,154,550) 1,471,965/female 1,503,977) 15-24 years: 21.17% 25-54 years: 40.68% (male (male 749,312/female 3,229,901/female 3,361,475) 759,677) 55-64 years: 5.69% (male 25-54 years: 36.7% 374,663/female 547,971) (male 1,290,768/female 65 years and over: 4.25% 1,324,390) (male 258,584/female 55-64 years: 5.48% 430,564) (2017 est.) (male 190,627/female 199,673) 65 years and over: 3.89% (male 125,682/female 151,800) (2017 est.) Cambodia Laos

Median age total: 25.3 years total: 23 years male: 24.6 years male: 22.7 years female: 26 years (2017 est.) female: 23.3 years (2017 est.)

Population 1.52% (2017 est.) 1.51% (2017 est.) growth rate

Birth rate 23 births/1,000 population 23.6 births/1,000 (2017 est.) population (2017 est.)

Death rate 7.5 deaths/1,000 population 7.4 deaths/1,000 (2017 est.) population (2017 est.)

Net migration -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 -1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 rate population (2017 est.) population (2017 est.)

Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female at birth: 1.04 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.02 15-24 years: 0.98 male(s)/female male(s)/female 15-24 years: 0.99 25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.97 55-64 years: 0.65 male(s)/female male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.96 65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female male(s)/female 65 years and total population: 0.94 over: 0.83 male(s)/female (2016 est.) male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Infant total: 47.4 deaths/1,000 live total: 49.9 deaths/1,000 mortality rate births live births male: 53.8 deaths/1,000 live male: 55.2 deaths/1,000 births live births female: 40.7 deaths/1,000 female: 44.4 live births (2017 est.) deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) Cambodia Laos

Life total population: 64.9 years total population: 64.6 expectancy at male: 62.4 years years birth female: 67.5 years (2017 male: 62.6 years est.) female: 66.7 years (2017 est.)

Total fertility 2.52 children born/woman 2.7 children born/woman rate (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - 0.6% (2016 est.) 0.3% (2016 est.) adult prevalence rate

Nationality noun: Cambodian(s) noun: Lao(s) or adjective: Cambodian Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian

Ethnic groups Khmer 97.6%, Cham 1.2%, Lao 53.2%, Khmou 11%, Chinese 0.1%, Vietnamese Hmong 9.2%, Phouthay 0.1%, other 0.9% (2013 est.) 3.4%, Tai 3.1%, Makong 2.5%, Katong 2.2%, Lue 2%, Akha 1.8%, other 11.6% note: the Laos Government officially recognizes 49 ethnic groups, but the total number of ethnic groups is estimated to be well over 200 (2015 est.)

HIV/AIDS - 71,000 (2016 est.) 11,000 (2016 est.) people living with HIV/AIDS

Religions Buddhist (official) 96.9%, Buddhist 64.7%, Muslim 1.9%, Christian 0.4%, Christian 1.7%, none other 0.8% (2008 est.) 31.4%, other/not stated 2.1% (2015 est.) Cambodia Laos

HIV/AIDS - 1,800 (2016 est.) <500 (2016 est.) deaths

Languages Khmer (official) 96.3%, other Lao (official), French, 3.7% (2008 est.) English, various ethnic languages

Literacy definition: age 15 and over definition: age 15 and can read and write over can read and write total population: 77.2% total male: 84.5% population: 79.9% female: 70.5% (2015 est.) male: 87.1% female: 72.8% (2015 est.)

Major degree of risk: very high degree of risk: very infectious food or waterborne high diseases diseases: bacterial diarrhea, food or waterborne hepatitis A, and typhoid fever diseases: bacterial and vectorborne protozoal diarrhea, diseases: dengue fever, hepatitis A, and typhoid Japanese encephalitis, and fever malaria (2016) vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2016)

School life total: 11 years total: 11 years expectancy male: 11 years male: 11 years (primary to female: 10 years (2008) female: 11 years (2015) tertiary education)

Education 1.9% of GDP (2014) 3.3% of GDP (2014) expenditures

Urbanization urban population: 21.2% of urban total population (2017) population: 40.7% of rate of urbanization: 2.73% total population (2017) annual rate of change (2015- rate of 20 est.) urbanization: 4.13% Cambodia Laos

annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Drinking water improved: improved: source urban: 100% of population urban: 85.6% of rural: 69.1% of population population total: 75.5% of population rural: 69.4% of unimproved: population urban: 0% of population total: 75.7% of rural: 30.9% of population population total: 24.5% of population unimproved: (2015 est.) urban: 14.4% of population rural: 30.6% of population total: 24.3% of population (2015 est.)

Sanitation improved: improved: facility access urban: 88.1% of population urban: 94.5% of rural: 30.5% of population population total: 42.4% of population rural: 56% of population unimproved: total: 70.9% of urban: 11.9% of population population rural: 69.5% of population unimproved: total: 57.6% of population urban: 5.5% of (2015 est.) population rural: 44% of population total: 29.1% of population (2015 est.)

Major cities - PHNOM PENH (capital) 1.731 VIENTIANE (capital) population million (2015) 997,000 (2015)

Maternal 161 deaths/100,000 live births 197 deaths/100,000 live mortality rate (2015 est.) births (2015 est.)

Children under 23.9% (2014) 26.5% (2011) the age of 5 years underweight Cambodia Laos

Health 5.7% of GDP (2014) 1.9% of GDP (2014) expenditures

Physicians 0.17 physicians/1,000 0.18 physicians/1,000 density population (2013) population (2012)

Hospital bed 0.7 beds/1,000 population 1.5 beds/1,000 density (2011) population (2012)

Obesity - adult 3.9% (2016) 5.3% (2016) prevalence rate

Contraceptive 56.3% (2014) 49.8% (2011/12) prevalence rate

Dependency total dependency total dependency ratios ratio: 55.6 ratio: 60.2 youth dependency youth dependency ratio: 49.2 ratio: 54 elderly dependency elderly dependency ratio: 6.4 ratio: 6.2 potential support potential support ratio: 15.6 (2015 est.) ratio: 16.1 (2015 est.)

Government

Cambodia Laos

Country conventional long "conventional long name form: Kingdom of Cambodia form: Lao People's conventional short Democratic Republic form: Cambodia conventional short local long form: Laos form: Preahreacheanachakr local long Kampuchea (phonetic form: Sathalanalat transliteration) Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short local short form: Mueang form: Kampuchea Lao (unofficial) Cambodia Laos

former: Khmer Republic, etymology: name means Democratic Kampuchea, ""Land of the Lao [people]"" People's Republic of " Kampuchea, State of Cambodia etymology: the English name Cambodia is an anglicization of the French Cambodge, which is the French transliteration of the native name Kampuchea

Governmen parliamentary constitutional communist state t type monarchy

Capital name: Phnom Penh name: Vientiane (Viangchan) geographic geographic coordinates: 11 33 N, 104 coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 55 E 36 E time difference: UTC+7 time difference: UTC+7 (12 (12 hours ahead of hours ahead of Washington, Washington, DC, during DC, during Standard Time) Standard Time)

Administrat 24 provinces (khett, singular 17 provinces (khoueng, ive and plural) and 1 municipality singular and plural) and 1 divisions (krong, singular and plural) capital city* (nakhon luang, provinces: Banteay singular and plural); Attapu, Meanchey, Battambang, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Kampong Cham, Kampong Champasak, Houaphan, Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Kampong Thom, Kampot, Louangphabang, Oudomxai, Kandal, Kep, Koh Kong, Phongsali, Salavan, Kratie, Mondolkiri, Oddar Savannakhet, Viangchan Meanchey, Pailin, Preah (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Vihear, Prey Veng, Pursat, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun, Ratanakiri, Siem Reap, Xekong, Xiangkhouang Sihanoukville, Stung Treng, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Tbong Khmum municipalities: Phnom Penh (Phnum Penh) Cambodia Laos

Independe 9 November 1953 (from 19 July 1949 (from France) nce France)

National Independence Day, 9 Republic Day (National Day), holiday November (1953) 2 December (1975)

Constitutio previous 1947; latest previous 1947 n promulgated 21 September (preindependence); latest 1993; amended 1999, 2008, promulgated 13-15 August 2014 (2016) 1991; amended 2003, 2015 (2016)

Legal civil law system (influenced civil law system similar in system by the UN Transitional form to the French system Authority in Cambodia) customary law, Communist legal theory, and common law

Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal

Executive chief of state: King chief of state: President branch Norodom SIHAMONI (since BOUNNYANG Vorachit (since 29 October 2004) 20 April 2016); Vice President head of PHANKHAM Viphavan (since government: Prime Minister 20 April 2016) HUN SEN (since 14 January head of government: Prime 1985); Permanent Deputy Minister THONGLOUN Sisoulit Prime Minister MEN SAM AN (since 20 April 2016); Deputy (since 25 September 2008); Prime Ministers BOUNTHONG Deputy Prime Ministers SAR Chitmani, SONXAI Siphandon, KHENG (since 3 February SOMDI Douangdi (since 20 1992), TEA BANH, Gen., HOR April 2016) NAMHONG, NHEK cabinet: Council of Ministers BUNCHHAY (all since 16 July appointed by the president, 2004), BIN CHHIN (since 5 approved by the National September 2007), KEAT Assembly CHHON, YIM CHHAI LY elections/appointments: p (since 24 September 2008), resident and vice president KE KIMYAN (since 12 March indirectly elected by the 2009) National Assembly for a 5- Cambodia Laos

cabinet: Council of Ministers year term (no term limits); named by the prime minister election last held on 20 April and appointed by the 2016 (next to be held in monarch 2021); prime minister elections/appointments: nominated by the president, monarch chosen by the 9- elected by the National member Royal Council of the Assembly for 5-year term Throne from among all election eligible males of royal results: BOUNNYANG descent; following legislative Vorachit (LPRP) elected elections, a member of the president; PHANKHAM majority party or majority Viphavan (LPRP) elected vice coalition named prime president; percent of National minister by the Chairman of Assembly vote - NA; the National Assembly and THONGLOUN Sisoulit (LPRP) appointed by the monarch elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - NA

Legislative description: bicameral description: unicameral branch Parliament of Cambodia National Assembly or Sapha consists of the Senate (61 Heng Xat (149 seats; seats; 57 indirectly elected by members directly elected in parliamentarians and multi-seat constituencies by commune councils, 2 simple majority vote from indirectly elected by the candidate lists provided by National Assembly, and 2 the Lao People's appointed by the monarch; Revolutionary Party; members serve 6-year terms) members serve 5-year terms) and the National Assembly elections: last held on 20 (123 seats; members directly March 2016 (next to be held elected in multi-seat in 2021) constituencies by election results: percent of proportional representation vote by party - NA; seats by vote; members serve 5-year party - LPRP 144, terms) independent 5 note: two seats will be added to the National Assembly in 2018, for a total of 125 elections: Senate - last held on 4 February 2012 (next to be held on 25 February 2018); National Assembly - Cambodia Laos

last held on 28 July 2013 (next to be held in July 2018) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CPP 77.8%, SRP 22.2%; seats by party - CPP 46, SRP 11; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 48.8%, CNRP 44.5%, other 6.7%; seats by party - CPP 68, CNRP 55 note: as of November 2017, National Assembly seats by party - CPP 79, FUNCINPEC 41, CNP 2, KEDP 1 ; CNRP's National Assembly seats were redistributed following its dissolution on 16 November 2017

Judicial highest court(s): Supreme highest court(s): People's branch Council (organized into 5- Supreme Court (consists of and 9-judge panels and the court president and includes a court chief and organized into criminal, civil, deputy chief); Constitutional administrative, commercial, Court (consists of 9 family, and juvenile members); note - in 1997, chambers, each with a vice the Cambodian Government president and several judges) requested UN assistance in judge selection and term establishing trials to of office: president of prosecute former Khmer People's Supreme Court Rouge senior leaders for appointed by National crimes against humanity Assembly on recommendation committed during the 1975- of the president of the 1979 Khmer Rouge regime; republic for a 5-year term; the Extraordinary Chambers vice presidents of People's of the Courts in Cambodia Supreme Court appointed by (also called the Khmer Rouge the president of the republic Tribunal) were established on recommendation of the and began hearings for the National Assembly; first case in 2009; court appointment of chamber proceeding were ongoing in judges NA; tenure of court 2016 vice presidents and chamber judge selection and term judges NA Cambodia Laos

of office: Supreme Court subordinate and Constitutional Council courts: appellate courts; judge candidates provincial, municipal, district, recommended by the and military courts Supreme Council of Magistracy, a 17-member body chaired by the monarch and includes other high-level judicial officers; judges of both courts appointed by the monarch; Supreme Court judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council judges appointed for 9-year terms with one-third of the court renewed every 3 years subordinate courts: Appellate Court; provincial and municipal courts; Military Court

Political Cambodian National Rescue Lao People's Revolutionary parties and Party or CNRP [KHEM Party or LPRP [BOUNNYANG leaders SOKHA] (dissolved by the Vorachit] government in November note: other parties 2017; formed from a 2012 proscribed merger of the Sam Rangsi Party or SRP and the former Human Rights Party or HRP [KHEM SOKHA, also spelled KEM SOKHA]) Cambodian Nationality Party or CNP [SENG SOKHENG] Cambodian People's Party or CPP [HUN SEN] Khmer Economic Development Party or KEDP [HUON REACH CHAMROEUN] National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [Prince NORODOM RANARIDDH] Cambodia Laos

Political Partnership for Transparency International Labor pressure Fund or PTF [John CLARK] Organization groups and (anti-corruption organization) leaders Students Movement for Democracy The Committee for Free and Fair Elections or Comfrel [Koul PANHA] other: human rights organizations; labor unions; youth groups

Internation ADB, ARF, ASEAN, CICA, ADB, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, al CICA (observer), EAS, FAO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, organizatio G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, n ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, participatio ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber), n IOM, IPU, ISO ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, (correspondent), ITU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, MINUSMA, MIGA, NAM, OIF, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, WMO, WTO UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic chief of chief of representat mission: Ambassador CHUM mission: Ambassador MAI ion in the BUN RONG (since 3 August Xaignavong (since 3 August US 2015) 2015) chancery: 4530 16th Street chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 726- telephone: [1] (202) 332- 7742 6416 FAX: [1] (202) 726-8381 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923 consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic chief of chief of representat mission: Ambassador mission: Ambassador Rena ion from William A. HEIDT (since 2 BITTER (since 2 November the US December 2015) 2016) embassy: embassy: Thadeua Road, Cambodia Laos

mailing address: Unit 8166, Kilometer 9, Ban Somvang Box P, APO AP 96546 Tai, Hatsayfong District, telephone: [855] (23) 728- Vientiane 000 mailing address: American FAX: [855] (23) 728-600 Embassy Vientiane, Unit 46222, APO AP 96546-6222 telephone: [856] 21-48- 7000 FAX: [856] 21-48-7190

Flag three horizontal bands of three horizontal bands of red description blue (top), red (double (top), blue (double width), width), and blue with a and red with a large white white, three-towered temple disk centered in the blue representing Angkor Wat band; the red bands recall the outlined in black in the center blood shed for liberation; the of the red band; red and blue blue band represents the are traditional Cambodian Mekong River and prosperity; colors the white disk symbolizes the note: only national flag to full moon against the Mekong incorporate an actual building River, but also signifies the into its design unity of the people under the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, as well as the country's bright future

National "name: ""Nokoreach"" "name: ""Pheng Xat Lao"" anthem (Royal Kingdom) (Hymn of the Lao People) lyrics/music: CHUON lyrics/music: SISANA NAT/F. PERRUCHOT and J. Sisane/THONGDY JEKYLL Sounthonevichit note: adopted 1941, note: music adopted 1945, restored 1993; the anthem, lyrics adopted 1975; the based on a Cambodian folk anthem's lyrics were changed tune, was restored after the following the 1975 defeat of the Communist Communist revolution that regime overthrew the monarchy " "

Internation accepts compulsory ICJ has not submitted an ICJ al law jurisdiction with reservations; jurisdiction declaration; non- organizatio accepts ICCt jurisdiction party state to the ICCt n Cambodia Laos

participatio n

National Angkor Wat temple, kouprey elephant; national colors: red, symbol(s) (wild ox); national colors: white, blue red, blue

Citizenship citizenship by birth: no citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent citizenship by descent only: at least one parent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of must be a citizen of Laos Cambodia dual citizenship dual citizenship recognized: no recognized: yes residency requirement for residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years naturalization: 7 years

Economy

Cambodia Laos

Economy - Cambodia has experienced The government of Laos, overview strong economic growth one of the few remaining over the last decade; GDP one-party communist grew at an average annual states, began decentralizing rate of over 8% between control and encouraging 2000 and 2010 and about private enterprise in 1986. 7% since 2011. The Economic growth averaged tourism, garment, more than 6% per year in construction and real the period 1988-2008, and estate, and agriculture Laos' growth has more sectors accounted for the recently been amongst the bulk of growth. Around fastest in Asia, averaging 600,000 people, the more than 7% per year for majority of whom are most of the last decade. women, are employed in the garment and footwear Nevertheless, Laos remains sector. An additional a country with an 500,000 Cambodians are underdeveloped employed in the tourism infrastructure, particularly sector, and a further in rural areas. It has a 50,000 people in basic, but improving, road Cambodia Laos construction. Tourism has system, and limited continued to grow rapidly external and internal land- with foreign arrivals line telecommunications. exceeding 2 million per Electricity is available to year since 2007 and 83% of the population. reaching around 4.5 million Agriculture, dominated by visitors in 2014. Mining rice cultivation in lowland also is attracting some areas, accounts for about investor interest and the 20% of GDP and 73% of government has touted total employment. Recently, opportunities for mining the country has faced a bauxite, gold, iron and persistent current account gems. deficit, falling foreign currency reserves, and Cambodia remains one of growing public debt, as the poorest countries in slow recovery of the global Asia and long-term economy, especially that of economic development China, has driven down the remains a daunting prices of its mineral challenge, inhibited by exports. endemic corruption, limited human resources, high Laos' economy is heavily income inequality, and dependent on capital- poor job prospects. As of intensive natural resource 2012, approximately 2.66 exports. The economy has million people live on less benefited from high-profile than $1.20 per day, and foreign direct investment in 37% of Cambodian hydropower dams along the children under the age of 5 Mekong River, copper and suffer from chronic gold mining, logging, and malnutrition. More than construction, although 50% of the population is some projects in these less than 25 years old. The industries have drawn population lacks education criticism for their and productive skills, environmental impacts. particularly in the impoverished countryside, Laos gained Normal Trade which also lacks basic Relations status with the US infrastructure. in 2004 and applied for Generalized System of The World Bank in 2016 Preferences trade benefits formally reclassified in 2013 after being Cambodia as a lower admitted to the World middle-income country as a Trade Organization earlier result of continued rapid in the year. Laos held the Cambodia Laos

economic growth over the chairmanship of ASEAN in past several years. 2016. Laos is in the process Cambodia’s graduation of implementing a value- from a low-income country added tax system. The will reduce its eligibility for government appears foreign assistance and will committed to raising the challenge the government country's profile among to seek new sources of foreign investors and has financing. The Cambodian developed special economic Government has been zones replete with working with bilateral and generous tax incentives, multilateral donors, but a limited labor pool, a including the Asian small domestic market, and Development Bank, the corruption remain World Bank and IMF, to impediments to investment. address the country's many Laos also has ongoing pressing needs; more than problems with the business 30% of the government environment, including budget comes from donor onerous registration assistance. A major requirements, a gap economic challenge for between legislation and Cambodia over the next implementation, and decade will be fashioning unclear or conflicting an economic environment regulations. in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance.

GDP $64.21 billion (2017 est.) $49.21 billion (2017 est.) (purchasing $60.04 billion (2016 est.) $46.03 billion (2016 est.) power parity) $56.09 billion (2015 est.) $43.01 billion (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 note: data are in 2017 dollars dollars

GDP - real 6.9% (2017 est.) 6.9% (2017 est.) growth rate 7% (2016 est.) 7% (2016 est.) 7.2% (2015 est.) 7.3% (2015 est.)

GDP - per $4,000 (2017 est.) $7,400 (2017 est.) capita (PPP) $3,800 (2016 est.) $7,000 (2016 est.) $3,600 (2015 est.) $6,600 (2015 est.) Cambodia Laos

note: data are in 2017 note: data are in 2017 dollars dollars

GDP - agriculture: 25.3% agriculture: 20.9% composition by industry: 32.8% industry: 33.2% sector services: 41.9% (2017 services: 39.1% (2017 est.) est.)

Population 17.7% (2012 est.) 22% (2013 est.) below poverty line

Household lowest 10%: 2% lowest 10%: 3.3% income or highest 10%: 28% (2013 highest 10%: 30.3% consumption est.) (2008) by percentage share

Inflation rate 3.7% (2017 est.) 2.3% (2017 est.) (consumer 3% (2016 est.) 2% (2016 est.) prices)

Labor force 7.897 million (2017 est.) 3.582 million (2017 est.)

Labor force - agriculture: 48.7% agriculture: 73.1% by occupation industry: 19.9% industry: 6.1% services: 31.5% (2013 services: 20.6% (2012 est.) est.)

Unemployment 0.3% (2017 est.) 1.5% (2016 est.) rate 0.2% (2012 est.) 1.5% (2016 est.) note: according to official statistics; underemployment is high

Distribution of 37.9 (2008 est.) 36.7 (2008) family income - 41.9 (2004 est.) 34.6 (2002) Gini index Cambodia Laos

Budget revenues: $4.268 billion revenues: $3.144 billion expenditures: $4.69 expenditures: $4.098 billion (2017 est.) billion (2017 est.)

Industries tourism, garments, mining (copper, tin, gold, construction, rice milling, gypsum); timber, electric fishing, wood and wood power, agricultural products, rubber, cement, processing, rubber, gem mining, textiles construction, garments, cement, tourism

Industrial 10.6% (2017 est.) 8% (2017 est.) production growth rate

Agriculture - rice, rubber, corn, sweet potatoes, vegetables, products vegetables, cashews, corn, coffee, sugarcane, cassava (manioc, tapioca), tobacco, cotton, tea, silk peanuts, rice; cassava (manioc, tapioca), water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry

Exports $10.45 billion (2017 est.) $2.881 billion (2017 est.) $9.233 billion (2016 est.) $2.705 billion (2016 est.)

Exports - clothing, timber, rubber, wood products, coffee, commodities rice, fish, tobacco, electricity, tin, copper, gold, footwear cassava

Exports - US 21.3%, UK 9.4%, Thailand 40.1%, China partners Germany 9%, Japan 8.2%, 28.5%, Vietnam 13.7% Canada 6.5%, China 6%, (2016) Thailand 4.2%, Spain 4% (2016)

Imports $14.34 billion (2017 est.) $5.852 billion (2017 est.) $12.65 billion (2016 est.) $5.547 billion (2016 est.) Cambodia Laos

Imports - petroleum products, machinery and equipment, commodities cigarettes, gold, vehicles, fuel, consumer construction materials, goods machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products

Imports - China 35.3%, Thailand Thailand 64.6%, China partners 14.8%, Vietnam 11%, 16.5%, Vietnam 9.4% Singapore 4.4%, Japan (2016) 4.1%, Hong Kong 4% (2016)

Debt - external $11.34 billion (31 $13.64 billion (31 December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) $10.3 billion (31 December $12.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.) 2016 est.)

Exchange rates riels (KHR) per US dollar - kips (LAK) per US dollar - 4,055 (2017 est.) 8,231.1 (2017 est.) 4,058.7 (2016 est.) 8,129.1 (2016 est.) 4,058.7 (2015 est.) 8,129.1 (2015 est.) 4,067.8 (2014 est.) 8,147.9 (2014 est.) 4,037.5 (2013 est.) 8,049 (2013 est.)

Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September

Public debt 28.2% of GDP (2017 est.) 67.3% of GDP (2016 est.) 29.1% of GDP (2016 est.) 65.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

Reserves of $11.29 billion (31 $989.8 million (31 foreign December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) exchange and $9.122 billion (31 $940.1 million (31 gold December 2016 est.) December 2016 est.)

Current -$1.904 billion (2017 est.) -$1.653 billion (2017 est.) Account -$1.776 billion (2016 est.) -$1.678 billion (2016 est.) Balance Cambodia Laos

GDP (official $22.25 billion (2016 est.) $17.15 billion (2016 est.) exchange rate)

Stock of direct $29.17 billion (2014 est.) $15.14 billion (31 foreign December 2012 est.) investment - at $12.44 billion (31 home December 2011 est.)

Market value of $NA $1.012 billion (2012 est.) publicly traded $576.8 million (2011 est.) shares

Central bank NA% (31 December 2012) 4.3% (31 December 2010) discount rate 5.25% (31 December 4% (31 December 2009) 2007)

Commercial 11.1% (31 December 2017 18.5% (31 December 2017 bank prime est.) est.) lending rate 11.36% (31 December 18% (31 December 2016 2016 est.) est.)

Stock of $13.71 billion (31 $9.52 billion (31 December domestic credit December 2017 est.) 2017 est.) $11.82 billion (31 $8.381 billion (31 December 2016 est.) December 2016 est.)

Stock of narrow $1.999 billion (31 $1.303 billion (31 money December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) $1.748 billion (31 $1.243 billion (31 December 2016 est.) December 2016 est.)

Stock of broad $16.82 billion (31 $9.193 billion (31 money December 2017 est.) December 2017 est.) $14.5 billion (31 December $8.197 billion (31 2016 est.) December 2016 est.)

Taxes and 19.2% of GDP (2017 est.) 18.3% of GDP (2017 est.) other revenues Cambodia Laos

Budget surplus -1.9% of GDP (2017 est.) -5.6% of GDP (2017 est.) (+) or deficit (- )

GDP - household household composition, by consumption: 76.4% consumption: 62.6% end use government government consumption: 5.4% consumption: 13.4% investment in fixed investment in fixed capital: 22% capital: 36% investment in investment in inventories: 0.9% inventories: 3.1% exports of goods and exports of goods and services: 62.8% services: 35.7% imports of goods and imports of goods and services: -67.4% (2017 services: -50.8% (2017 est.) est.)

Gross national 13.6% of GDP (2017 est.) 18% of GDP (2017 est.) saving 14.1% of GDP (2016 est.) 14.8% of GDP (2016 est.) 13.1% of GDP (2015 est.) 14.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

Energy

Cambodia Laos

Electricity - 4.236 billion kWh (2015 11.46 billion kWh (2015 production est.) est.)

Electricity - 4.952 billion kWh (2015 4.239 billion kWh (2015 consumption est.) est.)

Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2016 est.) 8.469 billion kWh (2015 est.)

Electricity - imports 1.526 billion kWh (2015 2.05 billion kWh (2015 est.) est.)

Oil - production 0 bbl/day (2016 est.) 0 bbl/day (2016 est.) Cambodia Laos

Oil - imports 0 bbl/day (2014 est.) 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

Oil - exports 0 bbl/day (2014 est.) 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

Oil - proved 0 bbl (1 January 2017 es) 0 bbl (1 January 2017 reserves es)

Natural gas - 0 cu m (1 January 2014 0 cu m (1 January 2014 proved reserves es) es)

Natural gas - 0 cu m (2013 est.) 0 cu m (2013 est.) production

Natural gas - 0 cu m (2013 est.) 0 cu m (2013 est.) consumption

Natural gas - 0 cu m (2013 est.) 0 cu m (2013 est.) exports

Natural gas - 0 cu m (2013 est.) 0 cu m (2013 est.) imports

Electricity - 1.542 million kW (2015 4.541 million kW (2015 installed generating est.) est.) capacity

Electricity - from 37.6% of total installed 1.1% of total installed fossil fuels capacity (2015 est.) capacity (2015 est.)

Electricity - from 60.3% of total installed 98.2% of total installed hydroelectric plants capacity (2015 est.) capacity (2015 est.)

Electricity - from 0% of total installed 0% of total installed nuclear fuels capacity (2015 est.) capacity (2015 est.) Cambodia Laos

Electricity - from 2.1% of total installed 0.7% of total installed other renewable capacity (2015 est.) capacity (2015 est.) sources

Refined petroleum 0 bbl/day (2014 est.) 0 bbl/day (2014 est.) products - production

Refined petroleum 39,000 bbl/day (2015 3,500 bbl/day (2015 products - est.) est.) consumption

Refined petroleum 0 bbl/day (2014 est.) 0 bbl/day (2014 est.) products - exports

Refined petroleum 37,930 bbl/day (2014 3,480 bbl/day (2014 products - imports est.) est.)

Carbon dioxide 6.5 million Mt (2013 est.) 500,000 Mt (2013 est.) emissions from consumption of energy

Electricity access population without population without electricity: 9,900,000 electricity: 900,000 electrification - total electrification - total population: 34% population: 87% electrification - urban electrification - urban areas: 97% areas: 97% electrification - rural electrification - rural areas: 18% (2013) areas: 82% (2013)

Telecommunications

Cambodia Laos

Telephones total total - main lines subscriptions: 227,261 subscriptions: 1,266,605 in use subscriptions per 100 subscriptions per 100 Cambodia Laos

inhabitants: 1.5 (July 2016 inhabitants: 18 (July 2016 est.) est.)

Telephones total: 19,915,503 total: 3.727 million - mobile subscriptions per 100 subscriptions per 100 cellular inhabitants: 125 (July inhabitants: 54 (July 2016 2016 est.) est.)

Telephone general general system assessment: adequate assessment: service to fixed-line and/or cellular public is generally improving; service in Phnom Penh and the government relies on a other provincial cities; radiotelephone network to mobile-cellular phone communicate with remote systems are widely used in areas urban areas to bypass domestic: mobile cellular deficiencies in the fixed-line network coverage including network; mobile-phone 3G is relatively widespread, coverage is rapidly although usage has slowed as expanding in rural areas the regulator imposed a strict domestic: fixed-line policy on pricing and connections stand at about competition is effectively 1.5 per 100 persons; mobile- discouraged; network cellular usage, aided by performance has suffered competition among service because of insufficient providers, has increased to maintenance and upgrades about 125 per 100 persons international: country code - international: country 856; satellite earth station - 1 code - 855; adequate but Intersputnik (Indian Ocean expensive landline and region) and a second to be cellular service available to developed by China (2017) all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2016)

Internet .kh .la country code Cambodia Laos

Internet total: 4,080,372 total: 1.258 million users percent of percent of population: 25.6% (July population: 18.2% (July 2016 est.) 2016 est.)

Broadcast mixture of state-owned, 6 TV stations operating out of media joint public-private, and Vientiane - 3 government- privately owned broadcast operated and the others media; 9 TV broadcast commercial; 17 provincial stations with most operating stations operating with nearly on multiple channels, all programming relayed via including 1 state-operated satellite from the government- station broadcasting from operated stations in Vientiane; multiple locations, 6 stations Chinese and Vietnamese either jointly operated or programming relayed via privately owned with some satellite from Lao National TV; broadcasting from several broadcasts available from locations, and 2 TV relay stations in Thailand and stations - one relaying a Vietnam in border areas; French TV station and the multi-channel satellite and other relaying a Vietnamese cable TV systems provide TV station; multi-channel access to a wide range of cable and satellite systems foreign stations; state- are available; roughly 50 controlled radio with state- radio broadcast stations - 1 operated Lao National Radio state-owned broadcaster (LNR) broadcasting on 5 with multiple stations and a frequencies - 1 AM, 1 SW, and large mixture of public and 3 FM; LNR's AM and FM private broadcasters; several programs are relayed via international broadcasters satellite constituting a large are available (2009) part of the programming schedules of the provincial radio stations; Thai radio broadcasts available in border areas and transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are also accessible (2012)

Transportation Cambodia Laos

Roadways total: 44,709 km total: 39,586 km paved: 3,607 km paved: 5,415 km unpaved: 41,102 km unpaved: 34,171 km (2009) (2010)

Waterways 3,700 km (mainly on 4,600 km (primarily on the Mekong River) (2012) Mekong River and its tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m) (2012)

Merchant total: 442 total: 1 marine by type: container ship by type: general cargo 1 3, general cargo 328, oil (2017) tanker 26, other 85 (2017)

Airports 16 (2013) 41 (2013)

Airports - with total: 6 total: 8 paved 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2017) (2017)

Airports - with total: 10 total: 33 unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 runways 914 to 1,523 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 1 (2013) under 914 m: 22 (2013)

National air number of registered number of registered air transport air carriers: 4 carriers: 1 system inventory of inventory of registered registered aircraft aircraft operated by air operated by air carriers: 11 carriers: 10 annual passenger traffic on annual passenger registered air traffic on registered carriers: 1,181,187 air carriers: 1,103,880 annual freight traffic on annual freight traffic registered air Cambodia Laos

on registered air carriers: 1,356,497 mt-km carriers: 2,301,260 mt- (2015) km (2015)

Civil aircraft XU (2016) RDPL (2016) registration country code prefix

Military

Cambodia Laos

Military Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Lao People's Armed branches Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Forces (LPAF): Lao Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air People's Army Force; the Royal Cambodian (LPA, includes Gendarmerie is the military police Riverine Force), Air force responsible for internal Force (2011) security; the National Committee for Maritime Security performs Coast Guard functions and has representation from military and civilian agencies (2016)

Military service 18 is the legal minimum age for 18 years of age for age and compulsory and voluntary military compulsory or obligation service (2012) voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - minimum 18- months (2012)

Military 1.85% of GDP (2016) 0.2% of GDP expenditures - 2.11% of GDP (2015) (2013) percent of 1.66% of GDP (2014) 0.22% of GDP GDP 1.58% of GDP (2013) (2012) 1.55% of GDP (2012) 0.23% of GDP (2011)

Transnational Issues Cambodia Laos

Disputes - Cambodia is concerned about southeast Asian states have international Laos' extensive upstream dam enhanced border construction; Cambodia and surveillance to check the Thailand dispute sections of spread of avian flu; talks boundary; in 2011 Thailand continue on completion of and Cambodia resorted to demarcation with Thailand arms in the dispute over the but disputes remain over location of the boundary on islands in the Mekong the precipice surmounted by River; Cambodia and Laos Preah Vihear Temple ruins, have a longstanding border awarded to Cambodia by ICJ demarcation dispute; decision in 1962 and part of a concern among Mekong UN World Heritage site; River Commission members Cambodia accuses Vietnam of that China's construction of a wide variety of illicit cross- eight dams on the Upper border activities; progress on Mekong River and a joint development area with construction of more dams Vietnam is hampered by an on its tributaries will affect unresolved dispute over water levels, sediment sovereignty of offshore islands flows, and fisheries; Cambodia and Vietnam are concerned about Laos' extensive plans for upstream dam construction for the same reasons

Illicit drugs narcotics-related corruption estimated opium poppy reportedly involving some in cultivation in 2015 was the government, military, and estimated to be 5,700 police; limited hectares, compared with methamphetamine 6,200 hectares in 2014; production; vulnerable to estimated potential money laundering due to its production of between 84 cash-based economy and and 176 mt of raw opium; porous borders unsubstantiated reports of domestic methamphetamine production; growing domestic methamphetamine problem

Trafficking current situation: Cambodia current situation: Laos is in persons is a source, transit, and a source and, to a lesser Cambodia Laos destination country for men, extent, transit and women, and children destination country for subjected to forced labor and men, women, and children sex trafficking; Cambodian subjected to forced labor men, women, and children and sex trafficking; Lao migrate to countries within economic migrants may the region and, increasingly, encounter conditions of the Middle East for legitimate forced labor or sexual work but are subjected to sex exploitation in destination trafficking, domestic countries, most often servitude, or forced labor in Thailand; Lao women and fishing, agriculture, girls are exploited in construction, and factories; Thailand’s commercial sex Cambodian men recruited to trade, domestic service, work on Thai-owned fishing factories, and agriculture; a vessels are subsequently small, possibly growing, subjected to forced labor in number of Lao women and international waters and are girls are sold as brides in kept at sea for years; poor China and South Korea and Cambodian children are subsequently sex trafficked; vulnerable and, often with the Lao men and boys are families’ complicity, are victims of forced labor in subject to forced labor, the Thai fishing, including domestic servitude construction, and and forced begging, in agriculture industries; some Thailand and Vietnam; Lao children, as well as Cambodian and ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese Vietnamese women and girls women and girls, are are trafficked from rural areas subjected to sex trafficking to urban centers and tourist in Laos; other Vietnamese spots for sexual exploitation; and Chinese, and possibly Cambodian men are the main Burmese, adults and girls exploiters of child prostitutes, transit Laos for sexual and but men from other Asian labor exploitation in countries, and the West travel neighboring countries, to Cambodia for child sex particularly Thailand tourism tier rating: Tier 2 Watch tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List List – Laos does not fully – Cambodia does not fully comply with the minimum comply with the minimum standards for the standards for the elimination elimination of trafficking; of trafficking; however, it is however, it is making making significant efforts to significant efforts to do so; do so; the government has a authorities sustained written plan that, if moderate efforts to Cambodia Laos

implemented, would investigate, prosecute, and constitute making significant convict trafficking efforts to meet the minimum offenders; the government standards for the elimination failed to make progress in of trafficking; authorities proactively identifying made modest progress in victims exploited within the prosecutions and convictions country or among those of traffickers in 2014 but did deported from abroad; the not provide comprehensive government continues to data; endemic corruption rely almost entirely on local continued to impede law and international enforcement efforts, and no organizations to provide complicit officials were and fund services to prosecuted or convicted; the trafficking victims; although government sustained efforts Lao men and boys are to identify victims and refer trafficked, most protective them to NGOs for care, but services are only available victim protection remained to women and girls, and inadequate, particularly for long-term support is assisting male victims and lacking; modest prevention victims identified abroad; a efforts include the new national action plan was promotion of anti-trafficking adopted, but guidelines for awareness on state- victim identification and controlled media (2015) guidance on undercover investigation techniques are still pending after several years (2015)

Economy

Thailand Burma

Economy - With a relatively well-developed Since the transition to a civilian overview infrastructure, a free-enterprise government in 2011, Burma has economy, and generally pro- begun an economic overhaul investment policies, Thailand is aimed at attracting foreign highly dependent on investment and reintegrating into international trade, with exports the global economy. Economic accounting for about two-thirds reforms have included of GDP. Thailand’s exports establishing a managed float of include electronics, agricultural the Burmese kyat in 2012, commodities, automobiles and granting the Central Bank Thailand Burma parts, and processed foods. The operational independence in July industry and service sectors 2013, enacting a new anti- produce about 90% of GDP. The corruption law in September agricultural sector, comprised 2013, and granting licenses to mostly of small-scale farms, nine foreign banks in 2014 and contributes only 10% of GDP but four more foreign banks in 2016. employs about one-third of the State Counselor AUNG SAN SUU labor force. Thailand has KYI and the ruling National attracted an estimated 3.0-4.5 League for Democracy, who took million migrant workers, mostly power in March 2016, are seeking from neighboring countries. to improve Burma’s investment climate, following the US Over the last few decades, sanctions lift in October 2016 and Thailand has sustained strong reinstatement of Generalized growth and has reduced poverty System of Preferences trade substantially. In 2013, the Thai benefits in November 2016. In Government implemented a October 2016, Burma passed a nationwide 300 baht (roughly revised foreign investment law $10) per day minimum wage that consolidates investment policy and deployed new tax regulations and eases the reforms designed to lower rates investment approval process. on middle-income earners. Parliament is also expected to pass amendments to the Growth has slowed in the last Companies Law and Gemstone few years, however, due to Law later this year. domestic political turmoil and sluggish global demand. The government reforms since Nevertheless, Thailand’s 2011 and the subsequent easing economic fundamentals are of most Western sanctions led to sound, with low inflation, low accelerated growth, from under unemployment, and reasonable 6% in 2011 to roughly 7% in 2013 public and external debt levels. through 2017. Burma’s abundant Tourism and government natural resources and young labor spending - mostly on force are attracting foreign infrastructure and short-term investment in the energy, stimulus measures – have helped garment, information technology, to boost the economy, and The and food and beverage sectors. Bank of Thailand has been supportive, with several interest Despite these improvements, rate reductions. living standards have not improved for the majority of the Over the longer-term, Thailand people residing in rural areas. faces labor shortages, and Burma remains one of the domestic debt levels, political poorest countries in Asia – uncertainty, and an aging approximately 26% of the population pose risks to growth. country’s 51 million people live in poverty. The isolationist policies and economic mismanagement of previous governments have left Burma with poor infrastructure, endemic corruption, underdeveloped human resources, and inadequate access to capital, which will require a major commitment to reverse. Thailand Burma

The Burmese government has been slow to address impediments to economic development such as insecure land rights, a restrictive trade licensing system, an opaque revenue collection system, and an antiquated banking system. AUNG SAN SUU KYI’s government is focusing on accelerating agricultural productivity and land reforms, modernizing and opening the financial sector, and developing transportation and electricity infrastructure.

GDP (purchasing $1.229 trillion (2017 est.) $330.9 billion (2017 est.) power parity) $1.185 trillion (2016 est.) $308.6 billion (2016 est.) $1.148 trillion (2015 est.) $290.8 billion (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars note: data are in 2017 dollars

GDP - real 3.7% (2017 est.) 7.2% (2017 est.) growth rate 3.2% (2016 est.) 6.1% (2016 est.) 2.9% (2015 est.) 7% (2015 est.)

GDP - per capita $17,800 (2017 est.) $6,300 (2017 est.) (PPP) $17,200 (2016 est.) $5,900 (2016 est.) $16,700 (2015 est.) $5,600 (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars note: data are in 2017 dollars

GDP - agriculture: 8.2% agriculture: 24.8% composition by industry: 36.2% industry: 35.4% sector services: 55.6% (2017 est.) services: 39.9% (2017 est.)

Population 7.2% (2015 est.) 25.6% (2016 est.) below poverty line

Household lowest 10%: 2.8% lowest 10%: 2.8% income or highest 10%: 31.5% (2009 est.) highest 10%: 32.4% (1998) consumption by percentage share

Inflation rate 0.6% (2017 est.) 6.5% (2017 est.) (consumer 0.2% (2016 est.) 6.8% (2016 est.) prices) Thailand Burma

Labor force 38.37 million (2017 est.) 22.3 million (2017 est.)

Labor force - by agriculture: 31.8% agriculture: 70% occupation industry: 16.7% industry: 7% services: 51.5% (2015 est.) services: 23% (2001 est.)

Unemployment 0.7% (2017 est.) 4% (2017 est.) rate 0.8% (2016 est.) 4% (2016 est.)

Budget revenues: $79.6 billion revenues: $9.211 billion expenditures: $90.56 billion expenditures: $11.45 billion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

Industries tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing; wood and agricultural processing, wood products; copper, tin, beverages, tobacco, cement, tungsten, iron; cement, light manufacturing such as construction materials; jewelry and electric appliances, pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; oil computers and parts, integrated and natural gas; garments; jade circuits, furniture, plastics, and gems automobiles and automotive parts, agricultural machinery, air conditioning and refrigeration, ceramics, aluminum, chemical, environmental management, glass, granite and marble, leather, machinery and metal work, petrochemical, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, printing, pulp and paper, rubber, sugar, rice, fishing, cassava, world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer

Industrial 3.6% (2017 est.) 9.6% (2017 est.) production growth rate

Agriculture - rice, cassava (manioc, tapioca), rice, pulses, beans, sesame, products rubber, corn, sugarcane, groundnuts; sugarcane; fish and coconuts, palm oil, pineapple, fish products; hardwood livestock, fish products

Exports $228.2 billion (2017 est.) $10.07 billion (2017 est.) $214.3 billion (2016 est.) $9.085 billion (2016 est.) note: official export figures are grossly underestimated due to Thailand Burma

the value of timber, gems, narcotics, rice, and other products smuggled to Thailand, China, and Bangladesh

Exports - automobiles and parts, computer natural gas; wood products; commodities and parts, jewelry and precious pulses and beans; fish; rice; stones, polymers of ethylene in clothing; minerals, including jade primary forms, refine fuels, and gems electronic integrated circuits, chemical products, rice, fish products, rubber products, sugar, cassava, poultry, machinery and parts, iron and steel and their products

Exports - US 11.4%, China 11.1%, Japan China 40.6%, Thailand 19.1%, partners 9.6%, Hong Kong 5.3%, Australia India 8.8%, Singapore 7.6%, Japan 4.8%, Malaysia 4.5%, Vietnam 5.7% (2016) 4.4% (2016)

Imports $190 billion (2017 est.) $15.33 billion (2017 est.) $177.7 billion (2016 est.) $12.8 billion (2016 est.) note: import figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of consumer goods, diesel fuel, and other products smuggled in from Thailand, China, Malaysia, and India

Imports - machinery and parts, crude oil, fabric; petroleum products; commodities electrical machinery and parts, fertilizer; plastics; machinery; chemicals, iron & steel and transport equipment; cement, product, electronic integrated construction materials; food circuit, automobile’s parts, products? edible oil jewelry including silver bars and gold, computers and parts, electrical household appliances, soybean, soybean meal, wheat, cotton, dairy products

Imports - China 21.6%, Japan 15.8%, US China 33.9%, Singapore 14.3%, partners 6.2%, Malaysia 5.6% (2016) Thailand 12.5%, Japan 7.9%, India 6.9%, Malaysia 4.3% (2016)

Debt - external $135.5 billion (31 December 2017 $9.713 billion (31 December 2017 est.) est.) $130.6 billion (31 December 2016 $8.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.) est.) Thailand Burma

Exchange rates baht per US dollar - kyats (MMK) per US dollar - 34.34 (2017 est.) 1,361.9 (2017 est.) 35.296 (2016 est.) 1,234.87 (2016 est.) 35.296 (2015 est.) 1,234.87 (2015 est.) 34.248 (2014 est.) 1,162.62 (2014 est.) 32.48 (2013 est.) 984.35 (2013 est.)

Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September 1 April - 31 March

Reserves of $193.5 billion (31 December 2017 $5.032 billion (31 December 2017 foreign est.) est.) exchange and $171.9 billion (31 December 2016 $4.63 billion (31 December 2016 gold est.) est.)

Current Account $44 billion (2017 est.) -$4.393 billion (2017 est.) Balance $46.83 billion (2016 est.) -$3.789 billion (2016 est.)

GDP (official $437.8 billion (2016 est.) $66.97 billion (2016 est.) exchange rate)

Market value of $348.8 billion (31 December 2015 $NA publicly traded est.) shares $430.4 billion (31 December 2014 est.) $354.4 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Central bank 1.5% (31 December 2016) 9.95% (31 December 2010) discount rate 1.5% (31 December 2015) 12% (31 December 2009)

Commercial 6.2% (31 December 2017 est.) 14% (31 December 2017 est.) bank prime 6.31% (31 December 2016 est.) 13% (31 December 2016 est.) lending rate

Stock of $537.2 billion (31 December 2017 $28.48 billion (31 December 2017 domestic credit est.) est.) $507.5 billion (31 December 2016 $23.08 billion (31 December 2016 est.) est.)

Stock of narrow $56.36 billion (31 December 2017 $18.53 billion (31 December 2017 money est.) est.) $52.03 billion (31 December 2016 $15.84 billion (31 December 2016 est.) est.) Thailand Burma

Taxes and other 18.2% of GDP (2017 est.) 13.8% of GDP (2017 est.) revenues

Budget surplus -2.5% of GDP (2017 est.) -3.3% of GDP (2017 est.) (+) or deficit (-)

GDP - household consumption: 50.1% household consumption: 50.6% composition, by government consumption: 17% government consumption: 15.2% end use investment in fixed investment in fixed capital: 24.2% capital: 37.9% investment in inventories: -7% investment in inventories: 2.6% exports of goods and exports of goods and services: 70.4% services: 20.6% imports of goods and services: - imports of goods and services: - 54.7% (2017 est.) 26.9% (2017 est.)

Gross national 32.8% of GDP (2017 est.) 16.2% of GDP (2017 est.) saving 33.5% of GDP (2016 est.) 16.5% of GDP (2016 est.) 30.3% of GDP (2015 est.) 19.3% of GDP (2015 est.)