Vietnam

Located in southeast Asia, Vietnam is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula bordered by China, Laos and Cambodia with over 2,100 miles of coastline on the South China Sea. Although it is only slightly larger than the state of New Mexico, it is the 13th most populous country in the world with a population of 90.7 million people. Most of the country is covered in mountains and tropical forests leading to a uniquely high level of biodiversity, making it home to an abundance of plants and animals. Vietnam is currently regarded as having one of the world's fastest growing economies. In the past much of the economy centered on rice and bauxite mining but in recent years manufacturing, information technology, high tech industries and oil production have gained dominance. Agriculture still has a significant role with the country being the world's top exporter of cashews and black pepper and second largest for rice and coffee. Unemployment in the country is relatively low at under 5% and there have been great strides in the last several years at lowering the number of people living below the poverty line. Education in the country is not free but their school enrollment is among the highest in the world, which is reflected in the high literacy rate.