Viet Nam sometimes spelled Viet Nam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea – referred to in Vietnam as the East Sea – to the east. With an estimated 90.5 million inhabitants as of 2011, Vietnam is the world’s 13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous Asian country.

The Vietnamese became independent from Imperial China in 938 AD, following the Battle of Bach Dang River. Successive Vietnamese royal dynasties flourished as the nation expanded geographically and politically into Southeast Asia, until the Indochina Peninsula was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. Efforts to resist the French eventually led to their expulsion from the country in the mid-20th century, leaving Vietnam divided politically into two countries. Fighting between the two sides continued, with heavy foreign intervention, during the Vietnam War, which ended with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975.

Emerging from this prolonged military engagement, the war-ravaged Communist nation was politically isolated. In 1986, the government instituted economic and political reforms and began a path towards international reintegration. By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with most nations. Its economic growth has been among the highest in the world since 2000,[11] and according to Citigroup, such high growth is set to continue. Vietnam has the highest Global Growth Generators Index among 11 major economies, and its successful economic reforms resulted in it joining the World Trade Organization in 2007. However, the country still suffers from relatively high levels of income inequality, disparities in healthcare provision, and poor gender equality.

Pepper in Viet Nam

As the biggest pepper producer and exporter in the world, Viet Nam contributed to 34% of the global pepper production for the year 2022.

During 2022, Viet Nam was reported to have produced 183,000 Mt, an increase of 2% when compared to the previous year, which comprised of 163,000 Mt black pepper and 20,000 Mt white   pepper. The 2022 production figure was similar as compared to the average production during the last ten years.

In 2022, Vietnam exported a total of 231,988 Mt of pepper valued at USD 985 million. This export quantity represented a decrease by 11% while its value by 1% when respectively compared to the  previous year. In terms of export share, Viet Nam contributed to 58% of the total export of producing countries.

The main destinations for Viet Nam’s pepper were reported to be United States of America which contributed to 24% of the total pepper exported by Viet Nam, China with 9%, United Arab Emirates with 7%, India with 5% and Germany with 4% respectively.