By Christian Fleming

Mar. 2 – Over the last 40 years, Vietnam has managed to transform itself from a nation in a seemingly constant state of war to an economic force on the rise.

Here is a look at Vietnam in numbers:

66 – The percentage devaluation of Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index in 2008. The indicator, which is tied to the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, was the worst performing Asian index last year.

28 – As a percentage, the continued decline in the VN-Index so far this year, as of Feb. 27.

1.49 – Percentage growth of Vietnam’s consumer price index for the first two months of this year.

689,000 – Number of foreign arrivals in Vietnam over the last two months, a year-on-year decrease of more than 10 percent.

19 – The percent drop in Dong Phu Rubber Joint-Stock Co.’s stock value so far this year. Dong Phu Rubber is Vietnam’s largest listed rubber producer on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange.

1.1 billion – Amount, in U.S. dollars, by which the Vietnamese National Assembly Standing Committee plans to increase the issuance of government bonds this year, up to a total of US$3.2 billion.

9 – Percentage depreciation of Vietnamese Dong since the end of 2007.

5.3 billion – The amount of foreign direct investment pledged in U.S. dollars so far this year in Vietnam – down 30 percent from the same period last year.

27 – Year-on-year percentage increase in the volume of crude oil exported from Vietnam for Jan. and Feb. this year.

42.4 – The percent reduction in the value of Vietnam’s oil exports this year, despite the increase in volume.

90 trillion – In Vietnamese Dong, amount by which this year’s original budget estimates have fallen by, “due to the economic downturn and falling crude oil prices.”