Vietnam - Tourism and Travel

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is on the west coast of the South China Sea in southeast Asia.

It has an area of 127,246 square miles (329,565 square kilometers).

In the north of the country lie the lowlands of the Red River delta.

Long, narrow coastal plains separate the Red River delta the huge Mekong delta in the south. Much of the center of the country consists of the Annam Highlands, which are covered in mountains and forests.

Vietnam has a tropical climate, with monsoon rains in the summer.

The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi.

Many religious monuments, such as the Tien Pagoda, can be found in the city of Hue, in central Vietnam. Hue was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, when the country was ruled by the Nguyen dynasty.

88,069,000 people live in Vietnam.

Most of them live in the river deltas

86% of the population is Vietnamese, 2% is Tay and 2% is Thai.

The majority claim to be non-religious. there are some Buddhists and Christians.

Vietnamese is the official language. Chinese, Thai, Khmer, Miao, Jarai, Yo, Muong and Nung are also spoken.

At the end of World War II, Vietnam was a French colony, as were Cambodia and Laos.

The economy is developing as it heals from the destruction of the Vietnam War.

Recently, industrial manufacturing has become increasingly important.

The assembling of component-based electronic and electrical goods is becoming a common industry. Foreign companies benefit from the low cost of labor.

Other main industries are clothing and footwear, food processing, fertilizers and cement.

More than 75% of the workforce work in agriculture, forestry or fishing

Important crops are rice, tea, coffee and rubber.

Vietnam has oil, coal and copper reserves.

Main exports are oil, rice, coffee, clothing, fish and fish products.

Vietnam is a one-party state.

The official unit of currency in Vietnam is the dong, which is equal to 10 hao or 100 xu.