Area
330,991 square km
Population
80 million
Geography
Vietnam lies on the eastern seaboard of the Indochina Peninsula. It borders China to the north and Laos and Cambodia to the west. To the east and south lies the South China Sea, which the Vietnamese call the East Sea. Mountains and hills cover four-fifths of Vietnam's territory with the Truong Son range stretching over 1,400km. Mount Fansipan (3,142m) is the highest peak in Southeast Asia.
The most populated areas in Vietnam are the lowland alluvial plains: the Red River Delta (15.000 sq. km, with a 3,000km-long dyke network) in the north, and the Mekong Delta (22,000 sq. km) in the south. Vietnam's two biggest rivers, the Red River and the Mekong River, respectively discharged,109 cubic meters and 1.4 million cubic meters of water. Vietnam's 3,260km-long coastline features beautiful beaches like Tra Co, Lang Co, Nha Trang, Vung Tau, and Ha Tien. National parks include Ba Vi, Cat Ba and Cuc Phuong in the north, Bach Ma in the center and Cat Tien in the south.
Resources
Minerals: coal, iron, aluminum, tin and oil. Agricultural and forestry
Agricultural and forestry products: Rice, maize, sweet potatoes, peanuts, soy beans, rubber, lacquer, coffee, tea, tobacco, cotton, coconut, sugar cane, jute, and tropical and subtropical fruits.
Climate
Vietnam is essentially a tropical country with a humid monsoon climate. The annual mean temperature is over 20 degrees Celsius throughout the country (Hanoi 23.4 C, Hue 25.1 C, Ho Chi Minh City 26.9 C).
In July, the average temperature in Hanoi is 28.6 C. in Hue it is 28.9 C, and in Ho Chi Minh City, 27.6 C. Lowland areas receive around 1,500mm of rain per year, while mountainous areas receive 2,000mm to 3,000mm. Humidity can reach 90 percent in the rainy season.
Vietnam has two seasons: cool and dry from November to April and hot and rainy from May to October. The difference between summer and winter temperatures is dramatic in the north (varying up to 20 degrees Celsius). The south is warm all year round, with seasonal variations in temperature averaging just three degrees Celsius.
Administrative divisions
Vietnam has four major cities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong and Danang) and 57 provinces.
History
Vietnam's history may be divided into five periods:
Prehistory: There is evidence of human settlements in northern Vietnam as far back as 500,000-300,000 BC. In the third century BC, King An Duong founded Au Viet.
Chinese occupation: Northern Vietnam was occupied by China from 189 BC to 939 AD.
Independence: Local kings ruled the area from 939 to 1860 AD.
French colonialism: The French colonized Vietnam from 1860 to 1945.
Independence: The Socialist Republic of Vietnam was founded after the 1945 revolution, when President Ho Chi Minh declared independence.
Ethnic groups
There are 54 ethnic groups living in Vietnam. The Viet, or Kinh, people account for 88 percent of Vietnam's population and are mostly concentrated in the lowlands. In contrast, most of the country's 5.5 million ethnic minority peoples live in mountainous areas. Major groups include the Tay (960,000 people); the Nung (152,000 people); the Thai (770,000 people); the Muong (700,000 people); the H'mong (441,000 people); the Zao (340,000 people); the Hoa (930,000 people); the Khmer (720,000 people); the Bana (100,000 people); the Giarai (184,000 people); and the Ede (140,000 people).
Religions
The three main religious influences in Vietnam are Buddhism, Confucianism and Ancestor Worship.
Vietnamese Languages and scripts
More than 80 percent of the population speaks Vietnamese or Kinh/Viet, the national language. Many ethnic minority people speak Kinh and their own native language. Three scripts have influenced Vietnam's history:
Han Chinese ideograms were used until the beginning of the 20th century.
The Norn script, created between the 11th and 14th centuries, was derived from Han script to transcribe the Vietnamese language.
European missionaries in the 17th century developed quoc ngu, the Romanised transcription of the Vietnamese language used to this day .
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* January 1 - Western New Year's Day
* January or February - Tet; Vietnamese and Chinese New Year celebration; this most important Vietnamese festivity of the whole year is celebrated an entire week from the first to the seventh day of the new year according to the traditional moon calendar; as the celebration depends on the phases of the moon, not the sun, it is celebrated on different dates of the Western calendar; traditionally, during the Tet days large amounts of food are consumed, because the Tet days are considered an omen for the course of the entire year; the belief is that if you eat a lot during the Tet days, there will be enough food during the whole year.
* February 3 - Founding Day of the Communist Party of Vietnam; national holiday
* March - day to commemorate the Trung sisters, who in the year 41 of Christian reckoning led a rebellion against the Chinese rulers; movable holiday, as it depends on the moon calendar.
* April 30 - Liberation Day of South Vietnam and Saigon; national holiday
* May 1 - Labour Day; national holiday
* May 19 - Ho Chi Minh's birthday; national holiday
* May 28 - holiday in commemoration of the birth, the enlightenment and the death of the Buddha; national holiday
* August - Trung Nguyen; Day of the Wandering Souls; on this day the souls of the dead are believed to wander to the habitats of their offspring; celebrations in Buddhist temples; food is spread on house altars for the souls of the deceased and fake money is burnt in honour of them; moveable holiday, as it depends on the moon calendar.
* September 2 - National Holiday
* September 3 - Day to commemorate the death of Ho Chi Minh in 1969; national holiday
* September - Trung Thu - autumn celebration at which children parade through the streets with lanterns; for this celebration moon cakes are baked; moveable holiday, as it depends on the moon calendar.
* November - Birthday of Confucius; moveable holiday, as it depends on the moon calendar |
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Visa is required by all nationalities. Visa is usually delivered by Vietnamese Embassies who require the original passport and 2 photos for two full working days in order to stamp the visa.
If Visa approval is arranged by WAYTOVIETNAM.COM upon the client request, the personal data (full name, passport number with date of issuance and expiry, date and place of birth, nationality) must be supplied to us at least 10 days before arrival to Viet Nam.
Visas can also be obtained upon arrival at Vietnam international airports such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang airports, in which case the stamping fee will be quoted separately. Apart from required details above we further need arrival/departure flight information, WAYTOVIETNAM.COM will send a confirmation letter to show to the airport staff at the departing airport, confirming that clients will get the visa on arrival. Visas can only the requested via WAYTOVIETNAM.COM in connection with the booking of travel arrangements to Vietnam.
It could be the quickest way to get Vietnam visa because the formalities takes only two full working days ( except Saturday and Sunday).
All visitors must obtain Vietnam visa prior to entry. However, at present visitors from the following 12 countries - Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, The Philippines, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden are exempted from requiring visas when they enter, exit, or stay in Vietnam for less than 15 days. |
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International phone charges are steep in Vietnam and many hotels, especially upmarket ones, add extra fees, Check the rates before dialing. One long-distance service offers a flat fee of around US$0.75 per minute to 50 countries; dial 171 followed by the country code and number.
Public phones require phone cards, which are available at post offices. To rent a mobile phone call 821 8465 in Hanoi and 824 2382 in HCM City. Faxes can be sent from hotels, business centers or post offices. Again, rates vary. Hanoi and HCM City offer dozens of Internet cafes . |
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Travel Guide 
