An Introduction to Vietnam

The official name of the country Vietnam is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It is located in the easternmost area of the Indochina Peninsula found in Southeast Asia. To the north of Vietnam is China, to its northwest, Laos, and Cambodia to its southeast. It is the 13th most populated country in the world. It is also listed as one of the “Next Eleven” economies due to its rapidly developing and growing economy. Vietnam has the second fastest economic growth rate in the whole of East Asia, and is the fastest in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam stretches around 331,688 km2 in area. It is a land that is mostly composed of densely forested mountains and hills. The level land covers approximately just 20% of the land’s area. Vietnam’s delta of the Red River, a triangular and flat region spanning just 15,000 km2 is slightly smaller than the Mekong River Delta but more densely populated and more developed.

Because of the differing latitudes in the country, Vietnam’s climate may tend to vary depending on the location of the area. In general, the climate of Vietnam can be summarized as a tropical monsoon climate, with a high level of average humidity per year, around 84%.

The economy of Vietnam was greatly devastated by the Vietnam War. After this war, the Government began an economic plan for Vietnam. Farms and factories were collected. The economic capital was enforced, with millions of people required to work for the government. This brought about corruption and inefficiency in the state.

A change of economic plans in 1986 encouraged private ownership in agriculture, industries and commerce, bringing about a significant change in the country’s economic standing. Vietnam has seen rapid economic growth in the past few years, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the whole of Asia.

Vietnamese is the country’s native language. The main religions in the country are Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism and Confucianism, with a large part of the country having reservations when it comes to the Christian faith.

There is a great collection of state-controlled schools, universities and colleges in Vietnam, with education for children aged 6 to 11 as being both mandatory and free. Because education is expensive, not a lot of families can afford to send their children to school.

The culture of Vietnam has experienced great influence from the culture of neighboring China. Some of the main characteristics found in Vietnamese culture include financial duty, self-betterment and education. During the socialist era, the cultural life of the Vietnamese was greatly influenced by the government’s control over media and the cultural impact of various socialist programs.

Vietnamese cuisine, considered one of the best in the world consists of food cooked with very small amounts of oil and lots of vegetables. Vietnamese music also varies greatly in three different regions: Central or Trung, the North and the South. The classical music from the North is considered to be the most traditional and formal.

Football, badminton, ping pong, chess, tennis and volleyball are some of the most played sports in the country. The country is also home to a small but growing film industry. Around 3.56 million tourists visited the country just last year, making developing tourism one of the main priorities of the government. The country is very famous for its boat tours and beaches.