Facts about Vietnam
Vietnam Religion
Buddhism
Hanoi
Capital of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War
Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception is a cathedral located in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Established by French colonists who initially named it the Church of Saigon, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880.
Nguyen Phu Trong
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam
Mekong Delta
In Vietnam. The 10th largest river. Near Ho Chi Minh City. Empties into the Gulf of Thailand.
Khai Dinh Tomb
The Tomb of Khải Định, officially Ứng Mausoleum, is located in Chau Chu mountain near Huế in Vietnam. It was built for Khải Định, the twelfth Emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty. It was built from 1920 to 1931 taking 11 years to complete.
Tet
The Vietnamese New Year celebration, during which the communists launched a heavy offensive against the U.S. in 1968
Snake Wine
The drink was first recorded to have been consumed in China during the Western Zhou dynasty and considered an important curative and believed to reinvigorate a person according to Traditional Chinese medicine.
Ho Chi Minh City
The largest city in Vietnam, named for the President of Northern Vietnam, formerly Saigon.
Ao Dai
The traditional dress of Vietnamese women, consisting of a long tunic that is slit on the sides and worn over loose trousers.
Vietnam Military
Unknown
Goi Cuon
Vietnamese spring roll, fresh spring roll, spring roll, or rice paper roll, is a Vietnamese dish traditionally consisting of pork, prawn, vegetables, bún, and other ingredients wrapped in Vietnamese bánh tráng.
Tiet Canh
a Vietnamese dish of raw blood pudding served with raw meat in Northern Vietnam.
Quan Ho
a Vietnamese folk music style characterized both by its antiphonal nature, with alternating groups of female and male singers issuing musical challenges and responses, and by the fact that most of the songs in the repertoire deal with topics of love and sentimentality as experienced by young adults.
Mi Quang
a Vietnamese noodle dish that originated from Quảng Nam Province in central Vietnam. In the region, it is one of the most popular and nationally recognized food items, and served on various occasions such as at family parties, death anniversaries, and Tết. Mì Quảng can also be found in many restaurants around the country, and is a popular lunch item.
Nguyễn Xuân Phúc
a Vietnamese politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and is ranked 3rd in the country's 12th Politburo.
Pho
a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat, sometimes chicken. Pho is a very popular food in Vietnam where it is served in household, street stalls and restaurants all over the country.
Hoi An Ancient Town
a city with a population of approximately 120,000 in Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province and noted since 1999 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
My Son Sanctuary
a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples in Quảng Nam province, central Vietnam, constructed between the 4th and the 14th century by the Kings of Champa, an Indianized kingdom of the Cham people.
Marble Mountains
a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Ngũ Hành Sơn District, south of Da Nang city in Vietnam. The five mountains are named after the five elements: Kim, Thuy, Moc, Hoa and Tho.
Nha Trang
a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the north by Ninh Hoà district, on the south by Cam Ranh town and on the west by Diên Khánh District.
Mui Ne
a coastal fishing town in the south-central Bình Thuan Province of Vietnam. The town, with approximately 25,000 residents, is a ward of the city of Phan Thiết.
Banh Xeo
a crispy, stuffed rice pancake popular in Vietnam. Bánh mean cake while xèo means sizzle. The name refers to the loud sound the rice batter makes when it is poured into the hot skillet. It is a savoury fried pancake made of rice flour, water, and turmeric powder.
Sa Pa
a district-level town of Lào Cai Province in the Northwest region of Vietnam. As of 2018, the town had a population of 61,498. The town covers an area of 677 km². The town capital lies at Sa Pa. It is one of the main market towns in the area
Cham Islands
a group of 8 small islands of Quảng Nam, which form a part of the Cu Lao Cham Marine Park, a world Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO, in the South East Asia Sea in Vietnam. The islands are approachable from Cửa Đại beach. The islands are also recognized as Vietnam's national scenic site.
the Forbidden Purple City
a palace complex in central Beijing, China. It houses the Palace Museum, and was the former Chinese imperial palace and state residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty, between 1420 and 1924.
Tam Coc
a popular tourist destination in north Vietnam and part of the Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex UNESCO World Heritage site. It is located in Ninh Binh province, near the village of Tam Cốc. The closest city is Ninh Binh.
Perfume River
a river that crosses the city of Huế, in the central Vietnamese province of Thừa Thiên-Huế Province. In the autumn, flowers from orchards upriver from Huế fall into the water, giving the river a perfume-like aroma, hence the sobriquet.
Water Puppetry
a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. Today's Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique variation on the ancient Asian puppet tradition.
Vietnam Government
after the Vietnam War, north and south Vietnam reunited as one country under communist rule
Non La
an Asian rice hat, coolie hat, oriental hat or farmer's hat, is a simple style of conical hat originating in East, South and Southeast Asia
Con Dao
an archipelago of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province, in the Southeast region of Vietnam, and a district of this province.
Cham People
an ethnic group of Austronesian origin in Southeast Asia. From the 2nd to the mid-15th century the Chams populated Champa, a contiguous territory of independent principalities in central and southern Vietnam.
Vietnam Exports
clothes, shoes, electronics, seafood, crude oil, rice, coffee, wooden products, machinery
Vietnam Currency
dong
Foreigners have the option of applying for a Temporary Residence Card, which is cheaper and easier to process than a visa.
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In religious construction, pagodas are for worship and offerings, while temples are built to honor historical figures.
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LGBT rights are getting more progressive, with a recent uplifting of the ban on same-sex marriage.
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Motorbikes are the most common form of transport
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School children are summoned by traditional gongs instead of bells.
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The Dong Tam snake farm and the living museum was established in 1979 and is responsible for conserving the species and finding antidotes to their venom.
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The Nine Dynastic Urns symbolize sovereignty and are each named after an Emperor.
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The Red River in the North and Mekong in the South are surrounded by extremely fertile plains
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The country's name was originally spelled as two words, Viet Nam.
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Their cuisine is well known for its balance of the five Asian elements; spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet.
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Their culture is a complex adaptation of Chinese, Japanese, French and American colonial influences.
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Their rate of unemployment is one of the lowest of all developing countries in the world.
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Traditional Vietnamese culture revolves around the core values of humanity, community, harmony, and family.
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Vietnam is one of the biggest producers of cashew nuts in the world
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Vietnam owns about 20% of the coffee market share
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Vietnam's street food culture is quite popular and considered by many to be one of the best in the world.
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Vietnam Industries
food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, mobile phones
Vietnam Terrain
low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Vietnam Imports
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, steel products, raw materials for the clothing and shoe industries, electronics, plastics, automobiles
Vietnam Natural Resources
phosphates, coal, manganese, rare earth elements, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, timber, hydropower, arable land
South China Sea
sea south of the Yangtze river, east of the Mekong river, west of the Pacific ocean
Fan Si Pan
the highest mountain in the Indochinese Peninsula, hence its nickname "the Roof of Indochina". It is located in the Lào Cai Province of the Northwest region of Vietnam, 9 km southwest of Sa Pa in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range.
Phong Nha Cave
the second largest cave in Vietnam, beautiful grottos and impressive lighting for about a mile
Hang Son Doong Cave
the world's largest natural cave, in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Bố Trạch District, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam.
Son Doong Cave
the world's largest natural cave, in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Bố Trạch District, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam.
Vietnam Climate
- rainy season during the summer/ fall months - dry season during the winter months
Ho Chi Minh
1950s and 60s; communist leader of North Vietnam; used geurilla warfare to fight anti-comunist, American-funded attacks under the Truman Doctrine; brilliant strategy drew out war and made it unwinnable
Vietnam Agriculture
34.8%; In 2004, agriculture and forestry accounted for 21.8 percent of Vietnam's gross domestic product, and between 1994 and 2004, the sector grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent.
Cu Chi
A district not far from Saigon that had a massive tunnel complex right underneath the feet of the American and ARVN forces
Ha Long Bay
A natural water feature has limestone rock islands; The name Hạ Long means "descending dragon". Administratively, the bay belongs to Hạ Long city, Cẩm Phả city, and is a part of Vân Đồn District. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes.
Vietnam War
A prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States. It had no clear cause and was started as a conflict.
Banh Mi
A traditional, and becoming increasingly popular, Vietnamese sandwich. Can be comprised of almost any protein, and generally includes pickled and fresh vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, jalapenos) a flavored aioli and cilantro.