News

Geography

• Vietnam occupies the eastern and southern part of the Indochinese peninsula in Southeast Asia, with the South China Sea along its entire coast.   China is to the north and Laos and Cambodia are to the west. Long and narrow on a north-south axis, Vietnam occupies a total area of 331,700 square kilometers, which is about twice the size of Arizona, in the U.S. The Mekong River Delta lies to the south.
• The capital is Hanoi. The largest city is Ho Chi Minh.  The famous areas in Vietnam are DaLat, Nha Trang and Hue, in the north are Hoan Kiem lakes, Ha Long Bay and in the south is Vung Tau.
• The climate is tropical in the south, monsoonal in the north with a hot rainy season from mid-May to mid-September and a warm, dry season from mid-October to mid-March.  The Central Plain (Da Lat) has cool weather year-round.

Culture

• Vietnam has a population of more than 85 million. The main ethnic group is Vietnamese (90 percent) and religions include Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and Islam, as well as other indigenous beliefs.  
• Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam.  Other languages include French, Chinese, English and Khmer.
• The most important festival of the year is Tet, a week-long event in late January or early February that heralds the new lunar year and the advent of spring.

Economy

• In 2007, Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth was 8.5 percent.   Vietnam is expected to have GDP growth of 7.5 percent - 8 percent annually until 2012.
• Vietnam’s GDP is comprised of: agriculture -- 19.4 percent; construction -- 42 percent; and services -- 38.5 percent.Vietnam has been following the international community in developing a legal and market-based framework that encourages major investment inflows.