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About Vietnam
AREA
330,991 sq. 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
discharge 122,109 cubic meters and 1.4 million cubic 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 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 Cty 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 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 municipalities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai
Phong and Danang) and 57 provinces.
HISTORY
Vietnam’s history can 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 the Au Viet dynasty.
• Chinese occupation:
Northern Vietnam was occupied by China from 189 BC to 939 AD.
• Independence: Local kings ruled the area form 939 to 1860
AD.
• French colonialism: The French colonised 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 the Cult of Mother-worshipping.
VIETNAMESE LANGUAGES AND SCRIPTS
More than 80 percent of the population speaks Vietnamese or Kinh/Viet,
the national language. Many ethnic minority piople 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 Nom 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. |
