Official English Name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Official Local Name(s): Cộng hòa Xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam
Common English Name: Vietnam
Capital: Hanoi

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Official Language(s)

Vietnamese
Secondary Languages: English, French, Chinese, Khmer

Resources

Phosphates, Coal, Manganese, Bauxite, Chromate, Oil and gas offshore, Timber, Hydropower

Neighbors

Cambodia (West), China (North), Laos (West)

Ethnic groups

Kinh (85.7%), Tay (1.9%), Thai (1.8%), Muong (1.5%), Mong (1.2%)

People

Est. Population:

95,261,021

Demonym:

Vietnamese

Religions:

Atheist (81.8%)
Buddhist (9.3%)
Catholic (6.7%)
Hoa Hao (1.5%)
Cao Dai (1.1%)

Largest City:

Ho Chi Minh City (6,584,000)

Other Cities:

Hanoi (3,087,000)
Da Nang (898,000)
Hai Phong (835,000)
Bien Hoa (799,000)
Cần Thơ (778,000)

Geography

Region:

Southeastern Asia

Bodies of Water:

Gulf of Thailand (West)
Gulf of Tonkin (East)
South China Sea (East)

Total Area:

331,210 km2 (93.6% land, 6.4% water)

Total Land:

4,639 km

Total Coastline:

3,444 km

Climate

Tropical

Terrain:

Low and flat delta in the north and south
Central highlands
Mountains in the far north and northwest

Highest Point

Fan Si Pan (3,144 m)

Lowest Point

Sea Level

Natural Disasters

Flooding
Typhoons

Government

Type:

Communist state

Head of State:

President Nguyễn Phú Trọng

Head of Government:

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc

Admin. Divisions

58 Provinces
5 Municipalities

Independence:

2 September 1945 (from France)

Nat'l Symbol:

Yellow, five pointed star on a red field

Nat'l Anthem:

Tien quan ca

Economy

GDP Per Capita

$6,000 (USD)

Currency

₫ (Dong)

Exchange Rate

$1 (USD) = ₫ (Dong)23,296.50

Communication

Internet Code

.vn

Telephone Code

+84

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Cultural Notes

Vietnamese people may come across as relatively passive, however they also give off a strong sense of drive, especially with life goals.
Unlike most Eastern societies, in Vietnam, clan takes precedence over the family.
Clubs tend not to be like their western counterparts; instead of people standing around and mingling, there are many rows of tables where people just sit and chat. Dance floors are also rare.
When entering somebody’s house, you must take your shoes off.
Motorbikes are the most common form of transportation. However, be warned that motorbikes are very dangerous as a passenger.

Sources

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vm.html (Majority of information)
https://www.gso.gov.vn/default.aspx?tabid=714 (City population data)
Wolfram|Alpha (Currency exchange data)
Information accurate to best of ability as of 27 December 2016