The most interesting facts about Vietnam, from outstanding natural beauty to one of the most deadly conflicts in history
Fast facts
Official name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Capital city: Hanoi
Population: 99 million
Area: 331,210 sq km
Major languages: Vietnamese, English
Major religions: Atheism, Buddhism
Time zone: UTC+7 (Vietnam Standard Time)
Interesting facts about Vietnam
1. Vietnam is an S-shaped country located in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China, Cambodia and Laos.
2. Humans have inhabited northern Vietnam for around 500,000 years. However, it was not until around 7000 BC that hunter-gatherers began to practise basic agriculture.
3. The Dong Son culture, renowned for its bronze moko drums, emerged during the 3rd century BC. The Dong Son era also witnessed advances in rice cultivation and the emergence of the Red River Delta as a major agricultural centre.
4. The Mekong River runs through Vietnam. At 4,900 km, it is the longest river in Southeast Asia, the 7th longest in Asia, and the 12th longest in the world.
5. Vietnam was occupied by China for more than 1000 years from the 2nd century BC when China conquered the Red Delta to 939 AD, when Ngo Quyen, a Vietnamese commander, defeated the Chinese.
6. From 1859 to 1883 France colonised Vietnam along with the surrounding region which became known as Indochina or French Indochina.
7. Japan took control of Indochina during World War II. Following the end of the conflict, France tried to regain control. The First Indochina War or Anti-French Resistance War was fought between Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh, and France until 1954.
8. In 1954, Vietnam was partitioned into North and South Vietnam. A second conflict followed known as the Vietnam War, the American War or the Second Indochina War. The USA was heavily involved in support of the South against the communist North.
9. By 1975, the USA had been defeated, North and South Vietnam were finally unified and the independent Socialist Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed.
10. The largest city in Vietnam is Ho Chi Minh City. The city was called Saigon until 1976 when it was renamed in honour of the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.
11. Around 16% of the world’s flora and fauna species can be found in Vietnam which is located in one of the world’s most biologically diverse areas – the Greater Mekong region.
12. Vietnam remains one of the world’s few communist states. The only others are China, Cuba, Laos and nominally North Korea (although technically its government doesn’t refer to itself as communist).
13. Vietnam’s flag has a red background with a large yellow star in the centre which reflects its communist history. The red signifies revolution and blood and the five-pointed star represents the five principal classes of the political front – peasants, workers, intellectuals and traders. and soldiers – that unite to build socialism.
14. The Vietnam War killed 2-4 million people including at least 2 million Vietnamese civilians, over 1 million Vietnamese soldiers and 58,300 American soldiers.
15. Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer in the world after Brazil.
16. Vietnam is the world’s 16th most populous country and Asia’s 9th most populous.
17. Motorbikes are everywhere in Vietnam. More than eight-in-ten people own a motorbike in Vietnam with over 45 million registered motorbikes in Vietnam in 2016.
18. The name Vietnam is actually two words. “Viet” – an ethnic group dating to a second century B.C. kingdom and “nam” means “south” – a reference to its location in relation to other Viet kingdoms.
19. One of the most famous sites in Vietnam is the UNESCO-listed Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay includes over 1,133 islands and islets, most of which are uninhabited.
20. Snake wine is drunk in Vietnam. It often involves the inhumane process of drowning live snakes in alcohol before being bottled.
21. It’s possible for snakes to survive in the bottle for months. In 2013, a report surfaced of a Chinese woman who was bitten on the hand after a snake jumped out of a bottle of wine where it had been fermenting for three months.
22. Vietnam is home to the UNESCO-listed Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park which has over 123,326 hectares of natural caves and underground rivers.
23. Vietnam has had over two decades of consistent growth, matching China as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and has joined the ranks of East Asian ‘tiger’ nations.
24. The world’s largest cave is in Vietnam. Son Doong Cave measures a total of 38.5 million cubic meters. However, a 2019 expedition discovered the cave is connected to another cave, Thung Cave, via an underwater tunnel which will add a further 1.6 million cubic meters to its volume.
25. Water puppetry is popular in Vietnam. The art dates back over 1,000 years to when farmers adapted conventional puppetry onto the water following a large flood.
26. In Vietnam, crossing your fingers is thought to resemble female genitalia and making the gesture is regarded as taboo.
27. Vietnam is the world’s largest exporter of cashew nuts. As of 2018, Vietnam exports over 38% of the world’s cashews – worth $3.6 billion.
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