Government: Social Republic

Capital city: Hanoi (pop 6, 1 million)

Area: 332,000 sq km

Population: about 84 millions

Calling Code: +84

Time Zone: UTC +7

Religion:

Buddhism is the principal religion but there are also sizeable Taoist, Confucian, Hoa Hao, Caodaists, Muslim and Christian minorities.

Nationalities:

Vietnam is home to 54 ethnics minority groups: 84% ethnic Vietnamese, 2% ethnic Chinese, also Khmers, Chams (a remnant of the once-great Indianized Champa Kingdom) and members of over 50 ethnic linguistic groups (also known as Montagnards, 'highlanders' in French).

Language:

Vietnamese, Russian, French, Chinese, English and a variety of Khmer and Laotian dialects.Vietnamese is the official language although younger Vietnamese in main cities increasingly speak English. Some people and especially elderly still speak French; while middle-aged speak German and Russian. However, a guide is highly recommended, as language can be a problem outside of main cities for people who have no knowledge of Vietnamese.

Currency:

The official currency of Vietnam is the “dong” (VND). Notes are available in paper denominations of 500,000; 100,000; 50,000; 20,000, 10,000, 5,000, 1,000, 500, 200 and 100 VND, and also in metal denomination of 5,000; 2,000; 1,000; 500; 200 VND. Throughout the country, American dollars are widely accepted. However, the bills must be relatively new with no markings or tears. Several big cities use Euro currency. Traveler’s cheques are easily exchangeable in banks. Credit cards are becoming more popular, especially in the major hotels and restaurants of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

knowing Vietnam:

This is a new and exotic destination for tourists to discover from all over the world. As an untouched land with diversified geography, Vietnam, a new land of tourism with age-old traditions and culture, newly built resorts and hotels, provides a great variety of interesting tours to tourists. Vietnam can offer ideal tour packages, incentive trips and perfect meeting places.

With more than 3,200 kilometers of coastal lines, Vietnam has many deserted sandy beaches awaiting tourists. Some five-star resorts along beaches in the middle part of Vietnam are hosting many honeymooners, vacationers and business people. UNESCO has recognized five tourist sites are Ha Long Bay, Hue, Phnong Nha - Ke Bang, Hoi An and My Son as the World Heritages thanks to their marvelous settings. Many famous sightseeing spots such as Sword Lake, Temple of Literature, Royal Citadel, Kings' Tombs, Chinese Temples, Cu Chi Underground Tunnels, etc. in Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City may bring visitors different feelings and cultural insights in comparison with neighboring countries.

Vietnam is famous for its firm renovation. The whole country is moving quickly towards a bright future thanks to the new "open door" policy. Visitors can easily find newly established buildings, smiling faces, women in long gorgeous traditional Ao Dai everywhere, colorful outfits, high-rises, nonstop streams of cars and motorcycles, markets full of local and foreign made commodities, offices and factories with modern technology.

The booming economy boosts the development of other fields such as culture, education and tourism. The recent years have witnessed many changes. The whole country is changing rapidly, but still preserves unpolluted environment, primitive forests, etc., which always make Vietnam an exotic destination and an ideal country for ecotourism.