An overview of Vietnam will help you easily to find our country on the map of South East Asia. It’s  also useful for you before going to Vietnam

CAPITAL: The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi but the largest city is Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), which is the cultural and economic centre with a population of 7 million and the biggest port in Vietnam.
 
SUPERFICY:
Inland area: 330,991 Km2
Length: 1,650 Km
Width: 600 km at the widest point and 50 km at the narrowest point

 
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: Located on the eastern coast of South-East Asian Indochinese Peninsula, Vietnam shares its borders with Cambodia and Laos to the West, with China to the North and the China Sea to the East. Total coastline and borders stretch 2,500 Km. An estimated 66% of the total area is dominated by the rugged, heavily forested terrain of the Truong Son Range stretching North-South between the intensively cultivated and densely populated Red River (North) and the Mekong River (South) deltas. The highest peak in Vietnam is Fan Si Pan (3,143 m) in the extreme North. A long, narrow coastal plain links the two major river deltas. 22% of the land is arable and 40% is forested.

POPULATION: Vietnam has 82,2 million inhabitants with an average density of 248 inhabitants/km2, reaching 1,000 in the Red River delta in the North. 88% of the population is Viet, 2% Chinese and 1.5% Khmer. Numerous ethnic minorities make up the rest of the population of Vietnam: Muong, Nung, Dao, Thai, Cham, Hmong and various mountain-dwellers.

LANGUAGE: Vietnamese is the official language although English is increasingly spoken by younger Vietnamese in main cities. Some people and especially elderly still speak French; while middle-aged speak German and Russian

CURRENCY: Please search on this website for your reference www.xe.com/ucc/ TIME: Vietnam is 7 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

ELECTRICITY: In Vietnam electric current is mostly 220V in main cities, although you can still find 110V in rural areas. Sockets are both round and flat types.

HEALTH & MEDICAL FACILITIES: No vaccination is required, but visitors are advised to receive inoculations against hepatitis A and B, typhoid and tetanus. Inoculation for yellow fever and tablets for malaria are not necessary although doctors still usually recommend them.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have good hospitals staffed with foreign medical personnel, however for life threatening injury it is advisable to be evacuated to Bangkok or Singapore and we therefore strongly recommended taking out medical travel insurance.

BEFORE GOING: If you are travelling in the north or the centre from October to March warm clothes are recommended and especially appropriate all year long in the northern and highlands area (Sapa, Buon Me Thuot and Dalat). In the South, light clothing is a must all year long. Although you can find all these products in Vietnam, we recommend you take products for mosquitoes and for the sun, a cap or a hat, sunglasses, a raincoat and a small bag to carry a few things in case you have to leave your big suitcases at the hotel for a few days.

Finally, Vietnam is considered a safe country but we recommend you leave your gold jewellery at home.