Vietnam (329,560 sq km, land: 325,360 sq km, water: 4,200 sq km) is larger than Italy and almost the size of Germany. The perimeter of the country running along its international boundaries is 4,639 km (Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km). The topography consists of hills and densely forested mountains, with level land covering no more than 20%. Mountains account for 40% of the area, with smaller hills accounting for 40% and tropical forests 42%.

The northern part of the country consists mostly of highlands and the Red River Delta. Phan Xi Păng, located in Lào Cai province, is the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143 m. The south is divided into coastal lowlands, extensive forests, and poor soil. Comprising five relatively flat plateaus of basalt soil, the highlands account for 16% of the country's arable land and 22% of its total forested land.

The delta of the Red River (also known as the Sông Hồng), a flat, triangular region of 15,000 km2 is smaller but more intensely developed and more densely populated than the Mekong River Delta. Once an inlet of the Gulf of Tonkin, it has been filled in by the enormous alluvial deposits of the rivers over a period of millennia, and it advances one 100 meters into the Gulf annually. The Mekong delta, covering about 40,000 km2, is a low-level plain no more than 3 meters above sea level at any point and criss-crossed by a maze of canals and rivers. So much sediment is carried by the Mekong's various branches and tributaries that the delta advances 60 to 80 meters into the sea every year.

Tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and cool, dry season (mid-October to mid-March). Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate that varies significantly from the north to the south: There are four clear-cut seasons in the North of Vietnam while there are only dry and wet seasons in the South.

Humidity varies from 82% to 89%. The average temperature changes from 20 to 27 degrees centigrade. Especially, the temperature is not higher than 22 degree centigrade in Dalat in summer and snow falls in Sapa in winter. Vietnam is long country from North to South with different geography and weather, so travelers can visit Vietnam all year round without many climatic disadvantages.

Population

Recent census estimates place the population of Vietnam at more than 84 million. Vietnamese people, also called "Viet" or "Kinh", account for 86.2% of the population. Their population is concentrated in the alluvial deltas and coastal plains of the country. A homogeneous social and ethnic group, the Kinh exert political and economic control. There are more than 50 ethnic minority groups throughout the country, but the Kinh are purveyors of the dominant culture.

Most ethnic minorities, such as the Muong, a closely related ethnic of the Kinh, are found mostly in the highlands covering two-thirds of the territory. The Hoa (ethnic Chinese) and Khmer are mainly lowlanders. The largest ethnic minority groups include the Hmong, Dao, Tay, Thai, and Nung.

• Population growth rate: 1.04%
• Total population: 0.98 male (s)/female
• Life ratio: 70.61 years (male: 67.82 years ; female: 73.6 years)

Ethnic groups

1. Kinh (also called Viet, the largest ethnic group in Vietnam) 86.2%
2. Tày (Tay) - The largest minority in Vietnam 1.9%
3. Thái (Thai) 1.7%
4. Mường - Closest to Kinh Vietnamese, other half of Viet-Muong language family 1.5%
5. Khmer Krom (Khmer, Khơ Me Crộm) 1.4%
6. Hoa (Chinese) 1.1%
7. Nùng 1.1%
8. H'Mông (Hmong, Hơ-mông, Mong; formerly known as Mèo)
9. Dao - Yao people, also known as Mien, many speak Iu Mien language, distant relatives of Hmong
10. Gia Rai (Jarai, J'rai)
11. Ê Đê (Rhade)
12. Ba Na (Bahnar)
13. Sán Chay (San Chay, Cao Lan)
14. Chăm - Descendants of the Champa kingdom in southern Vietnam
15. Xơ Đăng (Sedang, Xo Dang)
16. Sán Dìu (San Diu)
17. Hrê (H're)
18. Cờ Ho
19. Ra Glai (Raglai)
20. M'Nông
21. Thổ (Tho) - Related to Kinh Vietnamese
22. Xtiêng (Stieng)
23. Khơ Mú (Khmu)
24. Bru-Vân Kiều
25. Giáy
26. Cơ Tu
27. Giẻ Triêng
28. Tà Ôi (Ta Oi)
29. Mạ
30. Co
31. Chơ Ro
32. Hà Nhì (Hani)
33. Xinh Mun (Xinh-mun)
34. Chu Ru (Chru)
35. Lao - People from Laos
36. La Chí
37. Phù Lá
38. La Hủ
39. Kháng
40. Lự
41. Pà Thẻn
42. Lô Lô (Lo Lo, Yi)
43. Chứt - related to Vietnamese, only 2000-4000 people
44. Mảng
45. Cờ Lao (Gelao)
46. Bố Y (Buyei)
47. La Ha
48. Cống (Cong)
49. Ngá
50. iSi La
51. Pu Péo
52. Brâu
53. Rơ Măm
54. Ơ Đu

For much of Vietnamese history, Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism have strongly influenced the religious and cultural life of the people. About 85% of Vietnamese identify with Buddhism, though not all practice on a regular basis. Most people ascribe to Tam Đạo ("Triple religion") (80% of people are worship the mixture of Mahayana Buddhism mainly, Taoism, Confucianism with Ancestor Worship; 2% Theravada Buddhism, mainly among Khmer people in the Mekong. The vast majority of Vietnamese people of Asian religions practice Ancestor Worship.

About 8% of the population is Christians, with about six million Roman Catholics and fewer than one million Protestants, according to the census of 2007. Christianity was introduced first by the Portuguese and the Dutch traders in the 16th and 17th centuries, then further propagated by French missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries, and to a lesser extent, by American Protestant missionaries during the presence of American forces during the 1960s and early 1970s, largely of South Vietnam.

About 3% of the population is Cao Dai, a syncretism 20th century religion that is concentrated around Tay Ninh Province. Sunni and Bashi Islam, a small minority faith, is primarily practiced by the ethnic Cham minority, though there are also a few ethnic Vietnamese adherents in the southwest. In total there are 70,000 Muslims; small Hindu communities (over 50,000 people) and a small number of Baha'is and Jews.

The people of Vietnam speak Vietnamese which is a tonal monosyllabic Mon- Khmer language as an official national language. In its early history, Vietnamese writing used Chinese characters. In the 13th century, the Vietnamese developed their own set of characters called Chữ nôm. The celebrated epic Đoạn trường tân thanh (Truyện Kiều or The Tale of Kieu) by Nguyễn Du was written in Chữ nôm. During the French colonial period, Quốc ngữ, the romanized Vietnamese alphabet used for spoken Vietnamese, which was developed in 17th century by Jesuit Alexandre De Rhodes and several other Catholic missionaries, became popular and brought literacy to the masses.

Various other languages are spoken by several minority groups in Vietnam. The most common of these are Tày, Mường, Khmer, Chinese, Nùng, and H'Mông. The French language, a legacy of colonial rule, is still spoken by some older Vietnamese as a second language, but is losing its popularity. In recent years, English is becoming more popular as a second language. English study is obligatory in most schools. Chinese and Japanese have also become more popular.

Vietnam is an agricultural civilization based on wet rice cultivation with ancient Dong Son culture as one of its defining aspects. The major stimulation of Vietnamese culture's development comes from indigenous factors, with Chinese and Indian influence serving to further enrich it. Through history, Cham culture and the cultures of other minority ethnic groups in Vietnam have been integrated with Vietnamese culture in correlated effects.

The official spoken and written language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. Vietnam is considered a part of the East Asian Cultural Sphere. One of the most popular Vietnamese traditional garments is the "Áo Dài", worn often for special occasions such as weddings or festivals. White Áo dài is the required uniform for girls in many high schools across Vietnam. Áo Dài was once worn by both genders but today it is worn mainly by females, except for certain important traditional culture-related occasions where some men do wear it.

Vietnamese cuisine uses very little oil and many vegetables. The main dishes are often based on rice, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Its characteristic flavors are sweet (sugar), spicy (serrano peppers), sour (lime), nuoc mam (fish sauce), and flavored by a variety of mint and basil. Vietnamese music varies slightly in the three regions: Bắc or North, Trung or Central, and Nam or South. Northern classical music is Vietnam's oldest and is traditionally more formal. Central classical music shows the influences of Champa culture with its melancholic melodies.

Vietnamese literature has a long history. Folk literature has been developed for centuries with many great arts, including a typical 6-8 verse poem kind named "ca dao" and a system of tales about village establishers and heroes which served as cultural base for many cultural regions (for example, "Saint Gióng tales"). Written literatures dates from Ngô Dynasty with some admirable artists like Nguyễn Trãi with "Bình Ngô đại cáo", Trần Hưng Đạo with "Hịch tướng sĩ", Nguyễn Du with "Truyện Kiều" (English: The Tale of Kieu) and Nguyễn Đình Chiểu with "Lục Vân Tiên". Some genres play an important role in performance like "hát nói" in ca trù. Some poet unions have been formed like "Tao Đàn." The modernization of literature has happened since Western cultural effect began in 19th century. Since then, Vietnamese literature has continued to develop.

Martial arts are the most common sports for centuries. Vovinam and Bình Ðịnh martial art are two of the most well-known Vietnamese martial arts. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Vietnam. Sports and games such as badminton, tennis, ping pong, and chess are also popular with large segments of the population. Volleyball, especially women's volleyball, is watched by a fairly large number of Vietnamese people.

State-owned Vietnam Airlines is the primary airline of Vietnam. Vietnam operates 17 major civil airports, including three international gateways: Noi Bai in Hanoi, Da Nang International Airport in Da Nang City and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City. Tan Son Nhat is the largest, handling 75 percent of international passenger traffic. According to the approved plan, Vietnam will have 10 international airports by 2015 (besides the three above-mentioned airport, they are: Lien Khuong International Airport, Phu Bai International Airport, Cam Ranh International Airport, Phu Quoc International Airport, Cat Bi International Airport, Cần Thơ International Airport and Long Thanh International Airport). The planned Long Thanh International Airport will be built on an area of 50 square kilometers and will have full capacity of 100 million passengers, 5 metric tons of cargo per annum. Vietnam Airlines, the national airline, has a fleet of 70 (+77 orders) (150 in 2020) aircraft. Besides the state-owned Vietnam Airlines, there are some private airlines like Jetstar Pacific, Indochina Airlines, VietJet AirAsia, Trai Thien Air Cargo.

The modern transport network of Vietnam was originally developed under French rule for the purpose of raw materials harvesting, and reconstructed and extensively modernized following the Vietnam War. The road system is the most popular form of transportation in the country. Vietnam's road system includes national roads administered by the central level; provincial roads managed by the provincial level; district roads managed by the district level; urban roads managed by cities and towns; and commune roads managed by the commune level.

Bicycles, motor scooters and motorcycles remain the most popular forms of road transport in Vietnam's cities, towns, and villages although the number of privately owned automobiles is also on the rise, especially in the larger cities. Public bus operated by private companies is the main long distance travel means for many people. Traffic congestion is a serious problem in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as the cities' roads struggle to cope with the booming numbers of automobiles.

In 2009, Vietnam and Japan signed a deal to build a high-speed railway using Japanese technology. Vietnamese high speed engineers were sent to Japan to take a high-speed course from March to November. Since 2006, Vietnam has sent 100 high-speed operators to take courses in Japan so they can operate it once it is completed. The railway will be a 1,630-km-long express route and contain a total of 26 stations, including Hanoi and Hoa Hung terminus in Ho Chi Minh City. It will help reduce the travel time between the country's two largest cities to under 10 hours. Using the planned technology (Shinkansen), the railway will be designed for trains to travel at a maximum speed of 360 km per hour. However, the consultant joint venture recommended running trains at a maximum of 320 km per hour using Fastech 360s trains. As scheduled, the railway lines from Hanoi to central Vinh and from central Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam will be laid during the 2010-2015 period. From 2015-2020, construction will begin on the routes between Vinh and Nha Trang and between Hanoi and the northern mountainous provinces of Lao Cai and Lang Son.

The nation has seven developed ports and harbors at Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Gai (Halong City), Qui Nhơn, and Nha Trang. There are also more than 17,000 km of navigable waterways, which play a significant role in rural life owing to the extensive network of rivers in Vietnam.