At a glance
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a country in Southeast Asia and the easternmost country on the Indochinese Peninsula.
With a population of 96.2 million, Vietnam was the world’s 15th most populous country in 2019, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.
The country has a total land area of over 331,200 square kilometers.
Vietnam shares land borders with China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west. It shares maritime borders with China and some Southeast Asian countries through the East Vietnam Sea.
The combined length of the country’s land boundaries is 4,639 kilometers, and its coastline is 3,444 kilometers long.
The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi, located in the north, while the most populous city and commercial hub is Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
Vietnam’s unique geography creates a range of weather patterns, with both tropical and temperate zones, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
While the March-May period offers the best weather countrywide, there is no bad time to visit Vietnam, as there is always some part of the country with clear skies.
Just like the diversity of its landscapes, Vietnam offers a variety of ways to get around. You may favor windswept motorbike rides, flying straight from point to point, or take the overland routes of trains and buses, soaking in the sights along the way.
The official language of the country is Vietnamese, while people also speak ethnic minority languages and English as a foreign language.
The national currency is the Vietnamese dong (VND), which had a reference exchange rate of US$1 = VND23,178 as of September 10, 2020.
Visitors to Vietnam can choose from a wide variety of unique and memorable experiences from amazing cuisine and diverse culture to breathtaking scenery, blissful beaches, and bustling cities.
