Fascinating Facts About Vietnam

We embarked on a journey to explore as many countries as we can. Every country that we go to – we gather interesting facts about it – This helps us understand more how local people live, what they do and how they go about their day.

Here I ma sharing fascinating facts about Vietnam- a fascinating country in South East Asia, that has surprised us all.

Vietnam is a long, narrow nation shaped like the letter s. It is in Southeast Asia on the eastern edge of the peninsula known as Indochina. Its neighbors include China to the north and Laos and Cambodia to the west. The South China Sea lies to the east and south. The mountains of the Annam Cordillera rise over most of the western side of Vietnam, while a thousand-mile (1,600-kilometer) coastline dominates the east.

Let’s start with basic facts:

• OFFICIAL NAME: Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
• FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Socialist republic.
• CAPITAL: Hanoi.
• POPULATION: over 99 million and growing (as of 2023)
• OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Vietnamese.
• MONEY: Vietnamese Dong.
• AREA: 127,123 square miles (329,247 square kilometers)
• MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGE: Annam Cordiller.

And here is a list of more interesting facts:

1. Vietnam is a top cashew grower and exporter.
2. Vietnam is the second largest coffee exporter after Brazil.
3. NGUYEN is the most common last name.
4. There is no legal drinking age in Vietnam. Maybe that is teh reason Vietnam is the third largest beer consumer in Asia?
5. As of 2023 , there were over 70 million motorbikes registered in Vietnam- it is the most common and most popular transport in the country.
6. Lotus is Vietnam’s national flower.
7. There are 2360 rivers flowing in Vietnam. Biggest one is Mekong. Red river is second biggest river in Vietnam.
8. This. beautiful country is home to the largest cave in the world- Son Doong Cave is located in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (near Vietnam- Laos border)- it is about 9 km long!
9. Vietnam is the largest black pepper exporter.
10. There are 8 UNESCO Heritage sites.
11. The exotic SNAKE WINE is the most unusual drink in Vietnamese culture. Snakes are widely believed to possess medicinal qualities and the wine is often advertised to cure everything from farsightedness to hair loss, as well as to increase sexual performance. In Vietnam, snake wine is widely believed by some individuals to improve health and virility. Vietnamese snake wine is famous for its bizarre way of making, with the main ingredients are venomous snakes and rice wine or grain alcohol. The snakes, preferably venomous ones, are not usually preserved for their meat but to have their “essence” and snake venom dissolved in the liquor. 

12. There is a village not too far from Ho Chi Minh City called hung Hiep Loc. It is calle da Twin Village because in a pretty small population it has 70 sets of twins.

13. According to Vietnamese folklore, Vietnamese people are descendants of the dragons.

14. Vietnamese celebrate TET- their New Year.

15. Football is country’s most popular sport. Although national sport of the country is – FOOT BADMINTON.

16. Vietnam’s Media sector is regulated by the government under the 2004 Law of Publication. It is perceived that media sector is controlled by the government and follows the official communist party line.

17. Average Monthly Salary is around 7.500.000 VND (about 300$ US). If you earn 1000$ US or more- You are considered wealthy.

18. According to the department of the statistics, around 86% of Vietnamese either do not have a religion or follows folklore religion. Only about 5% are buddhists.

19. FANSIPAN is the highest Mountain located in Lao Cai province. It is 3143 m high.

20. Vietnam is home to 34 National Parks. First National Park was established in 1966.

21. Top 10 Traditional Vietnamese dishes: *Ban Mi (Saigon’s Sandwich), *Pho (brothy noodle soup made with meat and vegetable options), *Bah Khot (mini crispy pancakes), *Goi Cuon (Transluscent Spring rolls), *Ca Phe Trueng (Vietnamese egg coffee), *Cao Lau (Noodle bowl), *Bun Cha (Hanoi specialty), *Banh Chung, *Banh Bao (Steamed bun with either meat or vegetable options), *Rau Muong (morning glory vegetables).

22. Vietnam has the longest sea cable car in the world and it is situated on the island of Phu Quoc. In fact, the Phu Quoc cable car crosses several islands in the archipelago connecting Phu Quoc to Hon Thom island nearly 8km away.

I will add and update facts as we travel.