A Glimpse at Vietnam

Language: The official language in Vietnam is Vietnamese. There are dialectical differences between the north, central and southern regions. There are also dozens of different languages spoken by various ethnic minorities, particularly in the Central Highlands and in the far north of the country. The most widely spoken foreign languages in Vietnam are Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), English and French in that order.

Religion: Predominantly Buddhist, Vietnam’s spiritual foundations are rich and deep, also embracing Confucianism, Taoism and later Christianity. If asked what religion, most Vietnamese people are likely to say they are Buddhist, but when it comes to family or civic duties they are likely to follow the moral and social code of Confucianism. Catholicism was introduced in the 16th century by missionaries. Today, Vietnam has the highest percentage of Catholics in Asia outside the Philippines. Protestantism was introduced to Vietnam in 1911 and most of the 200,000 today are Montagnards living in the central highlands.

Geography: Shaped like an elongated letter S, Vietnam stretches the length of the Indochinese peninsula, bordering the Bien Dong or the South China Sea, to the east. Bordering countries are China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west

Capital: Hanoi

Government: Communist, however, capitalism has taken a front seat. This has resulted in an ultra-liberal economics and ultra-conservative politics.

Economy: Vietnam remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita annual income of around $300US. However, everywhere in Vietnam there is activity and hard working people anxious to build their country and lives.

Population: Vietnam’s population is about 83 million, making it the 13th most populous country in the world and with it’s population growth rate it might soon make the top ten. Vietnam is a young country, with 65% of the population under the age of 30.

Life expectancy: 68 for men, 73 for women

Adult literacy rate: 94%

Other interesting facts: 9.4 million motorbikes in the country; 32.3 million tones of annual rice production; 200 million liters of nuoc mam (fish sauce) produced per year