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Location: South East Asia

Full country name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Mainland Territory: 331,211.6 sq. km

Population: 85.789 millions inhabitants (Apr. 2009)

National Capital: Hanoi

Time zone: GMT +7

Geographical position: Lying on the eastern part of the Indochinese peninsula and limited by eastern latitude 102º 08' - 109º 28' and northern longitude 8º 02' - 23 º 23’. Vietnam is a strip of land shaped like the letter “S”. China borders it to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, the East Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south.

The country’s total length from north to south is 1,650km. Its width, stretching from east to west, is 600km at the widest point in the north, 400km in the south, and 50km at the narrowest part, in the centre, in Quang Binh Province. The coastline is 3,260km long and the inland border is 4,510km.

People: Vietnam has 54 different minorities. Most of them are Vietnamese (Kinh people) accounting for nearly 90 % of national population, gathering in the deltas and coastal areas. The 10 % rest are from 53 other minorities including Tay, Thai, Muong, Chinese, Khmer, Nung, Brau, Ro Mam, O Du… mostly living in the mountainous areas and highlands (except for Chinese and Khmer)

Languages: Each minority has its own language; some others have their own writings. However, the most common ones which are in use Vietnamese, English, French, Russian, Chinese and a variety of Khmer and Laotian dialects.

Religions: Buddhism is the principal religion but there are also sizeable Taoist, Confucian, Hoa Hao, Caodaists, Muslim and Christian minorities.

Natural resources: Vietnam has rich natural resources including forest resource, marine resource, tourism resource and many mineral resources.

Currency: Vietnamese dong (VND) is the official currency in Vietnam issued by the state bank of Vietnam in the form of bank notes and coins. Polymer bank notes include 10, 000 VND, 20 000 VND, 50 000 VND, 100 000 VND, 200 000 VND và 500 000 VND. Coins include 200 VND, 500 VND, 1000 VND, 2000 VND and 5000 VND. However, paper bank notes are still in use at the time of writing and can be changed in nationwide banks.

Administrative units: Vietnam has a total of 63 cities and provinces including 5 central cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang, Hai Phong and Can Tho.