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| Visa
Instruction Sheet | Visa
Application Form | Fees
| Non-US
Citizen Info |
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Welcome
to Vietnam. Located in south east Asia, Vietnam
borders Cambodia, Laos and China and stretches over
1600 km along the eastern coast of the Indochinese
Peninsula. |
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The country has two main cultivated areas; the Red
River Delta (15,000 sq km) in the north and the
Mekong Delta (60,000 sq km) in the south. Lush green
vegetation covers the lands throughout the country.
Vietnam is made up of equatorial lowlands, high,
temperate plateaus and alpine peaks. Less than 20%
of the country remains forested, and what remains
is under threat from slash and burn agriculture
and excessive harvesting. Urban life is also prominent
in Vietnam. |
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Most of the larger urban centers are located in
southern Vietnam. Of the major cities, only the
capital city of Hanoi (population, 1989; 3,056,146)
is not located on the coast. Other large cities
are Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon (3,924,435);
Haiphong (1,447,523), Hanoi's port; and Da Nang
(369,734), near the ancient city of Hue (260,489).
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The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese spoken
by the majority of the population. The use of French,
a remnant of colonial times, is declining. Some
Vietnamese people who live in urban areas speak
other languages, such as English and Russian. Khmer,
Montagnard, and Cham are spoken primarily in the
interior. There is also a variety of religions throughout
Vietnam reflecting the influences of many cultures.
Traditional Vietnamese religion includes elements
of Indian beliefs and three Chinese religious systems:
Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. A majority
of adherents today follow Buddhism, including a
wide variety of sects. Other religions include relatively
new sects such as Hoa Hao, associated with Buddhism,
and Caodaism, a synthesis of Christianity, Buddhism,
and Confucianism. Christianity, particularly the
Roman Catholic church, claims as many as 6 million
followers. The currency of Vietnam is the Nu Dong.
The four major ways to convert currency are at banks,
exchange bureaus, hotels, and black markets. Visa
and MasterCard are also accepted in major cities
and some towns. |
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| Full
country name: |
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
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Area:
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329,566 sq km (128,527 sq mi) |
| Population:
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79 million |
| Capital city:
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Hanoi (pop 3.5 million)
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| People:
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84% ethnic Vietnamese, 2% ethnic Chinese,
also Khmers, Chams (a remnant of the once-great
Indianised Champa Kingdom) and members of
over 50 ethnolinguistic groups (also known
as Montagnards, 'highlanders' in French) |
| Languages: |
Vietnamese, Russian, French, Chinese, English
and a variety of Khmer and Laotian dialects
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| Religion:
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Buddhism is the principal religion but
there are also sizeable Taoist, Confucian,
Hoa Hao, Caodaists, Muslim and Christian minorities
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| Government:
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Communist People's Republic |
| President
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Tran Duc Luong |
Prime Minister:
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Phan Van Khai |
| GDP: |
US$24 billion |
GDP per head:
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US$300 |
| Annual growth |
8% |
Inflation:
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8% |
| Major industries:
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Rice, rubber, food processing, sugar, textiles,
chemicals |
| Major trading partners:
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China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan
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