1. COUNTRY
Vietnam is divided into 59 provinces (tinh) and 5 municipalities (thu do) as shown below:
NORTH VIETNAM
NORTH WEST REGION
Son La, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh
NORTH EAST REGION
Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh
RED RIVER DELTA REGION
Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Ha Tay, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Ninh Binh
CENTRAL VIETNAM
NORTH CENTRAL REGION
Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue
SOUTH CENTRAL COAST REGION
Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa
CENTRAL DELTA HIGHLANDS REGION
Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong
SOUTH VIETNAM
NORTH EAST SOUTH REGION
Ho Chi Minh, Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria Vung Tau
MEKONG RIVER DELTA REGION
Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Ben Tre, Kien Giang, Can Tho, Hau Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau
The five municipalities in Vietnam are Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh
Photo: Colonial buildings in Hanoi
2. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Vietnam is located in Southeast Asia and it is surrounded by China, Laos, Cambodia and the Gulf of Tonkin and consists mostly of hills and densely forested mountains with level land covering no more than twenty percent, between latitudes 8010' TO 23024'N and longitudes 102009' and 109030'E.
3. AREA
329,560 sq km
4. POPULATION
81.6 million
5. CAPITAL
Hanoi
6. PEOPLE
Ethnic Vietnamese are mostly concentrated in the alluvial deltas and in the coastal plains while ethnic minorities are found in the highlands. The largest minority group is the Hoa, who are mainly lowlanders while other ethnic minorities are situated mostly in the highlands that cover almost two-thirds of Vietnam.
Vietnamese women
7. LANGUAGE
Almost 87% of the population speaks the Vietnamese language, the country's official language, although other languages such as Chinese and Khmer are spoken among other minorities group with English becoming more popular and increasingly used in business.
8. RELIGION
Buddhism is the main religion with Confucianism, Taoism and Christianity being freely practised.
9. GOVERNMENT
Vietnam is governed through a highly centralized system dominated by the Vietnamese Communist Party (Dang Cong San Viet Nam) which was formerly known as the Vietnamese Labor Party. The government manages state affairs through a structure that parallels the party's objectives but it is incapable of acting without the party's orders. All key government positions are filled by only party members under the strict control of the Central Political Committee.
Society is ruled by the party's ever-presence which is manifested into a network of party cadres at almost every level of social activity. All citizens are expected to be members of one of the mass organizations led by party cadres and all military officials are ultimately answerable to party representatives.
10. CLIMATE
The climate in Vietnam is tropical and monsoonal and humidity averages about 84 percent throughout the year. Annual rainfalls ranges from 120cm to 300cm while annual temperature vary between 50C and 370c.
11. HISTORY AND CULTURE
Vietnam was occupied by France in 1884 and ruled Vietnam as a colony as a part of Indochina until it was expelled by the Japanese during World War II. After the war, France, with the help of the US, attempted to gain control of the country but independence was declared by the Nationalist forces who had fought against Japanese invasion.
The French was defeated in 1954 by the Vietnamese Aliiance Parties (Viet Nam Dong Minh Hoi), notably in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. The first Indochina War (1946-1954) came to an end with the defeat of the French that leads to its surrender.
On 20th July 1954, the Geneva Treaty was signed by the French and Vietnamese representatives. Vietnam was divided , supposedly temporarily, into the northern and southern zones. with a general election to be held in June 1956 (Article 3), and a prohibition against introducing foreign troops (Article 4). The division of Vietnam forced about two million North Vietnamese to migrate to the south, as the communist-controlled north began to impose severe rules to implement racial land reforms and socialist communism.
The southern government, headed by Ngo Dinh Diem and backed by the United States (US), refused to open consultation with the North Vietnamese concerning the general elections when the earlier agreed upon date was due. According to the Pentagon Papers, this was because Ho Chi Minh was believed to have significant support in the north after having tried to implement a massive agrarian reform that resulted in over one million people leaving North Vietnam to re-settle in the south to avoid persecution and bloodshed.
The Communist Party encouraged poor peasants to gain ownership of land by subjecting all landlords to public trials and executions. South Vietnam refused to abide by the Geneva Conference that declared Vietnam a republic because, according to them, under Ho Chi Minh's government, the North Vietnamese people were not free to choose or vote. This was hypocritical since South Vietnam was a right-wing dictatorship that strictly forbade opposition. This move was followed by the declaration of North Vietnam as a country by Ho Chi Minh, who was backed by the USSR and China.
Economic and military aid from the US to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government but US military forces were subsequently withdrawn following a ceasefire agreement which was signed in Paris in January 1973. Two years later, ignoring the Paris ceasefire agreement, the North Vietnamese army invaded and took control of South Vietnam by force. The war ended after a loss of about 3.8 million lives and with more than 2 million people fled Vietnam to seek political asylum in other countries.
Economic reconstruction of the united country has proven very difficult under the new Communist socialist government of Vietnam. The vast majority of the population in Vietnam is Vietnamese with the Chinese as a small minority group. The Vietnamese culture originated on the delta of the Red River and the Ma River where the locals cultivate paddy fields living a simple life and influenced by Confucianism.
12. MAJOR HOLIDAYS
New Year's Day (January 1), Anniversary of the Foundation of the Communist Party Of Vietnam (February 3), Tet (Tet Nguyen Dan - to mark the start of spring) (January/February), Liberation Day (April 30), May Day (May 1), Birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19), National Day (September 2)
13. ECONOMIC PROFILE
Vietnam is a poor, densely populated country that has to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support from the old Soviet bloc and the rigidities of a centrally planned economy. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to 1996 in moving forward from an extremely low starting point until the 1997 Asian financial crisis highlighted the problems existing in the Vietnamese economy but instead of prompting reform, it reaffirmed the Vietnamese government's belief that shifting to a market oriented economy leads to disaster.
Vietnamese authorities is slow in implementing the structural reforms needed to revitalize the economy and produce more competitive export-driven industries. Privatization of state enterprises remains bogged down in political controversy while administrative and legal barriers is causing unnecessary costly delays for foreign investors making it hard for Vietnam to attract foreign capital.
14. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
To enter Vietnam, a valid passport and visa are required and the best way to obtain a visa is from the Vietnam Embassy in Bangkok. The visa will indicate the arrival and departure destination and the length of stay in Vietnam. Visitors to Vietnam must fill out three set of application forms for visa together with three passport size photographs. One set will be given to the nearest Vietnam Embassy while the other two sets is given to immigration upon arrival.
All visitors are required to register with police within 48 hours upon arrival.
15. CURRENCY
The Vietnamese unit of currency is the Dong (d). Notes are in the denominations of 20d, 30d, 50d, 100d, 200d, 1,000d, 2,000d, 5,000d and 10,000d. Any amount under 200d is rarely used and is of little value and the US Dollar is used freely as well.
Any amount of currency may be brought into the country as long as it is declared on the forms provided by the Customs Officials.
16. BANKING HOURS
Monday - Friday: 8.00am to 5.00pm except on public holidays.
17. POST OFFICES
Vietnam's mail service is reliable and efficient. Major hotels provide basic postal services on their premises. Provincial post offices are usually open from 8.00am to 4.30pm.
18. TIME
Vietnam is seven hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), eleven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and fourteen hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.
19. ELECTRICITY
Voltage is 220 volt AC at 50 cycles per second throughout the country.
20. WEIGHTS AND MEASUREMENTS
Vietnam follows the metric system in weight and measures.
21. TELEPHONES
Emergency Telephone Numbers:-
Police: 03
Fire: 08
First Aid: 05
22. GETTING THERE
BY AIR
The main gateway to Vietnam is through Hanoi using the Noi Bai International Airport because it is directly connected to capitals of most countries in Southeast Asia and as well as Sydney and Melbourne in Australia by daily flights. Visitors can also arrive at the Tan Son Nhat Airport at Ho Chi Minh City. The best way is to fly in from Bangkok as visas are easily obtained there.
BY SEA
The main entry points by sea to Vietnam is at Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and Haiphong.
BY ROAD
It is possible to enter Vietnam through a number of crossings from Cambodia.
23. GETTING AROUND
BY RAIL
The railway system in Vietnam starts from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi along the coast and links with Haiphong at the northern region. Odd-numbered trains travel south while the even-numbered trains travel north. It takes about 52 hours to reach Hanoi from Ho Chi Minh City. A ridiculously high surcharged is imposed on tourists and reservations should be made at least one day in advance.
BY ROAD
The bus system can be found almost everywhere in the country although it can be unreliable and slow at times. It is better to rent a cab for the day.
24. ACCOMMODATION
Vietnam has a wide range of accommodation at competitive rates including budget motels.
25. DO'S AND DON'TS
When dealing with government officials who are often rigid, it is best to be firm and diplomatic.
Small gifts such as cigarettes, cigarettes lighters, liquor, perfume and pens will be greatly appreciated by anyone you wish to befriend.
Always ask for permission before taking photographs of people and places of worship.
The most appropriate way of greeting is a gentle handshake.
Giving money to beggars in Ho Chi Minh City is discouraged as you may ended up being pursued by a mob of beggars.
Beware of pickpockets and keep you money and passport in a safe place and carry only the photocopied passport out with you.
Avoid placing your feet on the table while sitting. Never use your foot to point things out or to touch any part of the body of anyone, which is considered rude.
When visiting a Buddhist pagoda, you should always remove your shoes first and a small donation into the boxes found inside the temples will be appreciated.
0 Comment:
Post a Comment