Vietnam — 100 million inhabitants, 3260 km coastline, homeland of pho and Robusta coffee.
- Vietnam has 3260 km of coastline from Halong Bay (UNESCO) to Mekong Delta. 130 beach resorts.
- Halong Bay — 1969 limestone islets UNESCO 1994. 'Descending Dragon' (legend). 30 of the islets can be visited.
- Vietnam is 2nd coffee exporter in the world (after Brazil). 95% is Robusta. Plus #1 black pepper exporter, jasmine rice.
- Pho — Vietnamese national soup From the north (Hanoi, 19th c.). Beef broth + rice noodles + herbs + lime. 200 mn portions annually.
- Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups Majority = Vietnamese (86%). Plus 53 minorities: Hmong, Tai, Khmer, Cham, etc. Each with its own language.
- Vietnam War 1955-1975 USA lost. 3 mn Vietnamese died, 58,000 Americans. War monument in Hanoi: pacifist.
- Hanoi — old capital from 1010 AD 1000 years. Old Quarter 36 streets — each with different craft (Hang Bac = silversmiths, Hang Gai = silk).
- Vietnam has 8 UNESCO sites Halong Bay, Hue (imperial capital), Hoi An (trade port 15th c.), My Son (Cham temples 7th-13th c.), Phong Nha (caves).
- Vietnamese alphabet — Latin (since 1651) Invented by French Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes. Before: Chinese characters + local 'chữ Nôm'.
- Vietnam is the most forested country in SE Asia (43% of territory). Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park — UNESCO, world's largest cave Sơn Đoòng (5 km × 200 m).
Sources: General Statistics Office Vietnam, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, UNESCO.