Where is Vietnam? Location and History
Everybody has a vague idea that Vietnamis “somewhere in Southeast Asia.” But where just is Vietnam? The uncommon thing about Vietnam is the S-shapedshape of the country, which is about 1,650 kilometers long from north to south. Some refer to the form of Vietnam as a “bamboo stick with two rice bowls.”
Vietnam means “land in the south.” Vietnam is 331,210 square kilometers and thus a bit smaller than Germany. If you look at the map, the land is quite long and covers two major climatic zones: tropical climate prevails in the north and subtropical climate in the south.
The shoreline is 3400 kilometers long. Mostly, Vietnam is situated in the South China Sea. Only in the southwest, the nation borders the Gulf of Thailand.
Three nations border Vietnam. There are Laos and Cambodia on the west and China on the north. In the north, Vietnam extends just around 600 kilometers, in the south of 350 kilometers. At the narrowest point, it is only 50 kilometers wide.
The Adjacent Country
The nation shares most of its borders with its western, Indo-Chinese neighbors Cambodia and Laos, while it borders China in the north. The border with Laos is known by the Annamite Highlands, which forms a natural border between the two countries. In the north, the Yunnan highlands is the border with China, where it until the 80s came to border situations, and Vietnam suspects its powerful neighbors until today, would like to move its edge further south. The border with Cambodia ran through the Mekong Delta and was lastly determined in 1985.
The entire east coast of Vietnam is bordered by water: in the north, the Gulf of Tonkin forms the natural boundary of the country, which merges further south into the South China Sea. A small area of the coast of Vietnam to the south west borders the Gulf of Thailand. The coast of the nation, excluding the islands, is as much as 3,260 kilometers long.
In the South China Sea, about 330km south of Hainan Island in the Paracel Islands. It is an archipelago officially owned by China but also claimed by Vietnam. In 1974, a naval war happened around the the nun inhabited islands, from which China appeared victoriously. In the meantime, the islands belong to the prefecture “Sansha” and the Chinese have planted a government building on the Paracel Islands, against whose construction the Vietnamese government protested strongly.
The Highest Mountain in Vietnam
The highest mountain in the nation is the 3,142-meter Fan Si Pan (or Fansipan) in the extreme northwest of the country in Lao Cai province. It is the highest peak of all Indochina. It is also known as “the Roof of Indochina.” The area is a famous destination for trekking tours and eco-tourists. A camp is found at 2,800 meters altitude.
While the north of Vietnam is dominated by the hills of the Yunnan Highlands and the Annamite Highlands, the 40,000 square kilometer Mekong Delta accounts for much of the south. The entire delta is only a few meters above sea level and is crossed by numerous rivers and canals. The fertile Mekong Delta is one of the world’s most crucial rice-growing regions and is also recognized as the rice bowl of Asia.
Where is the capital of Vietnam?
The capital city is Hanoi. It is situated in the north of Vietnam on the Red River (Song Hong), which comes from the highlands of Yunnan and flows out at Hanoi to the Delta. Formerly, it flows into the Gulf of Tonkin. Hanoi looks back on a 1,000-year history and has its origins in the Hang Long Citadel, which was constructed by Emperor Ly Thai To in 1010.
There is no longer the original citadel. Nonetheless, the old metropolis of Hanoi is still in keeping with the design of the medieval castle, with its narrow, checkered streets. The old community is next to the colonial district of the French. Its impressive structures are the most famous tourist district of Hanoi.
