Vietnam's terrain has about 40% mountains and forests, 40% hills and coverage of about 75% of the country's area. There are mountain ranges and plateaus such as Hoang Lien Son range, Son La plateau in the north, Bach Ma range and plateaus following the Truong Son range in the south. Network of rivers and lakes in the delta or mountainous areas of the North and Central Highlands. The delta accounts for about 1/4 of the area, including deltas such as the Red River Delta, Mekong River Delta and the Central Coastal Plains, which are densely populated areas. Cultivated land accounts for 17% of Vietnam's total land area.
The Vietnam National Gene Bank preserves 12,300 varieties of 115 species. The Vietnamese government spent US$497 million to maintain biodiversity in 2004 and has established 126 protected areas including 28 national parks. Vietnam has 2 world natural heritage sites: Ha Long Bay and Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and 6 biosphere reserves including Can Gio, Cat Tien, Cat Ba, Kien Giang, and River Delta mangrove forests. Hong and Tay Nghe An.
Vietnam's history began from 1 to 2 thousand years BC. Over many centuries with the Ly, Tran, Le, and Nguyen dynasties, from the mid-19th century, Vietnam became a French colony. After the August Revolution, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 marked the end of the French in the territory, but Vietnam was divided into two countries: the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the North and the Republic of Vietnam in the South. After the events of April 30, 1975, Vietnam was unified and from July 2, 1976, officially named the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Vietnamese culture is one of the oldest cultures in the Pacific region. Although located next to two major cultures, Chinese and Indian culture, Vietnam still preserves many of its own cultural features, expressed in many aspects such as traditional customs that still exist today. Nowadays, Vietnamese people's life and folk literature are rich and unique. It can be said that Vietnamese culture is a special blend of many ancient cultures along with the indigenous culture of the Vietnamese people. In addition to the greatest influence of China, there is also the influence of Indian and Cham culture. , and later the great influence of Western culture (France, Russia, America).