Vietnam, whose national name is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a socialist country located at the eastern tip of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia, bordering Laos, Cambodia, China, and the sea. East and Gulf of Thailand. The territory of Vietnam has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, starting with the states of Van Lang and Au Lac. Au Lac was annexed by the Trieu Dynasty in the North in the early 2nd century BC, followed by a period of Northern domination lasting more than a millennium. The independent monarchy was re-established after Ngo Quyen's victory over the Southern Han dynasty. This event paved the way for independent dynasties to succeed and then repeatedly win against wars of invasion from the North as well as gradually expanding to the south. The final period of Northern domination ended after the Lam Son insurgent army's victory over the Ming Dynasty.
Vietnam is located in the Indomalaya ecological region. According to the 2005 National Environmental Status Report, Vietnam is among the 25 countries with high levels of biodiversity, ranked 16th worldwide in terms of biodiversity and is home to about 16% of the world's biodiversity. species in the world. 15,986 plant species have been found throughout the country, of which 10% are endemic. Vietnam has 307 species of nematodes, 200 species of oligochaeta, 145 species of acarina, 113 species of springtails, 7,750 species of insects, 260 species of reptiles. , 120 species of amphibians, 840 species of birds and 310 species of mammals, of which 100 species of birds and 78 species of mammals are endemic. There are also 1,438 species of freshwater algae, accounting for 9.6% of the total number of algae species, as well as 794 species of aquatic invertebrates and 2,458 species of marine fish. In the late 1980s, a population of Javan Rhinos was discovered in Cat Tien National Park and it is possible that the last individual of this species in Vietnam died in 2010.
According to the ups and downs of the nation's history, Vietnamese customs and practices are constantly being innovated according to social trends. One of the oldest and most influential customs in history is the custom of chewing betel. This is a custom that dates back to the Hung King period and originates from the legend of Trau Areca and this custom has become a typical image of the brotherhood and love between husband and wife of Vietnamese people. Not only the custom of chewing betel, Vietnam also has another custom that was born in ancient times, which is the custom of welcoming the new year, also known as Tet - traditional Tet.
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).