Vietnam has an area of 331,212 km², a land border of 4,639 km, a coastline of 3,260 km, and shares a maritime border with Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand and with China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia through the East Sea. Vietnam claims sovereignty over two disputed geographical entities in the East Sea, the Hoang Sa archipelagos (which has lost control in reality) and Truong Sa
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.
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.
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.