The specialties of each region of Vietnam carry within themselves the local lifestyle and the quintessence of nature there. The North cherishes delicate recipes, like a delicious bowl of bun thang that must be prepared for many hours. In the Central region, royal culinary traditions and typical spices blend in unique dishes such as lotus rice or spring rolls. Southern braised fish and sour soup come from abundant seafood resources, the pride of the Mekong Delta.
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.
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.
Religion in Vietnam is quite diverse, including Buddhism (both Mahayana, Theravada and some modified groups such as Hoa Hao, Tu An Hieu Nghia); Christianity (including Catholicism and Protestantism); endogenous religions such as Cao Dai; and some other religions (Hinduism and Islam). Different types of folk beliefs also have a lot of influence. The majority of Vietnamese people consider themselves non-religious, even though they still go to religious sites several times a year...