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 has an area of 331,690 km², located in the east of the Indochina peninsula, in Southeast Asia. Sharing a border with three countries, Vietnam borders China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and the East Sea to the east. In 2019, Vietnam's population was more than 96 million people, ranking 13th in the world. Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is the second largest city with 6.2 million people, after Ho Chi Minh City, 8.8 million people.
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...