Vietnam is a long, narrow country on the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, bordered by China, Laos, and Cambodia. Its geography varies dramatically from north to south, including mountains, tropical forests, fertile river deltas, limestone landscapes, and more than 3,000 kilometers of coastline. This geographic diversity supports a wide range of ecosystems and wildlife, while the country’s long history and position between China and the rest of Southeast Asia have produced a culture with strong influences from both its own Indigenous traditions and neighboring civilizations.

Vietnam’s history stretches back thousands of years, with successive Vietnamese kingdoms developing alongside centuries of political and cultural influence from China. During the 19th century, Vietnam was gradually conquered by France and incorporated into French Indochina, remaining under colonial rule until the First Indochina War ended with the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Vietnam was then divided between a communist government in the north and an anti-communist government in the south, leading to the conflict that became known internationally as the Vietnam War. The war involved Vietnamese forces, the United States, and several other countries and caused enormous loss of life and destruction. North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon in 1975, reunifying the country under communist rule. Vietnam later introduced major economic reforms in 1986, beginning a transformation that has turned the country into one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies.

Today, Vietnam combines ancient traditions and historic cities with rapidly developing urban centers and a growing tourism industry. Hanoi contains more than a thousand years of history, while Hue preserves the monuments of the Nguyen dynasty, Vietnam’s last imperial dynasty, and Ho Chi Minh City reflects the country’s French colonial and more recent history. Outside the cities, Ha Long Bay, one of the Wonders of Nature, showcases Vietnam’s dramatic limestone landscapes, while Cat Tien provides an opportunity to encounter the country’s diverse wildlife. From imperial palaces and ancient temples to war-era tunnels, bustling cities, tropical forests, and towering limestone islands, Vietnam’s history and geography have created a country with remarkable variety within a relatively compact area.