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Communism - Like China, Vietnam is a communist country with a single party government.

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Name - The official name of the country is Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

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Population - Even though Vietnam is a small country, it has more than 90 million inhabitants.

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Cities - Ho Chi Minh, Danong, Hanoi, Can Tho, and Hai Phong (pictured) are the five biggest cities in Vietnam.

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Ho Chi Minh - The city of Ho Chi Minh was known as Saigon until 1975.

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Landmark - Da Nang is a port city that has a dragon-shaped bridge that is 0.5 km in length.

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Landmark - At night, the bridge is lit by various LED lights. The dragon even spits fire during special festivities!

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Symbol - Speaking of dragons, it is quite common to find images of dragons spread all over the country.

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Symbol - According to a legend, the Vietnamese are descendants of the dragon Lac Lon Quan and the fairy Au Co.

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Symbol - The fairy and the dragon had 100 children, but they ended up separating because they did not get along.

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Nature - Vietnam is home to the largest cave in the world: Hang Son Doong.

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Heritage site - Hang Son Doong was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003.

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Delicacy - Dog meat is much appreciated in Vietnam. It is easily found in markets and stalls.

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Cuisine - Snake meat is another much-appreciated delicacy.

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Cuisine - Vietnam's most typical dish is called pho: a type of soup made with rice noodles, mint leaves, basil, onion, bean sprouts, and meat.

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Cuisine - The ingredients of pho vary, dependant on the region of the country.

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Coffee - Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world.

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Rice - It also ranks as the world's fifth-largest rice producer.

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Rice - It is common to see farmers working on their rice plantations.

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Transport - Bicycles are widely used as a means of transportation in Vietnam.

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Transport - Motorcycles are also widely used for transportation purposes, and to move cargo.

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Culture - Death is celebrated with songs, dances, and by distributing rice in Vietnam.

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Culture - During the Tran Temple Festival numerous folkloric activities take place in honor of the Tran dynasty, their kings, and ancestors.

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Typical - The 'nón lá' is Vietnam's typical conical hat. This type of hat is also used in other Asian countries.

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Typical - The traditional hat helps the Vietnamese people protect themselves from the sun.

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Typical - The 'Áo dài' is a typical costume worn by Vietnamese women.

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Popular name - The most popular surname in Vietnam is Nguyen.

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Climate - Vietnam's climate is equatorial, which makes the country warm and wet.

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Celebration - Vietnamese people celebrate their birthdays individually on their day of birth, but also collectively, in celebration of the lunar new year.

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War - Vietnam has suffered numerous invasions throughout its history.

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War - The most recente and best known was by the Americans in the late 1950s, which became known as the Vietnam War.

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War - This image of two US Marines playing baseball with a stick during the war is well known.

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War - 58,000 American soldiers were killed in the war.

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War - More than 3 million Vietnamese people lost their lives.

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War - It took 20 years for the Vietnam War to come to an end in 1970.

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War - There is a sense of national pride as none of Vietnam's attempted invasions were successful.

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