Wikijunior:Asia/Vietnam

Vietnam is a country occupying the eastern portion of mainland Southeast Asia. According to Vietnam oral legend, the first ruler of the Vietnamese people was King De Minh. De Minh and an immortal fairy of the mountains produced Kinh Duong, ruler of the Land of Red Demons, who married the daughter of the Dragon Lord of the Sea. Their son, Lac Long Quan (“Dragon Lord of Lac”), was, according to legend, the first truly Vietnamese king. To make peace with the Chinese, Lac Long Quan married Au Co, a Chinese immortal, who bore him 100 eggs, from which sprang 100 sons. Later, the king and queen separated; Au Co moved with 50 of her sons into the mountains, and Lac Long Quan kept the other 50 sons and continued to rule over the lowlands. Lac Long Quan’s eldest son succeeded him as the first of the Hung (or Hong Bang) kings (vuong) of Vietnam’s first dynasty; as such, he is regarded as the founder of the Vietnamese nation.

The capital city of Vietnam is Hanoi and the currency is Vietnamese Dong.

Where is Vietnam?
Vietnam is located on the southern and eastern portion of the Indochinese peninsula and belongs to Southeast Asia. Its borders are China to the north, and  Laos  and  Cambodia to the west. The eastern part of the country, consisting of over 3000 km of coastline is facing the South China Sea.

How many people live in Vietnam?
Based on Vietnam census in 2020, there are 97.58 million persons living there. The province Hanoi is the largest amount of people living there with 8.25 million peoples estimated to be living there.

The urban population was 35.93 million persons, accounting for 36.82%; the rural population was 61.65 million persons, making up 63.18%; the male and female population was 48.59 million persons and 48.99 million persons, respectively with the corresponding shares of 49.80% male and 50.20% female.

What are the most common languages in Vietnam?
The most common language in Vietnam is Vietnamese (or in Vietnamese, Tiếng Việt), a tonal Mon-Khmer language which is spoken by the majority of the country's citizens.

What is the most common religion in Vietnam?
As a communist country, Vietnam is officially an atheist state. Even so, most Vietnamese are not atheists, but believe in a combination of three religions: Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Added to these are the customs and practice of spirit worship and ancestor veneration. About one in ten people are Christians.

What is the sport of Vietnam?
đua bò (Cow racing) - It is one of the more popular sports in Vietnam. To participate in the race, at any given times only 2 pairs of competing cows are allowed on tracks. The race track is actually a flat field, about 200m long, 100m wide, with water flooded up to human knee levels and the tracks is plowed many times to ensure the smoothness of the mud. The field is surrounded by four banks and an empty buffer area at the finish line as safe stopping zones for cows. The starting place is planted with 2 red and blue flags, each 5m apart, and so is the destination. Any pair of cows standing in the position of the flag of any color, the end destination will also follow the color of that flag.

The harrow is used as a place for the driver to stand while holding the rope to restrain the reins, while holding a whip with a sharp tip like a nail (a stilt) to whipping the cow's rear.

The race consists of two rounds, the first round is called “ho” round; this is the lap to warm up the cows to go two laps around the racecourse to get used to racetrack conditions. The next round is called the "tha" round, when reaching the starting point (after finished with "ho" round), the driver uses a whip to hit the cow's butt and the cow begins to use all its strength to cross the finish line.

The rule of the sports are as followed: If the driver accidentally falls or falls to the ground, he will be disqualified immediately. On the other hand, if the pair of disobedient cows jumps out of the lane, the judge call it "tapping", and they will be disqualified. Also during the competition, if any pair of cows has technical problems such as broken harrow or broken wedge, they will also be disqualified.

What are some important sites?
Sapa (also spelled Sa Pa) - Surrounded by pictorial mountains, rice terraces and a diversity of hill tribes in the remote northwest of Vietnam, Sapa is a quiet town frequently used as a base for trekking in the Hoang Lien Son Mountains and touring rice paddies and traditional villages. It has the views of beautiful waterfalls and the opportunities to experience the food, customs and way of life among the local tribes.

Ha Long Bay - It islocated in the Gulf of Tonkin, within Quang Ninh Province, in the northeast of Vietnam. It is literally translated, meaning the “ Bay of the Descending Dragons”. According to local legends, thousands of years ago, Jade Emperor called upon the Mother Dragon and her children to Ha Long Bay to defend it from invaders. The dragons’ spat out giant emeralds appeared and scattered along the bay. According to legend these emeralds were actually the teeth of the Mother Dragon and her children. The emeralds were left behind to create an impossible-to-penetrate barrier to defend Vietnam.

With its aqua-green water and cluster of limestone rocky outcrops rising from the water like sea dragons, Ha Long Bay resembles a scene from a fantasy story. This otherworldly bay features more than 2,000 jungle-covered islands pitted with intriguing caves, grottoes, sinkholes and lakes. There are quite a few famous place to visit such as Dau Go Cave, Trinh Nu Cave, Hanh Cave and Cat Ba island

Po Nagar Towers (Thap Ba) - Built sometime between the 7th and 12th century, served as the place of worship for the ancient Cham people. Situated in Cu Lao Mountain, and is about a 25-minute walk from the main beach strip, Po Nagar tower comprises three levels, of which, its main tower stands at 25 meters high. Where used to be eight towers that stood in the entire complex, only four remains at present which the ethnic Cham, Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhists come to pray and make offerings to, according to their traditions.



Resources
https://www.gso.gov.vn/en/data-and-statistics/2021/07/statistical-summary-book-of-viet-nam-2020/