What To Do In Vietnam

Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. Its neighboring countries are China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west.

According to government estimates Vietnam sees 3.3m tourist arrivals each year. Vietnam has a return rate of just 5% compared to Thailand’s whopping 50%. It is hoped that they can attract health related services. Chinese tourism is up 90%, while American tourist numbers remain steadfastly down.

Due to its long history as a tributary state of China, as well as several periods of Chinese occupations, Vietnamese culture is heavily influenced by that of Southern China, with Confucianism forming the basis of Vietnamese society. The Vietnamese language also contains many loan words from Chinese, though the two languages are unrelated.

Buddhism remains the single largest religion in Vietnam, though like in China but unlike in the rest of northern Southeast Asia, the dominant school of Buddhism in Vietnam is the Mahayana School.

Nevertheless, Vietnamese culture remains distinct from Chinese culture as it has also absorbed cultural elements from neighbouring Hindu civilisations such as the Champa and the Khmer empires. The French colonisation has also left a lasting impact on Vietnamese society, with baugettes and coffee remaining popular among locals.