Vietnam is located in the eastern part of the Indochina Peninsula. The shape is elongated in a vertical state with two major cities, namely Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Most of the land area of Vietnam is mountains and dense forests. Two islands are also part of this country is the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa. The northern part of Vietnam consists mostly of upper plateau and the Red River Delta. The highest mountain in the country, Phan Xi Phang, with an altitude of 3243 meters above sea level is located in Lao Cai Province. The southern part of Vietnam consists of coastal areas, forests leba, and Annamite hills. Because the vertical form, the climate in Vietnam varies from one place to another. In the south, for example, in Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta region, Hue tend tropical climates, Hanoi and other cities in northern area has a cooler climate.
According to the 2009 census, the population of Vietnam approximately 85.5 million people. Most are Kinh or Viet ethnic. some ethnic minorities in this country are Nung, Dao, Thai, H’mong and Tay. A majority of Vietnamese are Buddhists, some embraced Catholicism brought by the French invaders. Muslim population also exist, most are descendants of ethnic Cham.