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Geography of Vietnam |
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Many visitors find more than enough to see and do in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other major cities; but despite the cities’ allure, it’s the country’s striking landscape that most impresses. Vietnam occupies a narrow strip of land that hugs the eastern borders of Cambodia and Laos, hemmed in by rugged mountains to the west and by the South China Sea to the east. To the north and south of its narrow waist, it dovetails out into the splendid deltas of the Red River and the Mekong, and it’s in these regions that you’ll encounter the paddy fields, dragonflies, buffaloes and conical-hatted farmers that constitute the classic image of Vietnam.
In stark contrast to the pancake-flat rice-land of the deltas, Ha Long Bay’s labyrinthine network of limestone outcrops loom dramatically out of the Gulf of Tonkin – a magical spectacle in the early morning mist. None of Vietnam’s mountains reach particularly impressive heights, so any trip to the remote upland regions of central and northern Vietnam is far likelier to focus upon the ethnic minorities who reside there. Elaborate tribal customs and communal longhouses await those visitors who venture into this world. Welcome greetings of ‘hello’ ring out from the many smiling Vietnamese faces anxious to interact with English speaking visitors.
Map of Vietnam
