Vietnam, commonly described as a bamboo pole with a rice basket on either end, is a long, narrow country shaped like an S. It is approximately 1030 miles (1657km) from its northern most tip at the border of China, near the tropic of Cancer, to its most southerly tip, point Ca Mau, just a little ways north of the equator. At its narrowest point, in the center of the country, it is only 30 mi (48km) across, and at its widest it streatches 350mi (560km). Vietnam has an 1800 mile (2897 km) coastline and has an area of around 128,000 square miles (331,518 sq km)(about the size of New Mexico). The country is bordered on the north by China, and on the west by Laos and Cambodia. To the east are the South China Sea and the Golf of Tonkin. To the south and southwest is the gulf of Thailand. All of those bodies of water are part of the Pacific Ocean.
There are three major parts to Vietnam. In the north lies the Red (Yuan) River Delta; a flat, wet delta and the lowlands around it, where the Red river branches out as it reaches the ocean. It got its name from the red mud that is carried down from the mountains. The Capital city of Hanoi is along the banks of the Red river. In the south, lies the Mekong Delta, and the flat southern tip of the country. The Mekong river starts in China, flows down through Thailand and Cambodia, and then splits into 9 smaller rivers when it reaches southern Vietnam. Those rivers create a wide, flat, swampy delta full of rich soil. The Mekong Delta is home to Ho Chi Minh city (formerly Saigon). More than two thirds of the population of Vietnam is crowed into those two lowland areas, and the coastal areas in central Vietnam. Most of Vietnam's rice crop is also in those areas. The third major region of Vietnam is the mountains. They extend from north of the Red River Delta, along the Chinese border, down south to just north of the Mekong Delta. The Annamile Chain (or central mountains) forms the border between the sandy coastal land and Vietnam's neighbors Cambodia and Laos. The Central highlands form a large plateau in the middle of Vietnam. The tallest mountains, along the border of China, reach more than 10,000 ft (3048 m). Much of Vietnam, especially the mountains is covered by dense jungle. The mountains have poor soil, heavy rains, and are sparsely populated, mostly with indigenous, non Vietnamese tribes. The mountains were once viewed as dangerous and provided an effective barrier between Vietnam and its neighbors. Now the government is encouraging Vietnamese people to move out of the densely populated lowlands, and up into the mountains.
by Argenta Price
