VERY INTERESTING: VIETNAM

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

Facts About Vietnam

1. Vietnam is actually a combination of two words, Viet and Nam, both of which predate the common era by at least a thousand years

While nobody can put an exact date on when these words came to describe Vietnam, it’s well accepted that in ancient Chinese, ‘Viet’ was used to describe a group of people from outside the country’s borders and ‘Nam’ meant to the south. So in the Chinese language, Viet Nam would’ve meant the people to the south. 

However, in ancient Vietnamese, ‘Viet’ is used to refer to fairies and dragons. Scholars believe this is referencing how the Vietnamese people came into being. According to legend, they are descended from dragons and fairies!

Even though it’s been used for thousands of years, Vietnam only became the official name of the country in 1804, during the Nguyen dynasty. 

Today, the two word variant of Vietnam is used by Vietnamese nationals, neighbouring countries and even the UN. It’s only in western writing that we use the single word Vietnam. 

2. Sitting at 3143 metres, Fansipan is Vietnam’s tallest mountain

Fansipan is located in Sapa, an area famous for its layered rice terraces and colourful indigenous groups. To get to the region, you can either brave a six-hour bus journey from Hanoi or take the much more comfortable overnight train!

The mountain is known as ‘The Roof of Indochina’, which from time to time can cause a little confusion as definitions of Indochina vary. The most commonly accepted refers to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Good job too because if you expanded Indochina out to Thailand and Myanmar – the nickname for Fansipan Mountain would no longer be true. Myanmar has several peaks well over 5000 metres!

In 2016, a 6292-metre cable car was built to take tourists to the top of the mountain. Prior to this, the only way to reach the top was via a multi-day trek, which easily ranks as one of Southeast Asia’s best treks!

3. Among certain niche circles, Vietnam is referred to as ‘The King Of Cashews’

As the world’s largest exporter of cashew nuts, Vietnam produces more than 55% of the global supply and makes well over two billion dollars a year from the industry.

Cashew plants were brought to Vietnam during the 19th century and were originally grown in gardens to provide shade. In 1990, the Vietnamese government spotted the potential of cashew nut production and invested heavily in the industry. It didn’t take long for this investment to pay off and by the mid-1990s, Vietnam was the world’s largest exporter. 

4. As well as being THE major exporter of cashew nuts, Vietnam takes the top spot in black pepper exports

Over a third of the world’s black pepper comes from Vietnam and the industry has grown to be worth billions of dollars each year. 

Black pepper has been grown in Asia for centuries. Native to India, the spice spread across the continent and has been used in local dishes for time immemorial. However, it was not until the 1980s that Vietnam started producing pepper on an industrial scale. 

In recent years, the Vietnamese Dong has depreciated in value significantly against the US dollar but the costs of producing pepper are all domestic so unaffected by this depreciation. The profit margin for exporters has grown significantly because of this and the industry continues to thrive in Vietnam.

5. Vietnam has 3,444km of coastline 

According to the World Factbook, Vietnam’s coastline is the 33rd longest in the world – assuming the calculations are correct of course!

This epic stretch of coast has enough to keep travellers busy for months on end – just watch you don’t spend so much time on the beach that your visa expires! 

Cities like Nha Trang and Da Nang are popular with tourists for their stunning beaches and great nightlife. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Hoi An also draws crowds due to its stunning beaches and of course, its cheap tailors. 

The famous Halong Bay and less-visited Lan Ha Bay also make up an impressive stretch of the country’s northern coastline.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking