15 Interesting Facts About Vietnam

Accounting for 10.5% of the world’s coffee export, Vietnam’s coffee export is valued at USD3.2 billion. Coffee bean was first brought to Vietnam in 1857 by French colonialists who discovered that the environmental conditions in the country’s central highlands were suitable for the cultivation of many foreign crops. The French originally brought the Arabica variety; in 1908, the high-yield Robusta variety was introduced and cultivated alongside Arabica.

Vietnam is responsible for one-third of the global production of cashew nuts and black pepper. The country has been producing cashews since the early 1980s. Vietnam's biggest cashew producing area is the southern province of Binh Phuoc. It is located north of the commercial center Ho Chi Minh City. Additionally, Vietnam's pepper has continued its leading position in the global pepper market supplying 60 per cent of demand, exceeding exports of other pepper exporting countries such as Brazil and Indonesia.

Snakes are widely believed to possess medicinal qualities and the wine is often advertised to cure everything from farsightedness, rheumatism, to hair loss, as well as to increase sexual performance. There are two main types of snake wine, which utilize either parts of a live snake, or the entire snake itself. When you walk along the streets or through the markets in Vietnam, it isn’t unusual to find row upon row of bottled snake wine (known locally as ruou ran). You can also find bottles of snake wines at the roadside stalls and age-old markets high up in the mountains, traditional pharmacies and modern chemists.

The country has a long coastline of 3,260 km running from Mong Cai in the North to Ha Tien in the Southwest. The population of coastal localities accounts for more than 50 percent of the country’s population. Most of the locals work in sea-related occupations. Vietnam’s sea is considered one of the 10 richest centres of marine biodiversity in the world.

Water puppetry (Múa rối nước) is a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. Water puppetry is a physically demanding craft. Puppeteers stand in water throughout the show, and use the movement of the water to create drama, perfect the illusion, and tell a story. The puppeteers’ secret lies in the material of the puppets themselves, which are made of buoyant fig wood and painted with lacquer. The puppeteers skillfully maneuver the puppet’s arms using bamboo sticks and strings. It takes decades to become a master water puppeteer.

When strolling through Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, you are sure to recognise those tall ‘tube houses’ — usually 3 storey high, incredibly narrow and packed like sardines. These houses are usually only found in the cities due to the dense population. In the past, land was scarce as people migrated to the cities for jobs. The tube houses are a stark contrast to the houses found in the countryside, where houses are huge with gardens.

Ho Chi Minh City is the 5th cheapest city in the world for beer. With an average price of VND 23,036 (~USD1), it's not surprising that Ho Chi Minh City has become a popular tourist destination due to its affordability and variety of different beers available at local convenience stores or supermarkets. The locals usually wind down with a glass of beer with their friends and colleagues after a hard day at work.