Capital:	Hanoi
Population:	82.1 Million (Year 2004)
Ethnic Groups:	Vietnamese	84-90%
	Chinese	3%
	Ethnic Minorities include
	Hong Thai Khmer Cham Mountain Groups (Termed as Montagnards)
Religions:	Buddhist
	Confucian
	Taoist
	Roman Catholic
	Indigenous beliefs
	Islamic
Languages:	Vietnamese (official language)
	English (2nd language)
	French
	Chinese
	Khmer
Introduction Vietnam’s history is rich as the soil in the blazing green deltas. Its history is like a romantic legend. It is full of heroic struggles and astounding victories whereby this small country retained its culture and absorbed the strength of its foes but never losing its traditions. Economy The common industries found in Vietnam include food processing, garments, shoes, machine building, mining, cement, chemicals, fertilizers, glass, tires, oil, coal, steel and paper industry. The official currency of Vietnam is the Dong (D). The second currency in use is the US Dollar. People and Culture Vietnam comprises of 54 ethnic groups that possess historically rich cultural backgrounds and interesting folk arts. The Vietnamese are highly educated and desire to learn from others. They possess courage to admit their mistakes. The population of Vietnam evolved from a mixture of races and ethnicities mainly from China and the South Pacific islands. There are five main races in Vietnam today ie. The Mongoloids, Indonesians, Melanesians, Negritos and Australoids. Over 50 ethnic minorities also continue to inhabit mountainous regions that cover almost two-thirds of Vietnam. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and it is an ancient city established over 1,000 years ago. It clings to the rhetoric of a socialist system while embracing government-controlled capitalism.