Vietnam - overview
Geography:
Vietnam is the easternmost country of the Indochinese peninsula. It is a long narrow country with a coastline measuring ~3260km. Its northern border is with China; to the west the Annamite mountains run much of the length of the country creating a natural border with Laos in the north and Cambodia in the south; to the east is the South China Sea and to the south is the Gulf of Thailand. With a population of 97m it is the most populous of the south-east Asian nations.
The country can be divided into 3 main areas:
The north (Bac Bo): Tonkin plateau, Indochina’s highest mountain – Fansipan (3143m), the Red River delta and the capital city, Hanoi
The centre (Trung Bo): historical Annam; Hue, Da Nang
The south (Nam Bo): historical Cochinchina; Mekong delta; Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ornithological overview:
Vietnam has a bird list of 916 species; 19 forms are endemic and a further 39 near-endemic (only occurring in Vietnam and an adjacent part of China, Laos or Cambodia)
Vietnam is the easternmost country of the Indochinese peninsula. It is a long narrow country with a coastline measuring ~3260km. Its northern border is with China; to the west the Annamite mountains run much of the length of the country creating a natural border with Laos in the north and Cambodia in the south; to the east is the South China Sea and to the south is the Gulf of Thailand. With a population of 97m it is the most populous of the south-east Asian nations.
The country can be divided into 3 main areas:
The north (Bac Bo): Tonkin plateau, Indochina’s highest mountain – Fansipan (3143m), the Red River delta and the capital city, Hanoi
The centre (Trung Bo): historical Annam; Hue, Da Nang
The south (Nam Bo): historical Cochinchina; Mekong delta; Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ornithological overview:
Vietnam has a bird list of 916 species; 19 forms are endemic and a further 39 near-endemic (only occurring in Vietnam and an adjacent part of China, Laos or Cambodia)