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Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic
of Vietnam, is located on the east of the Indochinese peninsular and has an
area of around 330,000 sq km (128,000 sq miles) and a population of about 87
million. Vietnam is bordered by China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the
west, the East Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south.
The capital city is Hanoi with a population of over 3 million. The country’s
largest city, with over 4 million inhabitants, is Ho Chi Minh City, known as
Saigon up to April 1975 when the bloody Vietnam War finally ended. The war
is now firmly in the past and tourism has become increasingly important to
the country’s economy, now contributing about 5% to the gross domestic
product. Vietnam has firmly established itself as a popular South-East Asian
destination and foreign visitors have been able to travel freely throughout
the country since 1997. Tour operators are now also offering a combination
of trips combining Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand – a fascinating
experience.
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