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Geographical information
Vietnam borders on Cambodia, Laos and China and stretches over 1600km along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula. The country's two main cultivated areas are the Red River Delta (15,000 sq km/5400 sq mi) in the north and the Mekong Delta (60,000 sq km/23,400 sq mi) in the south. Three-quarters of the country is mountainous and hilly; the highest peak is the 3143m (10,310ft) high Fansipan in north-west Vietnam.Vietnam is made up of equatorial lowlands, high, temperate plateaus and alpine peaks.
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Nature
| Flora | Vietnam is home to several rain forests and protected nature areas with a large variety of flora. | | Fauna | Wildlife in Vietnam includes elephants, rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, black bear, snub-nosed monkey, crocodile and turtle. Although Vietnam's wildlife is rich, it is in precipitous decline because of the destruction of habitats and illegal hunting. Less than 20% of the country remains forested, and what remains is under threat from slash and burn agriculture and excessive harvesting. | | National Parks | Vietnam has five National Parks: Cat Ba, Ba Be Lake and Cuc Phuong National Parks in the north; Bach Ma National Park in the centre; and Nam Cat Tien National Park in the south. In an attempt to prevent an ecological and hydrological catastrophe, the government has plans to set aside tens of thousands of sq km of forest and to create 87 National Parks and nature reserves. |
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Climate
Vietnam is located in both a tropical and a temperate zone. It is characterized by strong monsoon influences, but has a considerable amount of sun, a high rate of rainfall, and high humidity. There are two distinguishable seasons. The cold and dry season occurs from November to April and the hot and wet season from May to October. The difference in temperature between the two seasons in southern Vietnam is almost unnoticeable, averaging 3 degrees Celsius. The average temperature in Ho Chi Minh City is around 27 degrees Celsius. The most noticeable variations are found in the northern provinces where differences of 12 degrees Celsius have been observed. During the winter temperatures vary between 13 and 17 degrees Celsius and in summer between 27 and 34 degrees Celsius.
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