In 1994, the population of Vietnam was estimated to be 73 million, making the country South East Asia’s second largest country. Indonesia is the region’s largest, with a population of 191 million. Vietnam is the thirteenth most populous country in the world.

Ethnically, the country is the most homogenous country in South East Asia, as around 90 percent of the population are Vietnamese. However, there are a large number of ethnic minorities in Vietnam, mainly residing in the mountainous areas.

Around 85 percent of this ethnic minority population belong to indigenous groups, who settled in the hills many centuries ago. The most prominent groups are the Thai and Hmong tribes.

Unlike Burma and Indonesia, Vietnamese ethnic minorities are not strong enough to claim their own sovereign states.

Around one million ethnic Chinese live in the south of Vietnam. Chinese inhabitants face restrictions since the Communist takeover. This is mainly due to the dominant role they played in the capitalist economic system before the takeover. Between 1978 and 1979, more than 450,000 Chinese inhabitants left the country.

Many minority groups speak their own language, and French is still spoken by older inhabitants but is fading rapidly. English is quite popular and is obligatory in most schools.

Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate, but because of its geography, weather conditions vary from north to south. However, throughout the country, south to southeasterly winds blow from May until September, and northerly to northeasterly winds are dominant between October and April.

Vietnam’s single rainy season falls between May and September, at the time of the southern monsoon. The rest of the year is relatively dry. In the north of the country, cloudy days with light showers are more frequent at the time of the northeast monsoon, while the south enjoys a sunny dry spell.

Temperatures remain high throughout the year, however the north experiences a considerably cooler season due to the north monsoon bringing colder air from China. Frost and snow can occur, but only in the extreme highlands and for a very short period of a few days. The sheltered lowlands of the south are protected from any outbreaks of colder weather, and the dry season is hot and sunny.

During the rain season, the air is humid and oppressive. Coastal and higher regions are particularly sultry due to the frequent cloud, high humidity and lack of sunshine.

The best time to visit the north of the country is between September and December, when humidity is lower and before the heavy rains. The south and central region are best visited during the period of December until April while it is dry.

Ao dais and bicycles
Travel Vietnam virtually here, as we reveal the country weekly on this travel professional’s blog. From the Delta in the South to Sapa in the North we cover all the sightseeing, culture, history, food, entertainment, hospitality and activities travellers can expect to see and do in Vietnam.

We’ve been travelling Southeast Asia for years, here’s a full blown info resource with colourful pics and video clips to get you all excited about visiting Vietnam.

Whether you are visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue, Nha Trang, Sapa or Dalat, you can plan your trip here.

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