Most visitors to Vietnam are overwhelmed by the sublime beauty of the country's natural setting: the Red River Delta in the north, the Mekong Delta in the south and almost the entire coastal strip are a patchwork of brilliant green rice paddies tended by women in conical hats.

Some 3,000 years ago, communities of Mon-Khmer and Tay people merged in the northern Red River and Ma River Deltas. These two groups developed a shared language, known as Viet-Muong, which was composed of two main dialects. Lowlanders spoke what was known as the "City" dialect, while people in midland and mountain regions spoke the "Highlanders" dialect.

In Vietnam today, there are two distinct groupings as far as the important rite of marriage is concerned. One group is the more modern.

Tet, in Vietnamese language, symbolizes the very first morning of the New Year in Vietnam and is popularly known as the Vietnamese New Year

Vietnamese cuisine is extremely diverse, often divided into three main categories, each pertaining to Vietnam's three main regions (north, central...

Viet Nam is banking on domestic tourists to boost the fortunes of the tourism industry, especially in terms of ensuring its stable growth