2. Overview of Vietnam

Vietnam is situated along the eastern coast of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It appears as an S-shaped strip of land on the map, extending for 1,650 km from the north to south. Its population was 97.6 million people in 2020, with a population density of 295 people/km². Its diverse topography includes hills, mountains, plains, coastlines, and continental shelves, reflecting a long history of geology and topography formation in a monsoon, humid climate, and extreme weather. Based on the climate, geology, topography, and soils, the ecological conditions are categorized into three major regions; northern mountainous area, southern central plateau, and alluvial plains. Its history has been shaped by China’s occupation, independent dynasties, French colonization, Vietnam War, and socialist market economy. Its ethnic groups are divided into 54 groups, of which one majority (Kinh) occupies 85%. The share of services in GDP in 2020 was overwhelming (42%) compared with industry (approximately 34%) and agriculture, forestry, and fishing (15%). Cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in a wide range of fields such as politics, science and technology, culture, and human exchange is being undergone. As columns, Hue city, Tết, and Teacher’s day are introduced.