10 Interesting facts about Vietnam – Things you should know about the up and coming tourist destination

Unlike in most other countries, in Vietnam, you see hundreds of locals on motorbikes navigating through the bottleneck. The primary mode of transportation is bikes; almost everybody in the country owns a motorbike which is the main reason for the monstrous traffic that slows you down in Vietnam.

Ao dai is the traditional costume worn by women in Vietnam. It used to be worn by both sexes, but now it's mostly worn by women. The costume is made of bright coloured materials and can be seen worn by locals on special occasions.

If you've been in one of the serviced apartments Ho Chi Minh City, you might have come across pho which happens to be the national dish in Vietnam. It is the simplest dish that there is and can be found anywhere in the country, including both streets and the upscale restaurants.

Just like in other Asian countries, in Vietnam, having white skin is considered to be the ultimate measure of beauty. You will see locals with umbrellas averting the hot sun rays in order to preserve their skin colour. Most of the beauty products in Vietnam contain whitening properties.

Everybody's heard of the barbarity of the Vietnam War that shook the very roots of humanity. Known in Vietnam as the 'American War', it eradicated most of the population in the country; if you were to put it in numbers, it would be 1.3 million soldiers and 2 million civilians.

Having discovered a perfect nourishing ground for producing coffee in the central highlands region, French colonists first introduced coffee in 1857. The enterprise was a great success, but as you would expect, the war put an abrupt stop to it. After the war came to an end, the government initiated a programme to revive the production of coffee, and clearly, they succeeded; within two decades, the country became the second-largest coffee producer in entire the world: second only to Brazil.

Vietnam was once shadowed by Thailand's success as a tourist destination. But now it's slowly coming out of its mist. The amazing landscape, the paddies, the temples and the food are a few elements at work together that endeavour to take the country to its rightful spotlight as a tourist destination. With the assistance of the likes of Somerset Vista Ho Chi Minh City, the country can accommodate those who visit.

Seeing as there's a lot of it, wildlife is another aspect that should make Vietnam one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, if it hasn't already. You find about 16% of the world species in Vietnam. Some of the animals you'll chance on seeing are Indian elephants, Great Hornbills, Sun bears, Pygmy Slow Loris, Water buffalos, Burmese pythons, dolphins and tigers.

The country is now slowly becoming an economically sound nation. It's now a developing country, and most of the families are in middle-class and upper-middle-class categories.

Like in many other Asian countries, rice is the staple food in Vietnam. Almost every meal is made up mainly of rice. The country's rice consumption is supported by the abundant paddy fields you see all over the country. Rice is also one of the main exports of Vietnam.