is essegaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessed CHAPTER SM ONE TIFS SEEE WELCOME TO VIETNAMH 0 Water buffalo are important to Vietnamese farmers If you look at a globe it is easy to spot Asia It is the largest continent in terms of land It is also the continent with the most people The combined population of Asia's many countries is in the billions Let's stop in one of these countries Vietnam to explore life on the other side of the
VIETNAM be we can EUROPE ASIA Pact Ocean CHINA AFRICA VIETNAM Indian he Vietnam is on the southeastern edge of the continent of Asia Vietnam is long and skinny It is tucked along the southeastern edge of Asia next to the Gulf of Tonkin and the South China Sea Laos and Cambodia border it to the west and China borders it to the north Vietnam's total area is about 128 000 square miles 332 000 square kilo meters making it a little larger than the state of New Mexico Almost 90 million people live in
he Rice fields often fill the valleys of northern Vietnam Wider at the top and bottom and skinny in the mid dle Vietnam has three regions Bac Bo northern Trung Bo central and Nam Bo southern The landscape of the north contains mountains hills and plains Fan Si Pan the country's highest peak stands in the north The Red River and other waterways cross this area Crops such as rice grow in the fertile plains along these rivers This region is also home to Hanoi the country's
VIETNAM The Truong Son Mountains run down the western edge of central Vietnam But on the eastern side you'll find the beaches and harbors of the coast The central region gets some of the worst weather Swirling storms with high winds called typhoons often crash into the shore Pietnam DIS LECOEPHALs cdo Vietnam is one of the world's narrowest countries Central Vietnam is only 30 miles 48 km across at its narrowest point If a freeway crossed the country at this point a car could drive from one side to the other in less NL than a half hour To the other side
