ABSTRACT
Wedged between the Annamite Mountains and the sea, Vietnam is a thin strip of territory over much of its length of almost 1,600 kilometers (around 990 miles) from North to South, narrowing to as little as 40 kilometers (around 25 miles), but broadening out at each end. The Vietnamese often describe their country as resembling a bamboo pole with a wide-brimmed basket at each end, a traditional and still common method of carrying loads.
