Stroke is the number one cause of death in Vietnam, accounting for roughly 23-24% of total mortality and causing over 135,000 to nearly 170,000 deaths annually. As part of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which are the leading cause of death overall (31-33% of all deaths), strokes are the primary driver of fatal, non-communicable diseases.
US bombing, use of chemical weapons, napalm and phosphoric bombs as well as the ground operations of the US army caused the death of 3 million Vietnamese in the Vietnam war.
The primary social issues in Vietnam are rural and child poverty. Vietnam scores 37.6 in the Gini coefficient index of wealth inequality, with the top 10% accounting for 30.2% of the nation's income and the bottom 10% receiving 3.2%.
Vietnam Leading Cause of death | Top 10 cause of Death in Vietnam
Is it okay to kiss in public in Vietnam?
Kissing in public is not on and even during a romantic night out, please be very discreet. The Vietnamese are often shocked by how much tourists openly show affection, so keep a check on the PDAs! The Vietnamese are not demonstrative so no kissing on the cheek/hugs/backslapping when you say hello.
Vietnamese lawmakers on Tuesday passed new amendments to the Population Law, leaving it up to families to decide how many children they are going to have. The two-child policy, in place since 2009 to prevent overpopulation, restricted families to one or two children.
Vietnam boasts an impressively low crime rate, particularly for violent crimes against tourists. The Vietnamese government enforces strict laws to ensure public safety, with a strong police presence in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.
In total, 58,000 Americans died in Vietnam – about 2% of those who went. Overall, American soldiers had a one in fifty chance of dying, and a one in ten chance of being wounded. But only about 10% of the soldiers ever saw combat, so the chances of a combat soldier of being killed were 20% (one in five), which is high.
Key risk factors for stroke mortality are high systolic blood pressure (79,000 deaths), unhealthy dietary (43,000 deaths), high fasting plasma glucose (35,000 deaths), and air pollution (33,000 deaths). Incidence is lower in rural Vietnam, but availability and quality of care are higher in megacities.
Vietnam is currently one of the hotspots of dengue fever globally, with the incidence rate among the highest in Southeast Asia. Every year, the country records more than one hundred thousand cases. In 2022 alone, it surpassed 370,000 cases, the highest level in history.
Delicate suits and jackets are recommended, especially when you have to visit your friend's houses during the festival. We recommend you to pack some red clothes or jackets as this colour is considered as the appearance of luckiness according to Vietnamese culture.
Vietnam's most expensive city is Ho Chi Minh City, followed by Hanoi. Even in these two places, a couple can enjoy a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle for less than $1,300 per month. Many Westerners who live in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City get by spending around $500 per month, but it's a no-frills lifestyle.
Iceland is consistently ranked as the safest country in the world, holding the top spot on the Global Peace Index (GPI) for many years, including 2024 and 2025, due to its low crime, lack of military, political stability, and strong community focus. Other top contenders often include Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Denmark, depending on the specific report's criteria, with Singapore also ranking highly for personal safety.
Polygamy is reportedly no longer practiced in the country, though has had its roots in the past among the Hmong people. Polygamous marriages are prohibited by article 64 of the constitution, which stipulates that a lawful marriage must be monogamous.
What happened to the children fathered by American soldiers in Vietnam?
In April 1975, Operation Babylift was initiated in South Vietnam to relocate Vietnamese children, many orphans and those of mixed American-Vietnamese parentage (mostly Vietnamese mothers and American serviceman fathers), to the United States and find American families who would take them in.
Boom-Boom: Slang for sex with a prostitute. Boonies: Any area outside a city or a base camp; colloquialism for “boondocks”; also called the “bush” Bonnie Hat: A soft, floppy hat worn by many in place of helmets. Boonie Rat: An infantryman, or grunt. Boot: A recruit.
The 90/10 kissing rule, popularized by the movie Hitch, suggests that when initiating a kiss, a person should lean in 90% of the way and pause, waiting for their partner to close the remaining 10%, signaling their willingness to kiss and avoiding forcing the interaction. It's a technique for gauging consent, where the partner fiddling with their keys might signal yes, while putting keys in the door signals no, making the kiss a mutual, rather than rushed, moment.
However, this hand gesture in Vietnam has a totally different meaning. Actually, it's considered as bad as the middle finger in Western cultures, and refers to a female body part. If you cross your fingers or raise your middle finger towards somebody, they'll find it rude and disrespectful.
