Vietnam trivia: 47 questions and answers

Hanoi. Hanoi has been the capital of reunified Vietnam since 1976. Hue was the imperial capital from 1802 to 1945.

Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City, still widely called Saigon, has more than 14 million people. Hanoi, the capital, has about 8.8 million.

The đồng. The đồng is Vietnam's currency. The baht is used in Thailand, the kip in Laos and the riel in Cambodia.

Thailand. Thailand is not a land neighbour: Laos and Cambodia lie between them. Vietnam's land borders are with China, Laos and Cambodia.

False. False. Vietnam drives on the right.

Hanoi. Thăng Long is today's Hanoi. It was renamed Hà Nội in 1831, and 1010 is counted as the year of the city's founding.

With iron-tipped stakes hidden in the riverbed. With iron-tipped stakes hidden in the riverbed: when the tide fell, the ships were caught on them. The victory ended about a thousand years of Chinese rule.

True. True. Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị rose up in AD 40 and ruled for about three years. They are honoured as national heroines.

Hue. Hue was the capital of the Nguyễn emperors from 1802 until 1945. The walled Imperial City was begun in 1804.

Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in what is now Ba Đình Square. 2 September is Vietnam's National Day.

False. False. The Viet Minh defeated the French garrison on 7 May 1954, and the Geneva Conference that followed ended French rule.

The American War. In Vietnam it is known as the American War, or more formally the Resistance War against America.

1976. In 1976, on 2 July, the country was formally reunified. The war had ended on 30 April 1975.

True. True. The city was renamed after Ho Chi Minh, but many people still call it Saigon.

Economic reforms that opened the country to private business and trade. Đổi Mới, 'renovation', was the name for economic reforms that opened the country to private business and trade. Since then Vietnam has become one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia.

The north, around Hanoi and Nam Định. Phở comes from the north, around Hanoi and Nam Định. It spread south after 1954, when many northerners moved there.

Bún chả. Bún chả, grilled pork with rice noodles and a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The restaurant is still nicknamed 'Bún chả Obama'.

Hoi An. Hoi An: tradition says real cao lầu needs water from the town's ancient Bá Lễ well.

Egg yolk. Egg yolk is whipped with sugar and condensed milk. Cà phê trứng means 'egg coffee'; it was created in the late 1940s, when milk was scarce.

Anchovies and salt. Anchovies and salt are left to ferment for up to two years. Fish sauce from Phú Quốc island has EU protected status.

False. False. Gỏi cuốn are fresh rolls of soft rice paper and are not fried. The fried rolls are chả giò, called nem rán in the north.

Da Lat. Da Lat, about 1,500 m above sea level, has mild weather all year, pine forests and flower farms.

True. True. Early in the morning, boats loaded with fruit and vegetables gather on the river at Cái Răng.

False. False. Hoi An is on the central coast, near Da Nang. Sa Pa is the town near the Chinese border.

Descending dragon. Hạ Long means 'descending dragon'. Legend says dragons spat out jewels that became the bay's islands. 'Ascending dragon' is Thăng Long, the old name of Hanoi.

Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng. Sơn Đoòng is in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, a World Heritage Site of limestone mountains and caves near Dong Hoi.

The Temple of Literature. The Temple of Literature, founded in 1070, housed the Imperial Academy from 1076 to 1779.

The Tràng An Landscape Complex. The Tràng An Landscape Complex near Ninh Binh was listed in 2014 as a mixed natural and cultural site. The other three are popular sights but not World Heritage Sites; the Củ Chi Tunnels are only on Vietnam's tentative list.

True. True. The Cham kings built brick temples in the valley of Mỹ Sơn between the 4th and the 13th century.

False. False. The Củ Chi Tunnels are northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, on the mainland.

Brazil. Brazil is the only country that produces more. Vietnam is the second-largest producer, and almost all of its coffee is robusta.

Nguyễn. Nguyễn: by some estimates 30 to 39 percent of Vietnamese people have this name, the name of the last royal dynasty.

True. True. Five of the tones are shown by accent marks, and the level tone has no mark. Southern speech merges two of them.

False. False. The saola was discovered in 1992, in the mountains of Vietnam.

9. Vietnam has 9 World Heritage Sites, including Ha Long Bay, Hội An, Huế and Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng.

Thank you. Cảm ơn means thank you. Hello is xin chào, goodbye is tạm biệt and sorry is xin lỗi.

A market. A market: Bến Thành Market in Ho Chi Minh City is chợ Bến Thành. A pagoda is chùa and a river is sông.

True. True. Ngon quá! means 'So delicious!'

False. False. Cay means spicy or hot. To ask for food without chilli, say không cay.

Tính tiền. Tính tiền means 'the bill, please'. Xin chào is hello, không cay is 'not spicy' and cứu tôi với is 'help me'.

How much is it?. Bao nhiêu tiền? means 'How much is it?'. It is useful at every market.

Không cay. Không cay means 'not spicy'. Ngon quá is 'so delicious', đắt quá is 'too expensive' and tạm biệt is goodbye.

Walk slowly and steadily without stopping. Walk slowly and steadily without stopping, so riders can see where you are going and steer around you.

115. 115 is for an ambulance. 113 is the police, 114 is fire and rescue, and 111 is the child protection hotline.

During Tết, the Lunar New Year. During Tết, the Lunar New Year in late January or February, many businesses close for several days.

False. False. Drink bottled or filtered water, which is sold everywhere.

False. False. Vietnamese people do not usually tip, and it is not expected, though small tips are welcome in tourist places.