…that the not-so-well known Vietnamese kitchen is delicious and very refined? Typical Vietnamese dishes are Pho soup and fresh spring rolls (with non-fried ricepaper). The use of fresh herbs like coriander and mint makes the Vietnamese kitchen very flavourfull, not spicy.
…that the country is officially one of the last communist strongholds in the world? Mainly in name, but in the North you can still feel this vibe. The South is much more modern, liberal and capitalist. Till today, an enourmous economic and ideological gap exists between the North and South of Vietnam.
…that the Vietnam War (1965-75) is called the American War in Vietnam? The turbulent history of Vietnam has been characterized for hundreds of years by foreign (mostly Chinese and French, but also Japanese and Russian) occupation.