Travel the World - Week 50

This is the 50th week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

It should be noted that this has been my 50-week challenge of 2019 so this is my last Travel the World card for this year. I have decided to continue the series in 2020, since there are 195 countries and I've only done 50 of them; therefore, after a brief break I will begin this series again with my 50-week Travel the World series of 2020 beginning on Tuesday, January 7th.

This week's country is...

Vietnam

Vietnam, officially known as Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a country located in the Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, Thailand across the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest, and the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia across the South China Sea to the east and southeast. 

It is the 13th most populous country in the world and the 66th largest country in the world by area.

It is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula. 

Vietnam is a country of tropical lowlands, hills, and densely forested highlands, with level land covering no more than 20% of the area.

The country’s name was originally spelled as two words, Viet Nam.

The Lunar New Year is the most important event of the year.

Traditional Vietnamese culture revolves around the core values of humanity, community, harmony, and family.

School children are summoned by traditional gongs instead of bells.

Rice terraces are planted that way to enable the crop to grow along the steep mountainsides.

A lot of Vietnamese dishes comes with rice, and it’s definitely a staple food in the country. Rice is cultivated in many places around the country, and it’s one of the country’s biggest exports. 

Vietnam has 30 national parks.

The Bin Chau Hotsprings are hot enough to boil eggs.

The Perfume River is so named due to the scent of the tropical flowers that fall into the water during autumn.

Football is the most popular sport in Vietnam.

Fansipan, also known as The Roof of Indochina is the highest mountain peak in the region.

There are more than 45 million registered motorbikes in Vietnam, which means that almost half of the population own their own motorbike! The law requires that riders wear helmets.

Vietnam has some of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

Water puppet shows, a Vietnamese ancient art form, are very popular among tourists.

Vietnam is one of the biggest producers of cashew nuts in the world.

The Vietnamese “love market” festival is observed to commemorate a tragic forbidden love story and to give modern-day ex-lovers a chance to meet on neutral territory.

Vietnam is home to the world’s largest cave, Son Doong.

Water puppet shows, a Vietnamese ancient art form, are very popular among tourists.

Tet Nguyen Dan is the ‘Festival of the First Day’. It celebrates christmas, birthdays and New Year together. The whole nation celebrates turning a year older together.

Some of the most famous Vietnamese animals are Great Hornbills, Indian Elephants, Sun bears, Pygmy Slow Loris, Asian Water Monitor, Water Buffaloes, Burmese Pythons, Tigers, and Dolphins.

I decided to let this Vietnam fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Vietnam is the second largest producer of coffee in the world. Only Brazil produces more coffee annually.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp: Paper Nest Doll Coffee Avery stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections 110# White and SU Early Espresso and Marina Mist CS and DP from my scrap file

Punch: SU Circle

Embellishments: Brads from an unknown vendor