Vietnam has long been considered the cultural and artistic heart of Asia. Moreover, located in the cradle of Southeast Asia, Vietnam’s advantageous geographic location can serve as a launch pad and home base for what is already the largest collection of people on earth (the combined populations of ASEAN along with China, Japan, South Korea and Chinese Taipei account for over 2 billion people). East Asia is a major engine driving world economic growth, and accounts for nearly 30 percent of the global population, economy and trade.

Vietnam occupies the eastern coastline of the Southeast Asian peninsula, and shares land borders with China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west. Its coastline provides direct access to the Gulf of Thailand and the East Sea.