Characteristic of Vietnamese culture is respect for community and family, handicraft and manual labor.
Important symbols that you will find in many Vietnamese products and art include dragon, unicorn, phoenix and turtle. These animals have supernatural power and noble qualities, their presence is the expression of good luck and fortune.

After the independence from China in the 10th century Vietnam began a southward expansion to form the present country of Vietnam.
During the French colonial period the Latin alphabet was adopted; to this day Vietnam is the only non-island nation of Indochina to use the Latin alphabet as a national language.