The terrain of Vietnam consists of four main regions. In the northeast, the Red River delta is low and flat. The northwest part of the country, which borders China, is rugged and mountainous. The narrow central region contains a long chain of mountain peaks (the Central Highlands) to the West, and a broad agricultural plain of rice fields and vegetable farms stretching eastward toward the sea. The Mekong delta, in the south, is a tropical lowland laced with scores of rivers and canals. The winding coastline threads its way around 1,860 mi/3,000 km of headlands, beaches, swamps and sand dunes.
