Lands and People

   Learn about the people and lands of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Explore the unique relationship of people in the United States with these countries. Increase your awareness of United Methodist mission work by and with Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians.

Cambodia
    Cambodia shares borders in the north with Laos and Thailand, in the east with Vietnam and in the southwest with the Gulf of Thailand. The landscape comprises tropical rainforest and fertile cultivated land traversed by many rivers. In the northeast area rise highlands. The capital is located at the junction of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. The latter flows from a large inland lake, also called Tonle Sap, situated in the center of the country. There are numerous offshore islands along the southwest coast.

Laos
   Laos is a landlocked country bordered to the north by China, to the east by Vietnam, to the south by Cambodia and to the west by Thailand and Myanmar. Apart from the Mekong River plains along the border of Thailand, the country is mountainous, particularly in the north, and in places is densely forested.

Vietnam
   Vietnam has a unique civilization and a highly cultured people. Most visitors to the country are overwhelmed by the sublime beauty of the country's natural setting: the Red River Delta in the north, the Mekong Delta in the south and almost the entire coastal strip are a patchwork of brilliant green rice paddies tended by women in conical hats.

Maps
   The maps on this page are adapted from ones in the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection. Click on the map on the left to see a larger version. Click on the links Cambodia, Laos, or Vietnam above to see maps of each country. The maps are in the public domain.

See Also
   Mission Study Tour Group Witness New Life in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam by Brenda Wilkinson