10 things about Uzbekistan - The formidable opponent of U23 Vietnam in the final

Vietnam U23 team will compete for the championship with U23 in the final of the U23 Asian Championship on January 27. Here are 10 things we should know about the country of this formidable opponent.

1. Uzbekistan is a landlocked country and is even surrounded by countries that are not adjacent to the sea, including Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Much of the land in Central Asia is sandy desert with huge sand dunes. However, there are also several river valleys near Zarafshon, Sirdaryo and Amu Darya. Uzbekistan has a desert climate with very scarce rainfall. Summer is very hot and winter is very cold.

2. Uzbekistan was once one of the 5 Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union. The country declared its departure from the Soviet Union in 1991. Uzbekistan has 26 million people. The Russians and Tajiks account for 10%, 3% are Kazhiks and Uzbeks are the majority with about 80%.

Picture 1 of 10 things about Uzbekistan - The formidable opponent of U23 Vietnam in the final
Uzbekistan is a landlocked country.

3. Uzbekistan is rich in natural resources. The reserves of gold, uranium, copper, silver, zinc, tungsten, rare metals, gas, coal and minerals of Uzbekistan are always at the top of the world. Muruntan gold mine of Central Asia is one of the largest gold mines in the world. However, this is one of the poorest countries in the world. This country's GDP in 2016 was 67.22 billion USD, ranked 74th in the world, ranked 26th in Asia and 2nd in Central Asia after Kazakhstan. Calculating that the country's GDP is still lower than the revenue of Apple technology group. In the fourth quarter of 2016 alone, Apple's revenue reached a record of $ 78.4 billion.

4. In Uzbekistan, handshakes are only accepted if it is a handshake between two men.

5. The way to greet an Uzbek woman is to bow and put her right hand on the heart.

6. In the tradition of Uzbek people, the most respected visitor will sit at the farthest door.

7. The Uzbek people believe that turning the bread over will bring misfortune. According to the long tradition of the people of this Central Asian country, before going away, every Uzbek person had to bite a piece of Uzbek bread for sewing. The rest of the bread will be buried or hidden until the person returns.

Picture 2 of 10 things about Uzbekistan - The formidable opponent of U23 Vietnam in the final
The Uzbek people believe that turning up the bread will bring bad luck.

8. An important US military base has been located in Uzbekistan and Central Asia is an important "link" in the fight against global terrorism.

9. Due to the influence of Russia, although it is a Muslim-majority country, vodka is a popular drink here.

Picture 3 of 10 things about Uzbekistan - The formidable opponent of U23 Vietnam in the final
Uzbekistan is dubbed the "capital of the world".

10. Uzbekistan is the land of melons and is called the "melon capital of the world". There are 150 different melon varieties here. The Uzbek people are so melon that they eat it all in the summer so they dry and make jam to eat in the winter.