Some versions of CentOS, Red Hat and Fedora comes with vim-minimal installed by default which lacks support for syntax highlighting and many other features.

To use the version of vim with most of the features enabled in CentOS, Red Hat and Fedora, you'll have to install vim-enhanced.

Step-by-step video guide:

Steps to install full version of Vim on Red Hat, CentOS or Fedora:

  1. Launch your preferred Terminal application.
  2. Check currently-installed vi version. 
    $ vi --version
VIM - Vi IMproved 8.0 (2016 Sep 12, compiled Nov 11 2019 19:07:48)
Included patches: 1-1763
Modified by <bugzilla@redhat.com>
Compiled by <bugzilla@redhat.com>
Small version without GUI.  Features included (+) or not (-):
+acl               -extra_search      -mouse_netterm     -tag_old_static
-arabic            -farsi             -mouse_sgr         -tag_any_white
+autocmd           -file_in_path      -mouse_sysmouse    -tcl
-autoservername    -find_in_path      -mouse_urxvt       -termguicolors
-balloon_eval      -float             -mouse_xterm       -terminal
-balloon_eval_term -folding           +multi_byte        +terminfo
-browse            -footer            -multi_lang        -termresponse
+builtin_terms     +fork()            -mzscheme          -textobjects
-byte_offset       -gettext           -netbeans_intg     -timers
-channel           -hangul_input      -num64             -title
-cindent           +iconv             +packages          -toolbar
-clientserver      -insert_expand     -path_extra        -user_commands
-clipboard         -job               -perl              +vertsplit
-cmdline_compl     +jumplist          -persistent_undo   -virtualedit
+cmdline_hist      -keymap            -printer           +visual
-cmdline_info      -lambda            -profile           -visualextra
-comments          -langmap           -python            -viminfo
-conceal           -libcall           -python3           -vreplace
-cryptv            -linebreak         -quickfix          +wildignore
-cscope            -lispindent        -reltime           -wildmenu
+cursorbind        +listcmds          -rightleft         +windows
-cursorshape       -localmap          -ruby              +writebackup
-dialog            -lua               +scrollbind        -X11
-diff              -menu              -signs             -xfontset
-digraphs          -mksession         -smartindent       -xim
-dnd               -modify_fname      -startuptime       -xpm
-ebcdic            -mouse             -statusline        -xsmp
-emacs_tags        -mouse_dec         -sun_workshop      -xterm_clipboard
-eval              -mouse_gpm         -syntax            -xterm_save
+ex_extra          -mouse_jsbterm     +tag_binary
   system vimrc file: "/etc/virc"
     user vimrc file: "$HOME/.virc"
 2nd user vimrc file: "~/.vim/virc"
      user exrc file: "$HOME/.exrc"
       defaults file: "$VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim"
  fall-back for $VIM: "/etc"
 f-b for $VIMRUNTIME: "/usr/share/vim/vim80"
Compilation: gcc -c -I. -Iproto -DHAVE_CONFIG_H     -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Werror=format-security -Wp,-D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong -grecord-gcc-switches -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-cc1 -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-annobin-cc1 -m64 -mtune=generic -fasynchronous-unwind-tables -fstack-clash-protection -fcf-protection -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -I/usr/include/python3.6m -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=1
Linking: gcc   -Wl,-z,relro  -Wl,-z,now -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-ld -L/usr/local/lib -Wl,--as-needed -o vim        -lm  -lselinux -lncurses -lacl -lattr -ldl

    Note the list of enabled and disabled features

  3. Install vim-enhanced and related dependencies. 
    $ sudo dnf install --assumeyes vim-enhanced
[sudo] password for user:
Last metadata expiration check: 0:03:40 ago on Wed 15 Jul 2020 04:32:27 AM EDT.
Dependencies resolved.
=============================================================
 Package         Arch    Version            Repository  Size
=============================================================
Installing:
 vim-enhanced    x86_64  2:8.0.1763-13.el8  AppStream  1.4 M
Installing dependencies:
 gpm-libs        x86_64  1.20.7-15.el8      AppStream   39 k
 vim-common      x86_64  2:8.0.1763-13.el8  AppStream  6.3 M
 vim-filesystem  noarch  2:8.0.1763-13.el8  AppStream   48 k

Transaction Summary
=============================================================
Install  4 Packages

Total download size: 7.8 M
Installed size: 30 M
  4. Running vim --version to check features of currently instally version.

    Note that the command is now vim instead of vi. 

    $ vim --version
VIM - Vi IMproved 8.0 (2016 Sep 12, compiled Nov 11 2019 19:08:24)
Included patches: 1-1763
Modified by <bugzilla@redhat.com>
Compiled by <bugzilla@redhat.com>
Huge version without GUI.  Features included (+) or not (-):
+acl               +farsi             +mouse_sgr         -tag_any_white
+arabic            +file_in_path      -mouse_sysmouse    -tcl
+autocmd           +find_in_path      +mouse_urxvt       +termguicolors
-autoservername    +float             +mouse_xterm       +terminal
-balloon_eval      +folding           +multi_byte        +terminfo
+balloon_eval_term -footer            +multi_lang        +termresponse
-browse            +fork()            -mzscheme          +textobjects
++builtin_terms    +gettext           +netbeans_intg     +timers
+byte_offset       -hangul_input      +num64             +title
+channel           +iconv             +packages          -toolbar
+cindent           +insert_expand     +path_extra        +user_commands
-clientserver      +job               +perl/dyn          +vertsplit
-clipboard         +jumplist          +persistent_undo   +virtualedit
+cmdline_compl     +keymap            +postscript        +visual
+cmdline_hist      +lambda            +printer           +visualextra
+cmdline_info      +langmap           +profile           +viminfo
+comments          +libcall           +python/dyn        +vreplace
+conceal           +linebreak         +python3/dyn       +wildignore
+cryptv            +lispindent        +quickfix          +wildmenu
+cscope            +listcmds          +reltime           +windows
+cursorbind        +localmap          +rightleft         +writebackup
+cursorshape       +lua/dyn           +ruby/dyn          -X11
+dialog_con        +menu              +scrollbind        -xfontset
+diff              +mksession         +signs             -xim
+digraphs          +modify_fname      +smartindent       -xpm
-dnd               +mouse             +startuptime       -xsmp
-ebcdic            -mouseshape        +statusline        -xterm_clipboard
+emacs_tags        +mouse_dec         -sun_workshop      -xterm_save
+eval              +mouse_gpm         +syntax
+ex_extra          -mouse_jsbterm     +tag_binary
+extra_search      +mouse_netterm     +tag_old_static
   system vimrc file: "/etc/vimrc"
     user vimrc file: "$HOME/.vimrc"
 2nd user vimrc file: "~/.vim/vimrc"
      user exrc file: "$HOME/.exrc"
       defaults file: "$VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim"
  fall-back for $VIM: "/etc"
 f-b for $VIMRUNTIME: "/usr/share/vim/vim80"
Compilation: gcc -c -I. -Iproto -DHAVE_CONFIG_H     -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Werror=format-security -Wp,-D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong -grecord-gcc-switches -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-cc1 -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-annobin-cc1 -m64 -mtune=generic -fasynchronous-unwind-tables -fstack-clash-protection -fcf-protection -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -I/usr/include/python3.6m -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=1
Linking: gcc   -L. -Wl,-z,relro  -Wl,-z,now -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-ld -fstack-protector-strong -rdynamic -Wl,-export-dynamic -Wl,--enable-new-dtags -Wl,-z,relro -Wl,-z,now -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-ld  -Wl,-z,relro  -Wl,-z,now -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-ld -L/usr/local/lib -Wl,--as-needed -o vim        -lm  -lselinux   -lncurses -lacl -lattr -lgpm -ldl   -Wl,--enable-new-dtags -Wl,-z,relro -Wl,-z,now -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-ld -Wl,-z,relro -Wl,-z,now -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-ld -fstack-protector-strong -L/usr/local/lib  -L/usr/lib64/perl5/CORE -lperl -lpthread -lresolv -ldl -lm -lcrypt -lutil -lc
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