Vietnam

Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a nation in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, to its northwest by Laos and to its southwest by Cambodia. more...

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To its east lies the South China Sea. With a population of approximately 84 million, Vietnam is one of the most densely populated nations in Southeast Asia.

The name of the country comes from the Vietnamese Việt Nam, which means the land of the Viet people in the South (Nam). Having been ruled intermittently by Chinese dynasties, Vietnam achieved independence in the 10th century. In the mid-19th century, Vietnam became a part of French Indochina. During World War II, Vietnam was occupied by Japan. After World War II, Vietnamese nationalists waged a 9-year Indochina War for independence from France. When communist forces gained control of North Vietnam, the civil war with South Vietnam soon became a part of the U.S.-led global campaign against communism. Following the withdrawal of U.S. forces, communist forces overran South Vietnam in 1975.

The Vietnam War had devastated the nation's economy and infrastructure, killing millions of civilians. Under communist rule, Vietnamese forces overthrew the Khmer Rouge regime of Cambodia and fought a brief war against China in 1979. After a decade of communist policies, Vietnam began experimenting with free-market economics in the 1980s, and today is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Although agriculture remains important to the people of rural Vietnam, the nation is also host to modern industries. Despite extensive reforms and development, the government and political life is firmly controlled by the Communist Party of Vietnam.

History

A famous Vietnamese legend tells that the Vietnamese people of various tribes were born outside the womb following the marriage of Lạc Long Quân (Dragon Chief) and Âu Cơ (the Fairy). However, most Vietnamese historians consider the Dong Son civilization that covered much of Southeast Asia to be the beginning of Vietnam's history. In 208 BCE a Qin general named Triệu Đà established a state called Nam Việt which encompassed southern China and the Red River Delta. The historical significance of the original Nam Việt remains controversial because some historians consider it a Chinese occupation while others believe it was an independent era. For most of the period from 111 BCE to the early 10th century CE, Vietnam was under the rule of successive Chinese dynasties. During this period, Buddhism became a dominant influence in the religious and cultural life of the people. Sporadic independence movements were attempted, but were quickly suppressed by Chinese forces. In 939 CE the Vietnamese defeated Chinese forces at the Bạch Đằng River and gained independence after 10 centuries under Chinese control. They gained complete autonomy a century later. During the rule of the Trần Dynasty, Dai Viet defeated three Mongol attempts of invasion by the Yuan Dynasty. Three times with massive troops as well as careful preparation for their attacks but three times in the row the Mongols were totally swept out of Dai Viet. Incidentally, the final battle in which Vietnamese general Tran Hung Dao defeated most of Mongolian forces was held again at Bạch Đằng River like his ancestors nearly 300 years ago.Feudalism in Vietnam reached its zenith in the Lê Dynasty of the 15th century, especially during the reign of Emperor Le Thanh Tong. Between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Vietnamese expanded southward in a process known as nam tiến (southward expansion). They eventually conquered the kingdom of Champa and much of the Khmer

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