Vietnam
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. It borders China, Laos, Cambodia, and the Gulf of Tonkin.
|
|||||
| National motto: Ðộc lập, tự do, hạnh phúc (Independence, Liberty, Happiness) | |||||
| Official language | Vietnamese | ||||
| Capital | Hanoi | ||||
| President | Tran Duc Luong | ||||
| Prime Minister | Phan Van Khai | ||||
| Area - Total - % water |
Ranked
65th
329,560 km² 1.3% |
||||
| Population
- Total (2002) - Density |
Ranked
14th
81,098,416 264/km² |
||||
| Independence
- Declared - Recognised |
From
French
rule
September 2, 1945 1954 |
||||
| Currency | Dong | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +7 | ||||
| National anthem | Tien Quan Ca (The Troops are Advancing) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .vn | ||||
| Calling Code | 84 | ||||
| Table of contents |
|
2 Politics 3 Provinces 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 External links |
History
Main article: History of VietnamFrance occupied all of Vietnam by 1884, ruling it as a colony as a part of Indochina, until expelled by Japan in World War II, After the war, France, with the collaboration of the USA, attempted to regain control of the country, but Nationalist forces, that had originally fought against the Japanese invasion, declared independence. The French were defeated in 1954 by forces under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, notably in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. With the French defeat in the battle and its surrender the First Indochina War (1946-1954) came to an end. At a Geneva Conference Vietnam was partitioned, ostensibly temporarily, into a Northern and Southern zones, with a General election to be held in June 1956 (Art. 3), and the prohibition of introducing foreign troops (Art. 4). The partition forced about two million North Vietnamese to migrate to the South as the communist north began to implement radical land reforms.
Backed by the United States, the southern government headed by Ngo Dinh Diem refused to open consultation with the North Vietnamese concerning general elections when the date for these fell due in July 1955. (verbatim from the Pentagon Papers) on grounds that Ho Chi Minh will have a significant support in the north, basically because they implemented a massive agrarian reform that result in poor peasants gaining ownerships of the land, reform that the south did not implement, losing key peasant support. The south refused to abide to the Geneva Conference and was declared a Republic. This move was followed by the declaration on North Vietnam as a country by Ho Chi Minh.
Economic and military aid from the United States to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973 (see Vietnam War). Two years later North Vietnamese forces overran the South. In all, the war ended at a loss of about 3.8 million lives. Economic reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult.
Politics
Main article: Politics of VietnamThe Socialist Republic of Vietnam is governed through a highly centralized system dominated by the Vietnamese Communist Party (Đảng Cộng Sản Việt Nam). As the force controlling the system, the party exercises leadership in all matters. The government manages state affairs through a structure that parallels the party's apparatus, but it is incapable of acting without party direction. All key government positions are filled by party members.
Society is ruled by the party's ubiquitous presence, which is manifested in a network of party cadres at almost every level of social activity. All citizens are expected to be members of one or another of the mass organizations led by party cadres, and all managers and military officials are ultimately answerable to party representatives.
Provinces
Main article: Provinces of VietnamVietnam is divided into fifty-nine provinces (tỉnh, singular and plural):
An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Hau Giang, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai.
There are also five municipalities (thủ đô, singular and plural) existing at provincial level:
Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh.