Vietnam

1. H X Y Vietnam Official name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam • Capital: Hanoi • Area: 331,690 sq km; • Population: 91,519,289 (July 2012 est.) • Ethnic groups: • Vietnamese 90 percent • Chinese 2 percent • Khmer, Cham and other 8 percent • Languages: • Vietnamese (official), Chinese, Khmer, Cham, other minority languages

2. China

3. Terrain - South and North, low flat delta - Center, mostly highlands - Far North and Northwest, hilly and mountainous

4. Continental Southeast Asia: Vietnam • Geographical setting • Coastal plain along the South China Sea with a population of 78 million. • Stands for “People of the south”. • Two major deltas: the Red River (Song Koi) and Mekong. • Natural penetration corridor towards China. • Only 5% of the territory is mountainous. • The south is more fertile than the north. • Most minerals resources are in the north. • Divided into three units • Tonkin (Hanoi). • Cochin China (Saigon). • Annam (Hue). Hanoi Red River Delta Annamite Chain Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) Mekong River Delta

5. Continental Southeast Asia: Vietnam • Colonial history • Strong Chinese influence. • Vietnam was a province of China. • Unified in the 1700s. • French influence from 1787: • Between 1884 and 1893 France captured Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. • Renamed Indochina. • “Mission civilisatrice”. • Difficult colonial ruling because of different ethnic groups such as Thais, Laotians, Khmers and Viets. • Emergence of nationalism in early 20th century. • Japanese occupation increased nationalism.

6. Continental Southeast Asia: Vietnam • Unification of Vietnam: Vietnam War • Civil War (1945-1954): • Civil war against the French occupation. • Ended in 1954 with the division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel. • Involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War: • Started in 1950 with military aid to the French. • After the French defeat, the United States backed the South Vietnam government. • Facing strong guerilla warfare, the United States started to send troops in 1963. • By 1969, 600,000 troops were involved in the Vietnam War. • Withdrawn in 1973 and in 1975 South Vietnam surrendered. • 2 million people killed during the 1965-1975 war. • Conflicts with China (1979).

7. Continental Southeast Asia: Vietnam • Economic recovery • Embargo imposed by the United States (1975-1994). • The first decade after the Vietnam War: • Very slow recovery. • Became a net importer of rice, instead of an exporter. • Communist style economic planning. • Liberalization of the economy (mid 1980s): • Introduction of market principles (Doi Moi). • Among the lowest labor costs in Pacific Asia: • Good level of education (88% literacy rate). • Favored foreign investments, notably (1994). • ASEAN joined (1995). • Differences between the north and the south, as the south was more exposed to capitalism.

8. Continental Southeast Asia: Vietnam • Tourism • High tourism potential. • Long coastline; beach resorts. • Intact coral reefs. • Political and social stability. • Sub-tropical climate. • Original cuisine: often adapting French cuisine. • Lack of development has protected Vietnam's numerous natural resources.

9. From Ho Chi Min City to Hanoi A Glimpse of Vietnam Hans 2012

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41. H X Y Basics • Vietnam is relatively long and narrow, with a varied terrain. (Two rivers and one mountain) • Vietnam has about 50 ethnic and language groups, but ethnic Vietnamese, or Viets, constitute the vast majority of the population. • Vietnamese history is closed related to China and in the modern time, France, Japan and United States play certain roles in shaping the modern Vietnamese nation.

42. H X Y Natural Resources • Vietnam’s most valuable natural resource is its land, particularly the fertile, alluvial soils in the Red and Mekong deltas. • Gold, iron, tin, zinc, phosphate, chromite, apatite, and anthracite coal. • Oil extraction in starting from the 1980s in the South China Sea

43. H X Y Climate • Mostly tropical. • Marked by dry and wet seasons. • Plenty rainfall, making it a country suitable for the growth agricultural products.

44. H X Y Environmental Issues • Groundwater contamination. • Lack of safe drinking water. • Fefoliation, soil degradation as a result of chemical spray during the Vietnam war. • Deforestation as a result of rapid development.

45. H X Y Principle Cities • Hanoi (capital) • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Largest City • Haiphong • Da Nang • and Hue

46. H X Y Language • Vietnamese, closely related to Khmer • Chinese was used for many centuries, leaving many historical legacies in Vietnam. • Localized Vietnamese Chinese character (Chu Nom字喃） • In 1910, Latinized Quoc Ngu（国语）replaced Chinese to become the written language for Vietnam.

47. H X Y Religion • Vietnam contains a rich mixture of religions, reflecting the influence of many cultures. • Three major belief systems: Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism (Taoism). • The court recognized only Confucianism, which is more a set of social ethics than a religious faith. • Roman Catholicism as a result of French conquest.

48. H X Y Education • For centuries, education in Vietnam was based on the Confucian system practiced in China. （科举制度） • The French introduced Western schooling • The South adopted an education system based on the United States model, which emphasizes the development of an individual’s talents and skills • Education is free and is compulsory for 5 years of primary school。 • Most universities are located in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Thai Nyuen and Danang.

49. H X Y Economy • Vietnam’s society was predominantly agrarian, with rice playing a key role in accumulating wealth. • After French colonization, cash crops such as coffee, tea rubber and other tropical crops are gaining ground as a export commodities. • In 1986 the government launched a reform program to move toward a mixed economy that operates under private as well as collective or state control.

50. Vietnam Background Economy - GDP is approx. $83.5 billion - Agriculture makes up 36% of the GDP. Currency - new dong - US $1~ ND $11,000