Vietnam

I think the Vietnam article is not very neutral: * The focus on the American War. * The slightly narrow view of the events leading to the end of this war. * The part about grunding concessions of old commies, and the implied wonders of the free market. Was this cut from the CIA factbook? This is the main article for the country, and in my opinion it should treat both its history and its current politics with respect. If nobody objects, I'd like to throw it out and write new one. -- Zork Actually the :Vietnam War should be a distinct topic - Vietnam should be about Vietnam, as you pointed out. - User:MMGB ---- What, no History of Vietnam??? — user:Toby Bartels, Monday, June 24, 2002 Post a new link like Vietnam/hitory or History of Vietnam on the page and thorough account should be on the new page. The current page seems to focus on history and should be adjusted to cover all aspects, e.g. political, economical, tranportion, geography etc. user:Ktsquare, Monday June 24 2002 I figured it out. It is indeed taken from [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/vm.html The CIA World Fact Book], verbatim, at least on the main page. And the CIA, which afer all often repeats it, apparently forgot about history. I'll add a link to such a page (which I can't fill out, I'm afraid), but this still needs to be rewritten with input from other sources. user:Toby Bartels, Friday, June 28, 2002 ---- Also france don�t hold Vietnam until 54, I was driven out by japanesse trops , and later try to recover dominance, with the help of USA. User:Cuye ---- Still, Vietnam's history on this page shouldn't be wholly focus in the 1900s. The history is just too 'warish.' == Hi there, == I think the political need to be rewrite a little bit to reflect the CURRENT economic of VN. There is loooooooooooooooooooooong way since Asia economy crisis and we had many achivement (<-- I spell wrong) such as the stock market exchange and start to sell off (stock) some "blue chip" company such as Vinamilk (though it's only 30%). Some kraze folk even aim to become an offical member of WTO in 2005. ---- What does this mean? sounds like an incomplete sentence: :''on grounds that Ho Chi Minh will have a significant support in the north, basically because they tried to implement a massive agrarian reform that result in over one million people left North Vietnam to re-settle in the South to avoid persecution and blood shed. The Communist Party encouraged poor peasants gaining ownerships of the land by putting all the landlords on public trials and executions. The South refused to abide to the Geneva Conference was declared a Republic, because, under Ho Chi Minh and his government, North Vietnamese people did not have freedom to choose and decide their votes. ''--User:Yacht (User talk:Yacht) :w: 13:53, May 28, 2004 (UTC) == Wrong Spelling == I think this article should be listed under Viet Nam, instead of Vietnam. The latter is a Western mispelling; there is no "Vietnam" any more than there is a "Greatbritain" or a "Unitedstatesofamerica". I realize that the wrong spelling will attract most of the traffic, but a simple redirect will take care of that, just as it does when (the way it is now) people search for "Viet Nam". - Yossarian4010 :The general consensus seems to be that articles should be named by the most common English usage, and "Vietnam" (rightly or wrongly) is the standard English usage. You could argue that there is no Hungary, just Magyarorsz�g, or that there is no Finland, just Suomi, but we still call the articles Hungary and Finland. Moreover, achieving the correct Vietnamese spelling of the name isn't actually possible - to be fully correct, we'd need to put in the accent and tone mark (giving Việt Nam), which I don't think we can do in page titles without breaking things. I would recommend that the English Wikipedia continues to use the standard English name for Vietnam, just as the Vietnamese Wikipedia uses :vi:Anh instead of England. -- User:Vardion 02:49, 1 Jul 2004 (UTC) Point taken. However, ''Viet Nam'' is not obscure (to English readers) like ''Magyarorsz�g'' and needs no special characters like ''Việt Nam''. The two-word rendering is "more correct" without completely leaving Western convention - sort of like the difference between ''labor'' and ''labour''; which you use depends on convention, but both are equally legible and acceptable, so you pick the one that suits you. Personally, I think insisting on the two-word spelling is "better", but I'm guessing not too many people would agree with me as far as Wikipedia usage goes; "Vietnam" is too often-used. -- User:Yossarian4010 17:52, 14 Jul 2004 (UTC) The two-word spelling is clear and more correct than the one-word spelling, so it should be preferred. At least it should be aknowledged in the article. == External links == Why are these links being removed repeatedly?


 [http://www.vov.org.vn/Defaultv.htm VOV News]
 [http://www.vnn.vn/ Vietnam NET]	 
 [http://www.asinah.net/vietnam.html Vietnam Guide]

I'm just asking--I actually reverted an anonymous user's changes because he/she removed them. --User:Ardonik 20:30, Aug 9, 2004 (UTC) The user who most recently removed them is User:Celindgren. I've been discussing NPOV, and the notion of annotating one's edits in order to justify them, with him on his User Talk:Celindgren. I've restored them for now, and we can only hope the next editor will be more informative. Looking at those links, though... [http://www.asinah.net/vietnam.html Vietnam Guide] appears to be non-functional, and I'm not sure [http://www.vov.org.vn/Defaultv.htm Voice of Vietnam News] (a radio station) is really appropriate for a main article like this. I can't tell about Vietnam NET because I don't speak the language. User:Hob—User:Hob←User Talk:Hob 00:10, 2004 Aug 17 (UTC) == where to discuss exile groups? == I removed the following text from Politics, added by Tran Van Ba who has added similar references to a large number of Vietnam-related articles: :H.I.H. Prince Regent Nguyen Phuc Buu Chanh is the President of the Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League an organization that is politically pressure the Communist Government in Vietnam to peacefully form a transitional government for Vietnam so a democratic dual party system guarantee Freedom of Religion, Liberty and Rights of the people of Vietnam. Grammar and spelling aside, this group has never been a political player in Vietnam (as far as I can tell, it was formed by Bao Dai during his exile in Paris) so it obviously doesn't belong in Politics. But should it get a mention somewhere in History of Vietnam... although its members are not ''in'' Vietnam? It seems to be mostly a public-relations group for claimants to the Nguyen Dynasty lineage, but it's hard to find reliable information apart from Celindgren's extremely POV edits. User:Hob—User:Hob←User Talk:Hob 23:50, 2004 Aug 16 (UTC) == where to discuss exile groups? ANSWER BELOW == Hello Hob, The Vietnamese Monarchist League Led my Prince Nguyen Phuc Buu Chanh has members in Vietnam that are poltically pressuring the government. There has been a crackdown on his poltical movement in Vietnam and followers arrested. Please email me I could have answered your questions before you just took off my addition that was neutral to cover post steps of the spectrum of politics in Vietnam. Tran_Van_ba@hotmail.com User Talk Tran Van Ba Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Vietnam" == where to discuss exile groups? ==ANSWER Hello Hob, The Vietnamese Monarchist League Led my Prince Nguyen Phuc Buu Chanh has members in Vietnam that are poltically pressuring the government. There has been a crackdown on his poltical movement in Vietnam and followers arrested. Please email me I could have answered your questions before you just took off my addition that was neutral to cover post steps of the spectrum of politics in Vietnam. Tran_Van_ba@hotmail.com User Talk Tran Van Ba == ideas for new sections == I think the section on the history of Vietnam should begin with the Hu kings and end with current day. Entries on Vietnamese literature and poetry, religion, and culture under communisim would make for a richer entry on Vietnam. I think also an entry on the American perspective of Vietnam would be interesting. Also a recommend reading for people interested in Vietnam would be interesting. == Vietnam vs. Viet Nam == ===> Issue: I took the page at Vietnam, and copied it to Viet Nam, since the latter name is more proper. Once I did that, I made "Vietnam" a redirect to "Viet Nam." What is the problem with this? It is perfectly legitimate and proper since: #"Viet Nam" is the prefered and proper nomenclature, and #The more common spelling will simply redirect to the proper spelling. No harm done, and the integrity of their name is kept. If we used the "more common name" as the rule, then "C�te d'Ivoire" would redirect to "Ivory Coast", not vice versa. To make "Viet Nam" (the proper name) redirect to "Vietnam" (the common name), while "Ivory Coast" (the common name) redirects to "C�te d'Ivoire" (the proper name) is inconsistent, and mildly disrespectful. It would be equivalent to making "Thailand" redirect to "Siam" rather than vice-versa, the "Vietnam" spelling is not used by the native population: we know better, so we should act better. If I did, in fact, break any rules by copying/redirecting the pages, I apologize, but this seems the most rational and respectful solution. Correct me if I'm wrong. User:Koavf 19:17, Mar 8, 2005 (UTC) :I can't speak for whoever worked out the Ivory Coast title, but I'm afraid that unless there's a majority in favour of making an exception, policy is to use the most common name in English, and that's "Vietnam" (whether it should be or not). If you disagree with this policy, I suggest taking it up at the appropriate policy page (Wikipedia:Naming conventions (use English), perhaps?). If the policy is changed, or if you can convince people to make an exception here, the page can be moved, but without such a mandate, general policy favours the most common English name. :The reason for this, I suppose, is the question of who decides what is "correct". Some cases may be simple, but there can be very large arguments over the "proper" name for places — witness the arguement over Danzig/Gdansk, for example. The "most common name" rule provides a clear guideline without getting into debate about what is correct. There would be plenty of people who agree with you, and support "Viet Nam", but there would also be plenty of people who disagree, and say that "Vietnam" is established and correct in English. Without the most common name rule, there would be constant dispute as to what the "proper" title should be. :(I also respectfully disagree that using "Vietnam" is disrespectful — the Vietnamese call the United States "danh từ", not the "United States", so should Americans be offended?) :(And also, if you ''do'' want to move the page again, please don't just copy-and-paste it into the other article — that messes up the page history, making it harder for people to see who wrote what. It's better to use the "Move" function, although you'd need an Administrator to do that if there's something already present at the intended destination.) :-- User:Vardion 21:58, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC) This is an English-language encyclopaedia, and therefore must use the most common English name for any country. There is nothing disrespectful about this. We call Deutschland Germany and Bharat India, so we should call Viet Nam Vietnam. (Cote d'Ivoire is an anomaly - the English name is Ivory Coast, but the government has specifically requested that Cote d'Ivoire be used, and the UN and most English-language media have complied). User:Adam Carr 22:32, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC) ===> Response: Thanks for your input, but I still have to disagree. I do not think that the English short-form name ''should'' be the standard for naming the articles/redirects, plus I also think ''it is not'' the standard by which we name articles currently. If that were the case: #Myanmar would be under Burma. #Republic of Ireland would be under Ireland. #Republic of Macedonia would be under Macedonia. #People's Republic of China would be under China. #Republic of China would be under Taiwan. #United Kingdom would be under England. Please don't get me wrong - I ''understand'' that "Ireland" and "China" refer to historical entities that are broader geographically that the states which share their names, ''but'' if "English, short-form name" was the standard, that would be where the articles would be found. "Republic of Macedonia" and "Myanmar" are relatively obscure names compared to the common alternatives, and at least "Viet Nam" and "Vietnam" are ''pronounced'' the same; there would be no ambiguity, whereas "Myanmar" and "Burma" aren't apparently the same country based simply on their names. Furthermore, while I also understand that \"England\" is not the same as \"United Kingdom\" that is still a common misconception among Americans, and it is the name that is used to refer to the political entity located in Britain and Ireland, even if that name is erroneous. To those who cry "foul" and say, "Well, people from England are English-speaking, and they don't get the names wrong," that simply proves that the short-form English name is useless as a standard, since there is no consensus on the short-form name. If the common short-form name redirected to the appopriate name, then it would be a simple and effective way of educating people on how properly to refer to certain political entities. As it stands, I still charge that the standard is applied inconsistently and arbitrarily right now. Plus, to address the issue of translation raised by User:Adam_Carr, in the case of Viet Nam, the name isn't translated or changed in any way other than simple Romanization. Plus, as best as I understand your argument, your point is irrelevant, because I'm not advocating changing any articles to foreign-language titles that are unintelligible to English-speaking Wikipedians. The alternative that I'm proposing is a more appropriate ''spelling'' that is still Romanized, and I would still include a redirect from the more common (inaccurate) spelling to the less common (more accurate) spelling. Although, I may be missing the more germane point of your objection, and if so, please forgive me for my dullness. User:Koavf 02:10, Mar 9, 2005 (UTC) You say: "I do not think that the English short-form name ''should'' be the standard for naming the articles/redirects." To which I can only reply: well, it ''is'' the standard, and this article like all others will have to comply. The analogies you give are not very helpful. Myanmar and Burma are ''alternative'' names for the same country. Ireland is a geographical expression, and the island of Ireland contains two countries which need to be disambiguated. The articles for Macedonia, China and Taiwan do in fact appear under those names. No informed person thinks that "England" is the correct name for the UK. I agree that there is not much difference between "Viet Nam" and "Vietnam." But the fact is that the latter is the standard English spelling (34 million Google hits against 7 million for Viet Nam), and is therefore the form Wikipedia uses. User:Adam Carr 02:37, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) ===>Response: Macedonia does not go to the state of Republic of Macedonia anymore than Ireland goes to the state of Republic of Ireland. No "informed" person calls "C�te d'Ivoire" "Ivory Coast." Plus, "Vietnam" and "Viet Nam" (similar to Burma/Myanmar) are alternative spellings for the same country - that explanation still doesn't address the fundamental issue of "most common name (in the English-speaking population)." The most common name for that region is Burma, not Myanmar, so the standard is applied capriciously, as far as I can tell. I still don't see the harm in making "Vietnam" the redirect to "Viet Nam" since users will arrive at the relevant information, and ''moreover'', I do see the benefit in doing so, as it will help to communicate the issue of appropriate/accurate/precise naming/spelling conventions in an efficient manner. I stand by my earlier assertions, and I've e-mailed a few administrators asking for their opinions on a page move, and directed them to this talk page. Again, even though I disagree with your assessment, I appreciate your input (especially on the page move procedure). Thank you kindly. User:Koavf 03:07, Mar 9, 2005 (UTC) 'Vietnam -> Viet Nam' - nope, not going to happen. By far, the most common spelling in English is Vietnam. Compare Google searches for [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&c2coff=1&as_qdr=all&q=%22Viet+nam%22&btnG=Search "Viet nam"] (Google even asks 'Did you mean: "Vietnam"') vs [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&c2coff=1&as_qdr=all&q=Vietnam&btnG=Search Vietnam]. 'Vietnam' gets about 4 times as many hits as 'Viet Nam'. This is also in conformance with our Wikipedia:Naming conventions (common names). --User:Maveric149 00:47, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) ===>Response to mav: The Google issue was brought up in the post before mine, and I didn't find it persuasive then, either. I don't know that your post really addresses my two objections: 1.) we ''shouldn't'' use the short-form conventional name, and 2.) that we currently ''don't'' actually use said convention in a consistent manner. User:Koavf 01:00, Mar 10, 2005 (UTC) The answers to those two points are 1.) Well we do, and 2.) We should try to. The Google stats ''are'' persuasive because they show us what the current English usage is, and that is the decisive consideration. User:Adam Carr 03:28, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) ===>Response to Adam: Then, to be consistent, are you going to suggest reverting "C�te d'Ivoire" to "Ivory Coast", or "Myanmar" to "Burma"? I think not. I'm trying to be ''consistent'', ''respectful'', and ''accessible'' to users (which is not to imply that you are trying to be capricious, disrespectful, and inefficient). As I see it, the best way to be all three in regards to this article is to make "Vietnam" redirect to "Viet Nam", not vice-versa. Furthermore, I'm still not convinced that the policy as implemented is anything other than arbitrary, although I'm willing to admit that there may be something that I'm missing here. No doubt, you are the more experienced Wikipedian, and maybe there is something here I just don't get, but I still don't see a justification of how the policy ''as it is currently implemented'' is anything other than arbitrary, and less respectful and helpful to users than the alternative that I am proposing. For those interested, I have received no response from the administrators that I e-mailed. User:Koavf 05:01, Mar 10, 2005 (UTC) I have explained already that Cote d'Ivoire is an exception to the "use English" rule because the government of Cote d'Ivoire has requested that the French form be used and the UN and most English-language media have complied, so Cote d'Ivoire now ''is'' the standard English name of the country. The situation with Myanmar and Burma is more complicated, because Myanmar is the Burmese-language name of the country but also the form the Burmese regime uses. Opponents of the regime therefore refuse to call the country Myanmar. My view is that Wikipedia should call the country Burma but I have been overruled. But none of that is really the point. The point is that: *Wikipedia is an English-language encyclopaedia *The standard English spelling is Vietnam (as shown by Google) *Wikipedia should use the standard English spelling *Therefore Wikipedia should call the country Vietnam User:Adam Carr 06:04, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) ===>(Final?) Repsonse to Adam: Thanks again for your input. I still contend that "Viet Nam" is more appropriate and useful, since "Vietnam" would simply redirect to it and maintain the integrity of the native naming. Is there a formal process by which I could put this to a vote, rather than continuing the discussion here? I imagine that we're rapidly reaching a logjam, so protracted discussion seems pointless. I have seen votes on various pages (such as votes on whether or not to rename or delete stub names), and it seems like we could present our arguments briefly on a page for a vote, give a reasonable time for interested Wikipedians to give their two cents, and call it a day. If not, is there an arbitrating body, or a particular administrator who would make a call like this? I've looked on pages about administrators and haven't seen one particularly qualified for these kinds of decisions. If you don't care to assist me, I'll just keep on looking around Wikipedia myself. Thanks again. User:Koavf 06:32, Mar 10, 2005 (UTC) ===>Response to mav: Why is Viet Nam more appropriate and useful? The spelling is not vietnamese since it doesn't contain the proper tone marks, it is certainly not vietnamese. The usage stems from the usage of chinese signs in the vietnamese language, therefore one is used to think in syllables, yet these words are not pronounced as syllables, like in chinese: Noone pronounces the capital Bei Jing, it's Beijing, the same goes for other words friend is pengyou, not peng you, in fact in chinese, you would actually lose part of the meaning if you spelled out single syllables. I presume you lose some of the meaning in vietnamese without proper tonal signs as well... So therefore, the name of the country is pronounced Vietnam, and not Viet Nam, and therefore is should be spelt that way as well. You don't see a norwegian spell the name of country as Nor Way (although the orginal meaning is North Way). It is neither more or less precise in vietnamese since there's no usage of tonal In addition, I think it's rather rude for a single person to disapprove official spelling of a name in what has become more or less an international encyclopedia. We should strive to adhere to standards instead of making decisions on behalf of the world simply because we think it feels better. For a wider discussion of this topic see: http://www.lib.washington.edu/southeastasia/vsg/elist_2001/VietnamORVN.html] User:Oalsaker 20:43, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Exports == Hey, I was wondering what Vietnam Exported relating to Agriculture? :According to the [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/vm.html CIA World Fact Book], the exports are "crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes." -- User:Randy2063 15:48, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC) == Vietnamese Literature == I would like ask people to help put together a set of articles and stubs related to Vietnamese literature. I have begun by creating a stub for the Luc Bat, a Vietnamese verse form. An acknowlegement of the richness and depth in the writings of Vietnam (e.g. that of Ho Xuan Huong) would be a beautiful addition to the culture section of this topic. == Don't Out-Vietnamese the Real Vietnamese == Regarding the discussion on whether the name of the country in the article should be Vietnam or Viet Nam, just go to any English-language website originated from Vietnam itself (such as the official newspaper Nhan Dan) and you will see it's spelled Vietnam. Same is true in the website from the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington. Those who insist on spelling the country name as "Viet Nam" in an English-language document are trying to out-Vietnamese the Vietnamese. I'm a Vietnamese-American and I always use the spelling "Vietnam" when I write in English or French. Tom Tran from Texas -------------------------- Vietnamese refer to Viet Nam as Vietnam when they write in English doesn't mean that is the correct way. It just means that it is more commonly used. English is a second language to most Vietnamese, when they learn English, every single piece of writing they found refer to Viet Nam as Vietnam, so they think it is the "English translation" of Vie^.t Nam, gradually, it became a habit. Proof: The same thing happen to any big city in Vietnam, Saigon, Hanoi, Danang,... But NOT for Ho Chi Minh City, Ia Drang, Hai Phong,... Somehow, English speakers decided that Vietnamese shouldn't have space when referring to a location. user:lt2hieu2004--User:Lt2hieu2004 15:12, 21 May 2005 (UTC) == Khmer Krom? Demographics? == I found the Khmer Krom in demographics quite controversial. First of all, Khmer Krom is regconized only about a million according to the Vietnam Census. Moreover, in Ethnologue also said that there are about a million Khmer-speaking in Southern Vietnam http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=VN To me it sounds like this is an act of Khmer Fundamentalists to seperate Southern Vietnam from Vietnam itself. Secondly, if there are 8 millions Khmers living in Southern Vietnam are true, why are there no significant impacts in Southern Vietnam? I livied in Southern Vietnam, and the only other significant influence of a minority is the Hoa/chinese minority. Third, "In 2005, the retired king of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk officially called for the end of Vietnamese annexations and an international demarcation of the boundary on the ground." Why IS this in Vietnam section? Anybody who lives in southern Vietnam will know it's a bunch of BS. ::Okay, whoever wrote the paragraph about the Khmer Krom minority group with a population of 8 million, can you provide where you got that information? I found the statistics to be absurd as well and I would like to know where that information is coming from. Also, isn't Vietnam's population about to reach 100 million now? If so, how can 8 million Khmer Krom ethnic minority bring down the percentage of the ethnic Kinh (main ethnic group in Vietnam) from 86% to 77%? Can someone please provide answers? I have never heard of this before. If no answer is provided, I will delete the topic this time or others will delete the topic and I will not revert. ::The article also states that the Khmer Krom is the largest minority in Vietnam. This is far from the truth. The largest ethnic minority in Vietnam is the ethnic Han Chinese (Hoa) and they make up 12% of the population in Saigon. If no explanations are made, I will delete the materials! User:UH Collegian 20:21, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC) The Vietnamese statistics cannot be trusted, and the Ethonologue website uses the Vietnamese official census, so it can't be trusted either. The 8 million figure is found in many sources, including many NGOs. Make your own research online. The 8 million figure sounds more credible to me because it is based on pre-1975 censuses of Southern Vietnam which were less biased than current Vietnamese censuses. Surely, 7 milion Khmer Krom couldn't have totally disapeared between 1975 and 2005, could they? Finally, you guys seem to make a confusion between Saigon proper and southern Vietnam. To have lived in Saigon is not the same as having lived in southern Vietnam. In Saigon, truly, there are not that many Khmer Krom. Khmer Krom are essentially rural. If you had lived in the countryside of the delta, hundred miles south of Saigon, you would have seen way more Khmer Krom. Last but not least, for the zillionth time, the Hoa is NOT THE LARGEST MINORITY. Even if you don't believe the Khmer Krom numbers, the Vietnamese census says the largest minority is the T�y (1.5 million people). But of course if you have just stayed inside Saigon you have this impression that Hoa is the largest minority. Oh, and by the way, Vietnam is nowhere near 100 million inhabitants. Vietnam is near 80 million inhabitants. Just check the World Bank Statistics website or any other serious website and you'll see it's 80 million. User:Hardouin 12:12, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Vietnam

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. Situated in eastern Indochina, it borders China, Laos, Cambodia, and the South China Sea. == History == ''Main article: History of Vietnam'' Vietnam's history goes back more than 2,700 years. For a thousand years, it was under the rule of successive dynasties of the China. Vietnam regained independence in the early 10th century, and complete autonomy a century later. However, Vietnam remained a vassal state dependent on the good will of the Chinese emperors. The native dynastic period ended in mid-19th century, when the country was colonized by France. During World War II, Japan occupied Vietnam. After the war, France attempted to re-establish control but ultimately failed. The Geneva Conference (1954) partitioned the country into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. During the Cold War period, the North was supported by the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics while the South was supported by the United States, Australia and other western countries. Tensions quickly escalated into the Vietnam War. The war continued until the Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973 formally recognized sovereignty for both sides. American troops were withdrawn by March 29, 1973. But by January 1974, the war was fully restarted, and yet, the newly enacted War Powers Resolution prevented the United States from defending South Vietnam. Fall of Saigon in April 1975. In 1976, Vietnam was officially unified under the North Vietnamese government as ''"The Socialist Republic of Vietnam."'' Refugees continued fleeing from Vietnam through the rest of the decade, and into the next. In 1979, Vietnam invaded Cambodia and removed Pol Pot from power and into hiding, thereby decisively stabilizing Cambodia. Only one month later, however, partially in retaliation, People's Republic of China launched a failed invasion of Vietnam: the Sino-Vietnamese War. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Vietnam'' The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is governed through a highly centralized system dominated by the Communist Party of Vietnam (Đảng Cộng Sản Việt Nam), which was formerly known as the Vietnamese Labor Party. The government is in theory independent from the party, but in practice it receives most of its directives from the party. Although there has been some effort to discourage membership in overlapping party and state positions, this practice continues. Senior Politburo members (Tran Duc Luong, Phan Van Khai, Nguyen Van An, Nguyen Tan Dung, Le Hong Anh and Pham Van Tra) concurrently hold high positions in the government. There are no legal opposition parties in Vietnam, although a number of opposition groups do exist scattered overseas among exile communities within countries such as France and the United States. These communities have supported demonstrations and civil disobedience against the government. The most prominent are the Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League, People Action's Party of Vietnam, Montagnard Foundation Inc. and the Government of Free Vietnam. The Government of Free Viet Nam has claimed responsibility for a number of guerilla raids into Vietnam, which the government has denounced as terrorism. Former political parties include the nationalist Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang of Nguyen Thai Hoc, the Can Lao party of the Ngo Dinh Diem government and the Viet Nam Duy Tan Hoi of Phan Boi Chau during the colonial period. Vietnam is a member of the United Nations, La Francophonie, ASEAN, and APEC and has applied for membership to the World Trade Organization. == Provinces == ''Main article: Provinces of Vietnam'' Vietnam's capital (''thủ đ�'', singular and plural) is Hanoi (H� Nội). There are also four municipalities (''th�nh phố trực thuộc Trung ương'', singular and plural) existing at provincial level: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, and Ho Chi Minh City (Th�nh phố Hồ Ch� Minh). Ho Chi Minh City was formerly known as Saigon. Besides the five cities, the country is divided into fifty-nine provinces (''tỉnh'', singular and plural): An Giang Province, Bac Giang Province, Bac Kan Province, Bac Lieu Province, Bac Ninh Province, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Ben Tre Province, Binh Dinh Province, Binh Duong Province, Binh Phuoc Province, Binh Thuan Province, Ca Mau Province, Cao Bang Province, Dak Lak Province, Dak Nong Province, Dien Bien Province, Dong Nai Province, Dong Thap Province, Gia Lai Province, Ha Giang Province, Hai Duong Province, Ha Nam Province, Ha Tay Province, Ha Tinh Province, Hoa Binh Province, Hau Giang Province, Hung Yen Province, Khanh Hoa Province, Kien Giang Province, Kon Tum Province, Lai Chau Province, Lam Dong Province, Lang Son Province, Lao Cai Province, Long An Province, Nam Dinh Province, Nghe An Province, Ninh Binh Province, Ninh Thuan Province, Phu Tho Province, Phu Yen Province, Quang Binh Province, Quang Nam Province, Quang Ngai Province, Quang Ninh Province, Quang Tri Province, Soc Trang Province, Son La Province, Tay Ninh Province, Thai Binh Province, Thai Nguyen Province, Thanh Hoa Province, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Tien Giang Province, Tra Vinh Province, Tuyen Quang Province, Vinh Long Province, Vinh Phuc Province, Yen Bai Province. == Geography == ''Main article: Geography of Vietnam'' The country is approximately 331,688 square kilometers in area, which is slightly larger than New Mexico and slightly smaller than Germany. The topography consists of hills and densely forested mountains, with level land covering no more than 20 percent. Mountains account for 40 percent, hills 40 percent, and forests 75 percent. The northern part of the country consists of highlands and the Red River Delta, Fan Si Pan (3143 m) located in Lao Cai province is the highest mountain in Vietnam. The south is divided into coastal lowlands, Dai Truong Son (central mountains) with high plateaus, and the Mekong River Delta. The climate is tropical and monsoonal; humidity averages 84 percent throughout the year. Annual rainfall ranges from 120 to 300 centimeters, and annual temperatures vary between 5°C and 37°C. Land boundaries: Total: 4,639 km Border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Vietnam'' In 1986, the Sixth Party Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam formally abandoned Marxist planned economy and began introducing market elements as part of a broad economic reform package called "Doi Moi" ("Renovation"). In many ways, this followed the Chinese model and achieved similar results. On the one hand, Vietnam achieved around 8% annual Gross_domestic_product growth from 1990 to 1997 and continued at around 7% from 2000 to 2002, making it the world's second-fastest growing economy. Simultaneously, investment grew three-fold and domestic savings quintupled. On the other hand, urban unemployment has been rising steadily in recent years, and rural unemployment, estimated to be up to 35% during nonharvest periods, is already at critical levels. Layoffs in the state sector and foreign-invested enterprises combined with the lasting effects of a previous military demobilization further exacerbated the unemployment situation. The country is attempting to become a member of the WTO. Vietnam, however, is still a very poor country with GDP of US$227.2 billion (est., 2004). This translates to US$2700 per capita. The impressive growth is due to its low base and the high inflation rate, estimated at 14% p.a. in 2004. This figure has been scaled down by the Government to 9.5% per annum to avoid the ‘double digit’ classification. The high inflation rate effectively makes the growth rate negative. However, the spending power of the public has noticeably increased. The reason lies in the high property prices. In Hanoi, the capital, property prices can be as high as those in Tokyo or New York. This has amazed many people because GDP per capita of this city is around US$1,000 per annum. The booming prices have helped people with a little piece of land or a tiny apartment, by selling them, realise their dreams despite their low monthly income. Corruption, bribery and embezzlement committed by many government officials have pushed property prices even higher, as real estate investment is a popular form of money laundering. == Demographics == [[Image:haiphongviet777.jpg|thumb|Street scene in Haiphong]] ''Main article: Demographics of Vietnam'' The Vietnamese people (Kinh) are concentrated largely in the alluvial deltas and in the coastal plains, having little in common with the minority peoples of the highlands, whom they historically have regarded as hostile and barbaric. A homogenous social group, the Vietnamese exert influence on national life through their control of political and economic affairs and their role as purveyors of the dominant culture. By contrast, the ethnic minorities, except for the Khmer Krom and the Hoa (Vietnamese of Chinese extraction), are found mostly in the highlands that cover two-thirds of the national territory. The Khmer Krom, the largest minority, are found in the delta of the Mekong River, in the south of Vietnam, where they form in many areas the majority of the rural population. They live in an area previously part of Cambodia and which Vietnam conquered in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Hoa, the fourth-largest minority, are mainly lowlanders and more specifically, urban dwellers. Officially, the ethnic minorities are referred to as national minorities. Vietnam also has a small number of Eurasians. Most of them are descendants of Vietnamese people and either early French people settlers or United States soldiers and personnel (or both), during colonial period and Vietnam War. According to official Vietnamese figures (1999 census), ethnic Vietnamese account for 86% of the population of the country. However, official Vietnamese figures are known to grossly underestimate the native Khmer Krom of southern Vietnam. Fully counting the 8 million Khmer Krom (who make up 10% of the overall population of Vietnam, and 30% of the population of the Mekong delta and the Ho Chi Minh City area), the ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh) only make up 77% of Vietnam. In terms of land area, the ethnic Vietnamese inhabit a little less than half of Vietnam, while the ethnic minorities inhabit the majority of Vietnam's land (albeit the least fertile parts of the country). Human Rights Non-governmental organizations point out the bad records of Vietnam with respect to ethnic minorities. In particular, the large Khmer Krom minority of southern Vietnam is denied elementary human rights in an effort by the Vietnamese government to Vietnamize the Khmer Krom, or force them to leave their native land and relocate to Cambodia. The Vietnamese government is afraid that the large native Khmer Krom population in the Mekong delta could allow Cambodia to officially claim back the fertile areas of the delta that were annexed by Vietnam more than 200 years ago. On the other hand, some in the Vietnamese government still pursue the centuries old policy of colonizing Khmer land, and it was reported that in the 1980s and 1990s some local Vietnamese officials have pushed the Cambodian-Vietnamese border several kilometers inside Cambodian territory, annexing tens of Cambodian villages, in flagrant violation of international treaties, thus further increasing the ethnic Khmer population inside Vietnam. In 2005, the retired king of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk officially called for the end of Vietnamese annexations and an international demarcation of the boundary on the ground. According to official figures, 88% of the population speak Vietnamese language, the nation's official language, but in reality probably slightly less than that as explained above. Various other languages are spoken by the several minority groups in Vietnam. The most spoken languages are: Khmer language (up to 8 million speakers), T�y (1.5 million), Muong (1.2 million), Cantonese language (870,000), Nung language (860,000), Hmong language (790,000), and Tai Dam (700,000). French language is spoken by some, mostly older Vietnamese, as a second-language. In recent decades, English language has become a more popular language to learn and is increasingly used in business, among other things. See also: List of ethnic groups in Vietnam == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Vietnam'' In its early history, Vietnamese writing used Chinese characters. In the 16th century, the Vietnamese developed their own set of characters called Chu Nom. The celebrated epic ''Kim Van Kieu'' by Nguyen Du is written in Chữ N�m. During the French colonial period, Quoc Ngu, the romanized Vietnamese alphabet representation of spoken Vietnamese, became popular and brought literacy to the masses. This had a profound effect on the political power in the country. Due to Vietnam's long association with China, Vietnamese culture remains strongly Confucianism with its emphasis on familial duty and harmony. Education is highly prized. Historically, passing the imperial mandarin exams was the only means for ambitious Vietnamese to socially advance themselves. In the modern era, Vietnamese are trying to reconcile traditional culture with Western ideas of individual freedom, distrust of authority, and consumer culture. The majority of Vietnamese are Buddhism, with a strong emphasis on ancestor worship. Some critics say that the Vietnamese' second religion is superstition and fatalism, brought on by the decades of war. Within a typical Vietnamese Catholic family, one would find: an intense devotion to the Virgin Mary (the Holy Mother outranks the Son in Confucian thinking), pictures of deceased ancestors on the family altar, and belief and practice in Feng Shui (''Phong Thủy''), fortune telling, and communication with spirits and the dead. Vietnam's cuisine and music have three distinct flavors, related to Vietnam's three regions: Bac or North, Trung or Central, and Nam or South. Northern classical music is Vietnam's oldest and is traditionally more formal. Vietnamese classical music can be traced to the Mongol invasions, when the Vietnamese captured a Chinese opera troupe. Central classical music shows the influences of Champa culture with its melancholic melodies. Southern music exudes a lively laissez faire attitude, probably due to the region's relative prosperity. Vietnamese cuisine is based on rice, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Its characteristic flavor is sweet (sugar), spicy (serrano peppers), and flavored by a variety of mints. See also: *Cuisine of Vietnam *Music of Vietnam == Miscellaneous topics == *List of Vietnam-related topics *Communications in Vietnam *Transportation in Vietnam *Military of Vietnam *Foreign relations of Vietnam *Holidays in Vietnam == External links == *[http://www.na.gov.vn/english/index.html National Assembly]: The Vietnamese legislative body *[http://www.mofa.gov.vn/en/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs] **[http://www.mofa.gov.vn/en/tt_vietnam/ Information about Vietnam] *[http://www.gso.gov.vn/default_en.aspx?tabid=491 General Statistics Office] *[http://www.cpv.org.vn/index_e.html Communist Party of Vietnam]: the sole legal party *[http://www.vietnamtourism.com/index/e_index.asp Vietnam Tourism] *[http://english.vietnamnet.vn/ Vietnam Net]: Largest Vietnamese portal *[http://www.vov.org.vn/Defaultv.htm VOV News]: National radio broadcaster *[http://www.arikah.net/TourismVietnam-TravelGuide/Vietnam-Welcome 2005 Vietnam Travel Guide] *[http://www.asinah.org/travel-guides/vietnam.html Vietnam Travel Guide] *[http://www.terragalleria.com/vietnam/ Pictures of Vietnam] *[http://www.photo-vietnam.com Photos of Vietnam] Southeast Asian countries Vietnam Communist states ASEAN member states ga:V�tneam hi:वियतनाम la:Vietnamia mi:Whitinamu ms:Vietnam zh-min-nan:Oa̍t-lâm nds:Vietnam sq:Vietnami simple:Vietnam th:ประเทศเวียดนาม vi:Việt Nam

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