Vietnam is a large country in Southeast Asia, with borders shared with Cambodia, China, and Laos. It has a long history of Chinese rule, civil wars, and French colonization. After gaining independence, Vietnam was divided into two parts, leading to a war between the north and south. The north eventually won and adopted a communist agenda. Vietnam fought a war with Cambodia and implemented a system of free market in the late 1980s, leading to economic growth. The country offers a variety of tourist destinations, including beaches, religious sites, and national parks. Flights and overland travel are available from neighboring countries.
Vietnam is a large country in Southeast Asia. It covers 128,500 square miles (331,700 square km), making it somewhat larger than the state of New Mexico. It shares borders with Cambodia, China and Laos and has coastlines along the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin and the South China Sea.
The region was first settled millennia ago. The Hong Bang Dynasty was the first major power recorded in the area, dating to before the 3rd century BC In the 2nd century BC, the Chinese invaded Vietnam, and although there were brief periods of revolt, it remained under Chinese rule for the most part until the 10th century.
Beginning in the 10th century, China began to focus on addressing its internal struggles. For the next century the Vietnamese enjoyed a fragile independence, with the constant threat of Chinese invasion. By the 11th century, however, the nation had a cohesive outlook, strong leadership, and was staunchly independent. The Vietnamese state was so strong in the following centuries that it managed to successfully repel the Mongols on multiple occasions in the 13th century, avoiding the Mongol rule which was China’s lot.
In the 15th century, however, the mighty Ming dynasty invaded Vietnam, seizing power and holding it for a few decades before being overthrown in turn by the Vietnamese Le dynasty. The Le dynasty went on to capture the capital of the southern kingdom of Champa and went on to capture the capital of Laos as well.
In the 16th century, the country experienced a civil war, which effectively divided it in two. In the late 18th century, three powerful southern brothers rebelled against the southern leaders and continued to wage war in the northern half of the country, defeating the northern ruler and the Chinese troops sent by the Qing emperor to assist him. The country was then divided into three parts, with each brother ruling one. In the early 19th century, one of the brothers conquered the other two portions of the kingdom, unifying the country and, with the help of the Qing emperor of China, renaming it Viet Nam.
Although the Western world had known about Vietnam since the Roman Empire, it wasn’t until this time that many initiatives in the region began to be taken. The French took a particular interest in the region and Napoleon III sent gunboats to the area to protect the ports. By the end of the 19th century the French had secured the whole country, although many unsuccessful revolutionary movements arose in the following decades.
In the early 20th century nationalist movements began to look towards the creation of an independent republic and began learning the skills they felt were necessary to make such a thing possible. This set the country on a course of modernization and development with the ultimate goal of independence.
During World War II the Japanese conquered Vietnam. When the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, the Viet Minh Communist Party, led by Ho Chi Minh, reasserted independence as a democratic republic. The French moved militarily to try to reclaim the nation, ultimately backing Bao Dai’s rule alongside the United States and Britain. The Chinese began supplying Ho Chi Minh with weapons, and fighting in the country continued into the 1950s.
In 1954, the country was declared independent from France and split in two at the 17th parallel. With US support, South Vietnam began to declare war on the north, in an effort to prevent Ho Chi Minh’s Communist Party from dominating a unified Vietnam. War raged in the 1960s and 1970s, and in 1975, South Vietnam fell to the north. The newly unified country immediately adopted a communist agenda, dictating quite authoritarian policies and, through mismanagement, severely hurting the economy.
From 1978 to 1989, Vietnam fought a war with Cambodia, in response to Pol Pot’s invasion of Vietnamese territory by Cambodia. Beginning in 1986, the Vietnamese government, though still communist, began implementing a system of free market. Since then the Vietnamese economy has been growing and is currently one of the fastest growing economies on the planet.
With the exception of a few typhoon-related hazards during certain times of the year, Vietnam is relatively safe, although a little typhoon-related dangers do occur, particularly in more rural areas. Halong Bay, with its literally thousands of small islands, is a favorite destination for tourists seeking beaches and sunshine. Religious sites also dot the countryside, from Thien Hau Pagoda, dedicated to the Chinese goddess Thien Hau, to the Hindi temple of Mariamman. Ancient cities like My Son also offer excellent trekking opportunities, and thousands of acres of National Park can be found throughout the country.
Flights enter Ho Chi Minh City from Bangkok daily, and some also arrive from Australia and other Asian cities. You can also travel overland from China, Cambodia or Laos. It is also possible to travel to Vinh Xuong via the Mekong River from Kaam Samnor.
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