Vietnam

http://Buddhism.2be.net/Vietnam

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a country in Southeast Asia. Situated in eastern Indochina—bordering China, Laos, Cambodia, as well as the South China Sea—it is the most populous country among the mainland Southeast Asian countries.

The name of the country comes from the Vietnamese Việt Nam, which is in turn a reordering of Nam Việt—the name of an ancient kingdom from the ancestral Vietnamese that covered much of today's northern Vietnam and southern China. Its Chinese cognate, Yue/Yuet, was also a name for ethnic groups living in the proximity of southern China during ancient times]].

Foundation legend

The 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 (Mountain 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 BC, a Qin general named Triệu Đà (Zhào Tuó) established a country called Nam Việt (Nán Yuè or South Yuè) 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 some believe it was an independent era.

The Kingdom of Đại Việt

What is known for sure is that, for most of the period from 111 BC to the early 10th century, it was under the rule of successive Chinese Dynasties. Sporadic independence movements were attempted, but were quickly extinguished by Chinese forces. In 939, the Vietnamese defeated Chinese forces at the Bạch Đằng River and gained independence. They gained complete autonomy a century later. During the rule of the Trần Dynasty, it defeated three Mongol attempts of invasion by the Yuan Dynasty. 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 empire. The independent period ended in the mid-19th century, when the country was colonized by France.

French colonial rule and division

The French maintained dominant control of their colony until World War II, when Japanese forces invaded and occupied Vietnam, using the country as a base to launch attacks against Southeast Asia and India. After the war, France attempted to reestablish its colony; however, a communist insurgency that had arisen during Japanese occupation forced the French into the First Indochina War that lasted until 1954. The French suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and shortly afterwards withdrew from the country. The world community divided the country at the 17th parallel into North Vietnam and South Vietnam during the Geneva Accords. This division was meant to be temporary, pending democratic elections and reunification.

This did not turn out to be the case. North and South Vietnam both formed geopolitical alliances, the North aligning itself with Communist China and the Soviet Union and the South with the United States. The Northern government sought implementation of the Geneva Accords, including reunification following an election that would likely lead to a victory for the Communists, while the government of the South sought to make the division of the country permanent, and was supported in this by the United States, which saw the "nation of South Vietnam" as a bulwark against the spread of "international communism" in the region.

The Vietnam War and reunification

Beginning with supplying military observers during the years 1962 and 1963, it was not until 1964 with the Gulf of Tonkin incident that America ceased its advisory role to the South Vietnamese government and upon direct order of President Lyndon B Johnson moved to targeting military installations such as naval dockyards and military airfields. Following the Tet offensive in 1968, the United States eventually committed some three million troops in an attempt to defeat the communist insurgency in the South. However, with military support from the communist North, as well as material, intelligence, and logistical support from China and the Soviet Union, the communists involved the U.S. in a costly war. Graphic, televised reporting by the US news media played no small role in influencing the American public to hold demonstrations demanding US withdrawal from the war. Beginning in 1970, US combat roles were turned over to the South Vietnamese military under a program known as Vietnamization. The effort had mixed results. The Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973 formally recognized the sovereignty of both sides. Under the terms of the Accords, all American combat troops were withdrawn by March 29, 1973. Limited fighting continued, but all major fighting ended until the North once again invaded and took the South on April 30, 1975. The country was reunified under communist rule as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

After the reunification, political and economic conditions remained difficult. Millions of South Vietnamese fled the communist government and became boat people over the next two decades. In late 1978, the Vietnamese army removed their former allies, the Khmer Rouge from power in Cambodia. Only one month later, however, partially in retaliation, China launched a short-lived incursion into Vietnam, which became known as the Sino-Vietnamese War. Both sides claimed to have been victorious in the brief conflict.

In 1986, the Communist Party of Vietnam implemented economic reforms known as Đổi Mới (renovation). During much of the 1990s, economic growth was rapid, and Vietnam reintegrated into the international community. It re-established diplomatic relations with the United States in 1995, one year after the United States' trade embargo on Vietnam was repealed.

Politics

Vietnam is a single-party socialist republic. A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, reaffirming the central role of the Communist Party of Vietnam in politics and society, and outlining government reorganization and increased market reforms in the economy. Though Vietnam remains a one-party state, adherence to ideological orthodoxy has become less important than economic development as a national priority.

Foreign relations and military

Military

The Vietnam People's Army (VPA) is the official name for the armed forces of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. During the Second Indochinese War (Vietnam War) (1957–1975), the U.S. incorrectly referred to it as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), or People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and this term is commonly found throughout Vietnam War-related subjects. The VPA now includes the: Vietnam People's Ground Forces (including VPA Strategic Rear Forces and Border Defence Forces), Vietnam People's Navy (including VPN Naval infantry), Vietnam People's Air Force, and Coast Guard. The VPA maintains the largest military in terms of numerical manpower.

Foreign relations

While Vietnam has remained relatively conflict-free since its Cambodia days, tensions have arisen in the past between Vietnam and its neighbors (especially China). Vietnam and China each assert claims to the Spratly Islands, an archipelago in a potentially oil-rich area of the South China Sea. The territory border between the two countries is being definitively mapped pursuant to a Land Border Agreement signed December 1999, and an Agreement on Borders in the Gulf of Tonkin signed December 2000. Vietnam and Russia declared a strategic partnership March 2001 during the first visit ever to Hanoi of a Russian head of state, largely as an attempt to counterbalance the P.R.C.'s growing profile in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has been also building close economic ties with Japan (See Japanese-Vietnamese relations).

Administrative divisions

Vietnam is divided into 59 provinces (including five municipalities existing at provincial level: Cần Thơ, Đà Nẵng, Haiphong, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City), and subdivided into a number of districts. Ho Chi Minh City was formerly known as Saigon, and is still often referred to as such. Vietnam's capital is Hanoi.

Geography

The country is approximately 331,688 square km (128,066 sq mi) in area, which is 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 and hills account for 40 percent. Also, forests cover 42 percent of the country. The northern part of the country consists mostly of highlands and the Red River Delta. Phan Xi Păng, located in Lào Cai province, is the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143 m (10,312 ft). The south is divided into coastal lowlands, Annamite Chain](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 cm (47 to 118 in), and annual temperatures vary between 5°C (41°F) and 37°C (99°F).

Land boundaries: Total: 4,639 km (2,883 mi)
Border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km (763 mi), China 1,281 km (796 mi), Laos 2,130 km (1,324 mi)

Economy

In 1986, the Sixth Party Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam formally abandoned its centralized planned economy and began introducing market elements as part of a broad economic reform package called "đổi mới" ("Renovation"). As a result of several land reform measures, Vietnam is now the largest producer of cashew nuts with a one-third global share and second-largest rice exporter in the world. Besides rice, key exports are coffee, tea, rubber, and fishery products. However, agriculture's share of economic output has declined, falling as a share of GDP from 42% in 1989 to 26% in 1999, as production in other sectors of the economy has risen.

In many ways, this followed the Chinese model and achieved similar results. On one hand, Vietnam achieved around 8% annual GDP 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 due to high numbers of migration from the countryside to the cities, and rural unemployment, estimated to be up to 35% during non-harvest 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 aims to become a member of the WTO, perhaps as soon as October 2006. In May 2006, Vietnam negotiated a bilateral trade agreement with the US that marked the completion of the bilateral negotiations with WTO members the country needed to qualify for accession to the organization. Among other steps taken in the process of transitioning to a market economy, Vietnam in July 2006 updated its intellectual property legislation to comply with TRIPS.

Vietnam is still a relatively poor country with GDP of US$251.8 billion (est., 2004). This translates to ~US$3000 per capita. Inflation rate is estimated at 14% per year in 2004. This figure has been scaled down by the Government to 9.5% per annum to avoid the ‘double digit’ classification.

The spending power of the public has noticeably increased. The reason lies in the high prices for property. In Hanoi, the capital, property prices can be as high as those in Tokyo or New York City. This has amazed many people because the average income per capita of this city is around US$1,000 per annum. The booming prices have given poor land owners the opportunity to sell their homes for inflated prices.

Tourism has become an increasingly important industry in Vietnam. There are over 3 to 3.5 million annual visitors.

Demographics

According to official figures from the 1999 census, of Vietnam's then population of 76.3m, the largest of 54 government recognized ethnic groups of Vietnam were:

1. Viet/Kinh: 65.8 million (86.21%)
2. Tay: 1.48 million (1.94%)
3. Thái: 1.33 million (1.74%)
4. Mường: 1.14 million (1.49%)
5. Khmer: 1.06 million (1.38%)
6. Hoa: 0.862 million (1.13%)
7. Nung: 0.856 million (1.12%)
8. Hmong people|Hmong]]: 0.787 million (1.03%)
9. Cham: 0.250 million

The majority ethnic Vietnamese, also called Viet or Kinh, make up about 86 percent of the nation's population. They are concentrated largely in the alluvial deltas and in the coastal plains. A homogenous social group, the Viets 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 Khơ-me Crôm (Khmer Krom) and the Hoa (ethnic Han Chinese), are found mostly in the highlands that cover two-thirds of the national territory.

The Mường live in the mountains of north central Vietnam and speak a Mon-Khmer language closely related to the Vietnamese language.

The Tày people live primarily in the mountains and foothills of northern Vietnam. Their language is a member of the Tai languages, belonging to the Central Tai subgroup and closely related to the Zhuang language of southern China.

The Khơ-me Crôm live in the fertile delta of the Mekong River in southern Vietnam and are ethnically the same as the Khmer people who make up the majority of the population of [Cambodia.

The Hoa (ethnic Han Chinese) are mainly lowlanders and, more specifically, urban dwellers. They speak predominantly Cantonese (known to the Vietnamese as Quảng Đông), but there are also speakers of Hakka (Khách Gia), Min Nan/Hokkien/Fujian (Mân Nam/Phúc Kiến), Chaozhou (Triều Châu), etc. Until the 1979 Vietnamese census, the Hoa were the largest minority of Vietnam. However, since the North Vietnamese took over South Vietnam in 1975 many Hoa left Vietnam, especially in the 1980s, so that at the 1999 census the Hoa were only the fifth largest minority (or the fourth largest if the Thái are not considered as a homogeneous ethnic group).

Beyond these five largest ethnic minorities, there are 48 other minorities officially recognized by the Vietnamese government, giving a total of 53 minorities altogether. Many of these 53 minority groups only have a few thousand members or so. Vietnam also has a small number of Eurasian from the French colonization and Amerasian of American soldiers and personnel. Furthermore, there are also a few of those descended from Indian settlers also during the colonial era. The biracial people, the products of Vietnam War, faced discrimination very much in Vietnam often referred to as "Children of the Dust"; many have been migrated to the United States where, due to a lack of education in Vietnam due to discrimination because of their racial mix, assume low paying occupations and live at the subsistence level in the United States; most were migrated as adults and not as children.

Officially, the ethnic minorities are referred to as "national minorities". The French used the name Montagnard (plural Montagnards, meaning "mountain people") to refer to all the minorities (except the Khơ-me Crôm and the Hoa), no matter what their actual language. The name Montagnard is still sometimes used today. Sometimes, the name Montagnard is used specifically for the Central Vietnam minorities.

See Việt Kiều for a discussion of the Vietnamese diaspora.

Religion

According to the 1999 Socialist Republic of Vietnam's census numbers, 80.8% of Vietnamese subscribe to no religion. But according to the majority of other sources, Vietnamese people are predominantly Confucian and Mahayana Buddhist (esp. Mainstream Pure Land schools and Zen-inspired syncretists), with a sizeable Roman Catholic following and Protestant, Cao Đài, and Hoa Hao minorities. The largest Protestant churches are the Evangelical Church of Vietnam and the Montagnard Evangelical Church. Membership of Sunni and Bashi Islam is usually accredited to the ethnic Cham minority, but there are also a few ethnic Vietnamese adherents of Islam in the southwest.

According to the 1999 census, 80.8% had no religion, 9.3% were Buddhist, 6.7% were Catholic, 1.5% were Hoa Hao, and 1.1% were Cao Dai.

The Vietnamese government has had a history of violence toward local religious leaders regarding freedom of worship. It has consistently repressed religious sects that are not sanctioned by the state. These religious groups include Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, Hoa Hao Buddhist Church, and Montagnard protestant churches such as Mennonite, according to a 2003 European Parliament resolution[1]. Most notably, the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, 86, of the UBCV has been imprisoned for more than 25 years after he had written a letter of protest]] to Prime Minister Pham Van Dong.[2]

Vietnamese government violations against religious minorities in 2005 include detainee interrogation, abuse, harassment, and death threats according to the Center for Religious Freedom[3].

Languages

According to official figures, 86.2% of the population speak Vietnamese as a native language.

Various other languages are spoken by the several minority groups in Vietnam. The most spoken of these languages are: Tày (1.5 million), Mường (1.2 million), Khmer (1.05 million), Chinese (870,000, this figure also includes speakers of all Chinese dialects), Nùng (860,000), H'Mông (790,000), and Tai Dam (700,000).

French, a legacy of colonial rule, is still spoken by some older Vietnamese as a second language but is losing its popularity. Russian — and to a much lesser extent Czech or Polish — is often known among those whose families had ties with the Soviet bloc. In recent years, Chinese, Japanese and English have become the most popular foreign languages, and English is an obligatory course in most schools.

Culture

In its early history, Vietnamese writing used Chinese characters. In the 13th century, the Vietnamese developed their own set of characters called Chữ nôm. The celebrated epic Đoạn trường tân thanh (Truyện Kiều or The Tale of Kieu) by Nguyễn Du was written in Chữ nôm. During the French colonial period, Quốc ngữ, the romanised Vietnamese alphabet representation of spoken Vietnamese which was a collective fruit of several Portuguese missionaries, became popular and brought literacy to the masses.

Due to Vietnam's long association with China, Vietnamese culture remains strongly Confucian with its emphasis on familial duty. Education is highly valued. Historically, passing the imperial Mandarin exams was the only means for Vietnamese people to socially advance themselves.

The traditional uniform called "Áo Dài" is worn in special occasions such as weddings or Lunar New Year celebration or festivals. Áo Dài was once worn by both genders but is worn mainly by female today, becoming a pride of Vietnamese people. Another popular traditional Vietnamese costume is the "Áo Tứ Thân" (in the North) and "Áo Bà Ba" (in the South).

Names often follow the form: Family Name – Middle Name – Given Name (ex: Nguyễn Văn Anh). Children take the family name of their father.

Vietnamese cuisine is very healthy and flavorful, using very little oil and many kinds of vegetable. The main dishes are often based on rice, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Its characteristic flavors are sweetness (sugar), spiciness (serrano peppers), sour (lime and vinegar), and umami (fish sauce), and it is flavored by a variety of mint and basil.

Music is slightly different according to three regions: Bắc 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.

See also

• Communications in Vietnam
• Holidays in Vietnam
• List of Vietnam-related topics
• List of Vietnamese companies
• Transportation in Vietnam
• Vietnam War
• Clear Path International: War Victim Assistance
• Flag of South Vietnam
• Human rights in Vietnam
• Việt Kiều: Overseas Vietnamese

External links

Government

• Government of Vietnam (in Vietnamese)
• Communist Party of Vietnam
• National Assembly: The Vietnamese legislative body
• General Statistics Office
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Information about Vietnam
• Ministry of Justice
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Trade
• Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs
• Ministry of Transport
• Ministry of Construction
• Ministry of Fisheries (in Vietnamese)
• Ministry of Culture and Information
• Ministry of Education and Training (in Vietnamese)
• Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (in Vietnamese)
• Ministry of Planning and Investment
• Ministry of Industry
• Ministry of Health
• Ministry of Science and Technology
• Ministry of Natural Resources and Enviroment
• Ministry of Posts and Telematics

Media

• Vietnam Television Portal Online : Live VTV1, VTV2, VTV3, VTC, HTV7, HTV9, Hanoi Television, Ho Chi Minh City Television...
• Voice of Vietnam: State radio broadcaster
• VTV: State television broadcaster
• Vietnam News Agency: Official state news agency
• Tuoi Tre (Youth): Daily newspaper with highest circulation (in Vietnamese)
• Vietnam Net: Largest Vietnamese portal
• VnExpress: Popular online newspaper
• Nhân Dân (The People): Official Communist Party newspaper
• Vietnam Journalism: The most popular weblog on journalism

Overviews

• BBC - Country profile: Vietnam
• CIA World Factbook - Vietnam
• Encyclopaedia Britannica - Vietnam
• Open Directory Project - Vietnam directory category
• US State Department - Vietnam includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
• Vietnam Overview The history, culture & map of Vietnam

Images

• Vietnam Photography: More than 20.000 photos of Vietnam
• Photos of Vietnam
• Articles/Photos of Vietnam
• Images from Vietnam

Other

• Living in Vietnam: Expat and Travel guide
• Viet Nam: a transition tiger?: Review of economic development issues
• Future of Vietnam: A debate comparing Vietnam to Thailand (In terms of growth potential)
• Development of the Leisure Industry in Vietnam: A review of developments in Vietnam since 1988
• Good morning at last: A report from The Economist 3 August 2006
• Vietnam Artist - Information about Vietnamese Art and artists in Vietnam
• Vietnam Constitution
• Vietnam Travel guide: Answering the most basic questions for you before travelling to Vietnam
• Vietnamese Studies Internet Resource Center, extensive research bibliographies pertaining to Vietnam, and the Vietnamese diaspora
• Snake wine information
• Track2Asia Vietnam A fully editable travel guide for Vietnam and Asia