Adapting to their material conditions, the country launched a program of Đổi Mới (renovation), introducing market reforms. In practice, the President's position is only ceremonial, with the Prime Minister wielding the most authority in government, although the General Secretary also wield a considerable amount of political power.Įconomic reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult. The Vietnamese legislature is the unicameral National Assembly, from which the Prime Minister is selected. Vietnam is a one party unitary state, with the President as the Head of State, and the Prime Minister as the Head of Government. American tourists will receive a particularly friendly welcome in Vietnam, as many young Vietnamese imitate American customs and venerate US pop culture. Over two thirds of the current population was born after 1975. The Vietnam war was only one of many that the Vietnamese have fought, but it was the most brutal in its history.
An estimated 800,000 to 3 million Vietnamese and over 55,000 Americans had been killed. Two years later, on 30 April 1975, a North Vietnamese tank drove into the South's Presidential Palace in Ho Chi Minh City and the war ended with the conquest of South Vietnam. What was supposed to be a quick and decisive action soon degenerated into a quagmire and US armed forces were only withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the Southern Vietnam government, escalating into the dispatch of half a million American troops in 1966. The tank that ended the war, Ho Chi Minh Cityįighting between South Vietnam and the North Vietnamese-backed Việt Cộng escalated into what became known as the Vietnam War - although the Vietnamese officially refer to it as the American War. The Geneva Conference partitioned the country into two at the 17th parallel of latitude, with a Communist-led North and Ngô Đình Diệm declaring himself President of the Republic of Vietnam in the South. The majority of French had left by 1945, but in 1946 they returned to continue the fight until their decisive defeat at Điện Biên Phủ in 1954. Both the Chinese occupation and French colonisation have left a lasting impact on Vietnamese culture, with Confucianism forming the basis of Vietnamese social etiquette, and the French leaving a lasting imprint on Vietnamese cuisine.Īfter a brief Japanese occupation in World War II, the Communist Việt Minh under the leadership of Hồ Chí Minh continued the insurgency against the French, with the last Emperor Bảo Đại abdicating in 1945 and a proclamation of independence following soon after. Vietnam's last emperors were the Nguyễn Dynasty, who ruled from their capital at Huế from 1802 to 1945, although France exploited the succession crisis after the fall of Tự Đức to de facto colonise Vietnam after 1884. The victories mostly belonged to the Vietnamese but, even during the periods in history when Vietnam was independent, it was mostly a tributary state to China until the French colonisation. At various points during these thousand years of imperial dynasties, Vietnam was ravaged and divided by civil wars and at various times attacked by the Songs, Mongols, Yuans, Chams, Mings, Dutch, Qings, French, Japanese, and the Americans. Occupied by China no fewer than four times, the Vietnamese managed to fight off the invaders just as often. Vietnam's history is one of war, colonization, and rebellion. With Hanoi consistently ranked among the world's top destinations, one can now find European tourists as far as in Ha Giang, one of the most remote mountainous provinces. Once a lesser-known destination, Vietnam has become widely popular in recent years. Its neighbouring countries are China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west. Vietnam (Việt Nam), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Cộng hòa Xã hội Chủ nghĩa Việt Nam) is a long, thin country in Southeast Asia.
Vietnamese (official), minority languagesīuddhism (mainly Mahayana, with smaller numbers of Theravada), Taoism, Confucianism, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic, some Protestant), indigenous beliefs, MuslimĢ20V/50Hz (both American and European plugs work throughout country)
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