Vietnam is an interesting country because of its struggle in economy after the Vietnam War. Whether you have been there or not, reading about Vietnam would still make you eager to read more about it. I'm Vietnamese and making this report was a very fin and flawless experience. I learned very exciting things that I would love to share with you.
Vietnam is located in southeastern Asia bordered by Cambodia, China, and Laos. In total, land borders are 4,639 kilometers long. The boundary between Cambodia and Vietnam is 1,228 kilometers long while the boundary between China and Vietnam is 1,281. Finally, the boundary between Laos and Vietnam is 2,130 kilometers long. The area of Vietnam is 329,560 square kilometers. 325,360 square kilometers of the land was land and 4,200 square kilometers was water. Only 25% of the land is farmland (north-15%, south-10%). Forests and Woodland cover 30% of Vietnam. From May to January, typhoons flood with extensive flooding. Over fishing threatens the marine life population and groundwater contamination limits water supply. The final issue is Agent Orange, a chemical spayed by passing planes killed 1/5 of Vietnam's trees and caused birth defects.
In Vietnam, people study Buddhism, Taoism, Roman Catholic, ingenious beliefs, Islam, Protestant, Cao Dai, and Hoa Hao. People speak Vietnamese, Chinese, English, French, and Khmer. 85-90% of the people are Vietnamese, 3% are Chinese, and the rest of the 7-12% include Muong, Tai, Meo, Khmer, Man, and Chan. Average people live up to 68 years. 34% of the people are 0-14 years old, 61% of the people are 15-64 years old and 5% of the people are 65 years old or older.
During World War II, Japan took control of Vietnam for 5 years. Vietnam hoped to become an independent country with their own leaders. France, however, wanted it's colonies back so it sent soldiers and in a few months, France controlled Vietnam. Vietnam wanted to end French rule and attacked French troops and made France surrender after the battle of Dien Bien Phu. Now after French left, Vietnam was separated into two, north and south. A communist government led Northern Vietnam and a corrupt government led Southern Vietnam supported by France and the United States. Elections were to be held in 1954 to reunite Vietnam but none took place. To protest, in 1959, Viet Cong attacked Southern Vietnam. Since Southern Vietnam was not communist, Americans supported them and sent troops to Southern Vietnam for military assistance. They were afraid Southern Vietnam would turn communist too. This started the Vietnam War, also known as the 2nd Indochina War.
The battle lasted for 9 years. Soldiers fought in fields, swamps, jungles, and villages. Viet Cong, communist party leader, killed anyone he thought were helping Southern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam killed anyone they thought were helping Viet Cong. Agent Orange, a chemical sprayed by passing planes killed 1/5 of Vietnam's trees to uncover hiding spots. Americans were about to retreat to the United States when they discovered 58,209 people were either missing or died so the war carried on for two more years and in the end, Viet Cong won and all of Vietnam is communist.
After the Vietnam War, Vietnam has been one of the poorest countries in the world. Vietnam has to recover the damage that happened during the war. To make money, Vietnam had to trade with other countries. Vietnam's main export item is rice. Vietnam also exports crude oil, marine products, coffee, rubber, and tea. Their export partners are Japan, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, France, and South Korea. Import commodities include machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, cotton, grain, cement, and motorcycles. Vietnam's import partners are Singapore, South Korea, Japan, France, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. 25% of the people in Vietnam do not have a job. 65% with jobs work with agriculture, and 35% work in industries and services. Industries include food processing, garments, shoes, machine engineering, mining, glass, tire, oil, and paper. Agriculture provides rice corn, potatoes rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas, and fish.
The Coat of Arms was modeled after communist party symbols, including the yellow star in the red background. Each point of the yellow star represents one of the five protectorates of the Union of French Indochina. The blood red color of the background refers to the violence of class struggle and the ultimate victory of the proletariat revolution. The cog and crops represent agriculture and industrial labor. The Coat of Arms was adopted on November 30, 1955 and was the reunification symbol on July 2, 1976. “Army March”, Vietnam's national anthem was written by Van Cao in 1944. It was adopted as northern Vietnam's anthem in 1945 and in 1976, it became Vietnam's national anthem.
