Vietnam's history is one of war, colonisation and rebellion.

Occupied by China no fewer than four times, the Vietnamese managed to fight off the invaders just as

often. At various points during these thousand years of imperial dynasties, Vietnam was ravaged and

divided by civil wars and repeatedly attacked by the Songs, Mongols, Yuans, Chams, Mings, Dutch, Qings,

French and the Americans. 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. Vietnam's last emperors were the Nguyễn Dynasty, who ruled from their capital at from 1802

to 1945, although France exploited the succession crisis after the fall of Tự Đức to de facto colonise

Vietnam after 1884. 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.

After a brief Japanese occupation in World War II, the Communist Viet Minh under the leadership of Hồ

Chí Minh continued the insurgency against the French, with the last Emperor Bao Dai abdicating in 1945

and a proclamation of independence following soon after. The majority of French had left by 1945, but in

1946 they returned to continue the fight until their decisive defeat at in 1954. The Geneva Conference

partitioned the country into two at the 17th parallel of latitude, with a Communist-led North and Ngo Dinh

Diem declaring himself President of the Republic of Vietnam in the South.

Fighting between South Vietnam and the North Vietnamese backed Viet Cong escalated into what became

known as the Vietnam War - although the Vietnamese officially refer to it as the American War. 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. 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only withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, on 30 April 1975, a North

Vietnamese tank drove into the South's Presidential Palace in and the war ended with the conquest of

South Vietnam. An estimated 800,000 to 3 million Vietnamese and over 55 thousand Americans had been

killed.

The Vietnam war was only one of many that the Vietnamese have fought, but it was the most brutal in its

history.

Over two thirds of the current population was born after 1975. American tourists will receive a particularly

friendly welcome in Vietnam, as many young Vietnamese ape American mores and venerate US pop

culture. Vietnam hotels

Politics[]

Vietnam is a one party authoritarian state, with the President as the Head of State, and the Prime Minister

as the Head of Government. The Vietnamese legislature is the unicameral National Assembly, from which

the Prime Minister is selected. In practice, the President's position is only ceremonial, with the Prime

Minister wielding the most authority in government. Although, the General Secretary is considered to

exercise a considerable amount of power too.

Economy[]

Bustling central Hanoi

Economic reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult. After the failures of the state-run

economy started to become apparent, the country launched a program of đổi mới (renovation), introducing

elements of capitalism. The policy has proved highly successful, with Vietnam recording near 10% growth

yearly (except for a brief interruption during the Asian economic crisis of 1997). The economy is much

stronger than those of Cambodia, Laos, and other neighbouring developing countries. Like most

Communist countries around the world, there is a fine balance between allowing foreign investors and

opening up the market. Vietnam package tour

In practical terms, you'll find rampant capitalism at the "retail" level, with shopkeepers and sellers from carts

exercising great flexibility in pricing and how they do business. As those business people go up levels of

permissions to operate (e.g., where they do business), government controls quickly take over.

There are extreme restrictions on foreigners owning property or attempting to sell. It is very difficult for them

to trade without negotiating 'fees'. Business can be done via local partnerships with all the attendant risks.

Power and services is another issue. There are often 'rolling blackouts' when there is not enough electricity

at times. For this reason, many shops have portable generators.

According to government estimates Vietnam sees 3.3m tourist arrivals each year. Vietnam has a return

rate of just 5% compared to Thailand’s whopping 50%.

People[]

Most people in Vietnam are ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh), though there is a sizeable ethnic Chinese

community in Ho Chi Minh City, most who are descended from migrants from province and are hence

bilingual in Cantonese or other Chinese dialects and Vietnamese. There are also numerous other ethnic

groups who occupy the mountainous parts of the country, such as the Hmong, Muong and Dao people.

There is also a minority ethnic group in the lowlands near the border with Cambodia known as the Khmer

Krom.

Buddhism, mostly of the Mahayana school, is the single largest religion in Vietnam, with over 85% of

Vietnamese people identifying themselves as Buddhist. Catholicism is the second largest religion, followed

by the local Cao Dai religion. Other Christian denominations, Islam, and local religions also share small

followings throughout the southern and central areas.Vietnam Visa