Welcome to another world, a world where the colors are more vivid, the culture is richer, and the history more compelling. This is the world of Vietnam, the latest Asian dragon to awake from its slumber. Nature has blessed Vietnam with a bountiful harvest. With soaring peaks like Hoang Lien mountains and a killer coastline, with beaches like Quy Nhon and Nha Trang, Vietnam is simply stunning. Blanketed from head to toe with a patchwork of emerald-green rice paddies, timelessly tended by peasant women in conical hats, this time the brochures don't lie. The rumble of a million motorbikes, the cries of hawkers and the buzz of business transactions are as ever-present as the tinkle of the past in the pagodas, and the swish of the scythe. Modern Asia meets medieval Asia and, in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, the two become one. For culinary adventurers, Vietnam is a treasure trove of more than 500 different dishes. It's a wonderful world of pungent herbs and secret spices. Dip delicate spring rolls in nuoc mam, a fish sauce that is as compulsory as ketchup for the Vietnamese. Or play 'down-in-one' with xeo (rice wine), the whisky of the mountains. Click here to see top & must-see destinations in Vietnam 111 BC: The Nam Viet kingdom (spreading from the Red River delta to north of Canton) is annexed by the Han and becomes the Chinese district of Giao-chi. The next thousand years is marked by progress in civilization, but also in the national sentiment. Numerous uprisings most notably the Trung sisters (40-43) and Ly Bon (542-545) rebellions, are crushed. During the entire Vietnam history, China remains both a model and a threat. 602: Chinese rule is now a protectorate, the capital being Dai La Thanh (Hanoi) 939: Ngo Quyen frees the country (Dai Co Viet) by vanquishing Chinese armies at the Bach Dang River. 968: Dinh Bo Linh pacifies the country, and reorganizes it following the Chinese model. Mandarins are recruited by literary contests from 1075 (Van Mieu temple) to 1919. The capital moves to Hoa Lu with the Dinh and first Le dynasties. 1010: The Ly dynasty moves the capital to Thanh Long (Hanoi). During their reign, Chinese, Khmer, and Cham attacks are repelled (most notably by Ly Thuong Kiet). The expansion towards the South begins, with territories conquered from the Cham (this resulted in the destruction of their culture). 1226: Tran dynasty. 1288: After thirty years of periodic invasions, the Mongols are defeated by Tran Hung Dao at the Bach Dang River. 1407: Chinese occupation Ming. 1428: After his victory against the Chinese armies, with the aid of Nguyen Trai, Le Loi begins the second Le dynasty, which sees further annexations in the South. 1524: Beginning of a long period of political instability. While the Le governs only nominally, a feudal war rages between the Trinh from the North (Thang Long) and the Nguyen from the South (Hue). 1651: Jesuit Alexandres de Rhodes publishes in Roma a Latin Vietnamese catechism and creates the Ngoc Ngu, the roman-based script currently used for Vietnamese (Vietnam is only one of three countries in Asia which uses a roman-based script). 1771: The Tay Son brothers start a rebellion causing heavy warfare in the next thirty years. One of the brothers, Nguyen Hue, reigns as Quang Trung and defeats the Chinese army at Dong Da. 1802: After pushing back the Tay Son with the help of French mercenaries recruited by Jesuit Pigneau de Behaine, Nguyen Anh (the only survivor from the massacre of the Nguyens by the Tay Son brothers) changes his name to Gia Long and starts the Nguyen dynasty. The capital of the unified country is now Hue. 1858: The French navy attacks Da Nang. 1867: Cochinchina (the South) becomes a French Colony. 1883: Tonkin (the North) and Annam (the Center) become French protectorates. 1887: Creation of the Indochina Union, Cochinchina, Annam, Tonkin, Cambodia, and latter Laos. 1932: Bao Dai, the last emperor, begins his reign as an infant. 1940: Invasion of Indochina by Japan. The French administrations collaborate and continue to run the government. 1941: Ho Chi Minh starts the Viet Minh. Leninism is thought of as an ideological weapon to serve Vietnamese nationalism against French colonialism. 1945 (March 9): The Japanese end up French authority. (Aug 19): The Viet Minh starts a general popular insurrection. Bao Dai abdicates. (Sept 2): Ho Chi Minh declares independence in Hanoi. US agents stand at his side. (Sept 23): The French authorities reoccupy the South. 1946: After the failed Fontainebleau conference between Ho Chi Minh and the French government, notably about the question of the status of Cochinchina, and the bombing of Haiphong (6000 civilians killed), the war between the French troops and the Viet Minh for the control of Vietnam begins. 1954: The bulk of the French army is defeated at Dien Bien Phu. This is the first time in history a colonial power is militarily defeated, a massive decolonization follows worldwide. At the Geneva conference, the country is partitioned at the 17th parallel as an interim stage. The North becomes the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, a communist state supported by China and the USSR. The strict communist ideology began to prevail at the 2nd congress of the Vietnamese labor party in 1951. 1955: Refusing to implement the Geneva accords, Ngo Dinh Diem proclaims himself president of the Republic of South Vietnam with backing from the West. 1959: The communist party decides to start military operations in the South. Construction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. 1961: Kennedy increases US military aid to South Vietnam, first in the form of military advisors (16000 by 1965). 1963: Ngo Dinh Diem is assassinated in a US-initiated coup. 1964: Although elected as a dovish candidate against Goldwater, Johnson escalates the war. All but two US senators pass the "Tonkin Gulf resolution", which gives blank checks to US presidents over Vietnam. 1965 (Feb): First US aerial raids against the North. The tonnage of bombs, including chemical arms, used during the US intervention (mostly against civilian targets) in Vietnam exceeds that used during the whole WW II. (March). First US troops in Danang. Their number will grow up to more half a million. Nguyen Van Thieu is elected president. 1968 (Jan 31): The Viet Cong's Tet offensive, although a military failure, stuns the West and becomes a psychological turning point as it makes the public aware of the nature of the war and the impasse. Anti-war movements begin in the West, and are fuelled in the US by the revelation of the "Pentagon papers" in 1971 which show how US presidents had deceitfully handled the matter. Negotiations begin in Paris, but in the while military escalation continues. 1973: After the ratification of the Paris accords, the US military withdraws. 1975 (April 30): Viet Cong troops enter Saigon, after a two-month campaign in spite of the Paris accords. 1976: The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is officially proclaimed. 1978: Vietnam joins the USSR-lead Comecon. The tragedy of the Hai Hong, old cargo boat overloaded with refugees brings to the world attention about the "boat people" fleeing the new regime. They will total more than half a million people. 1979 (Jan): Vietnamese troops enter Phnom Penh and end the murderous Pol Pot regime in Cambodia. (Feb): A retaliatory invasion from China is repelled during a month-long war. 1987: A law on foreign investments marks the beginning of the liberalization of the economy (but not of politics, see also China and other Asian countries). The first tourists visit the country. 1989: Withdrawal from Cambodia. This is the first time for half a century that Vietnam is not engaged in any war. 1991: Relationships are normalized with China (note that this year saw the collapse of the USSR). 1995: Diplomatic relationships are fully normalized with the US, one year after the end of the US embargo. Top »       People: Although there are as many as 60 different groups of people living in Vietnam, the majority of the population are the Viet people. Of the 78 million people living in the country, 85 percent are what we refer to as Vietnamese. They live primarily in the lowlands of Vietnam. Three-quarters of the population of Vietnam live in rural villages. A vast majority of the citizens are rice farmers, and live in the lowlands where there is fertile, easily irrigated soil. Where the ancestors of the Viet people came from is not completely known. They were probably farmers that moved gradually into the northern part of Vietnam from China, and slowly moved south, pushing other native people like the Champa out or up into the mountains as they migrated along the coast. One of the larger minority groups in Vietnam are the Chinese. They immigrated to the lowlands of Vietnam during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Before the war between North and South Vietnam, they were involved in foreign and rice trade, and remained somewhat independent from the Vietnamese people. Later, however; new laws and regulations forced most to abandon their ways of life, and many fled the country. Two other minorities living in the lowlands include the Cham and the Khmer. The Cham are descendants of the Champa kingdom that existed along the central coast for thousands of years. Now there are only about 50,000 of their people left living as fishermen and farmers in scattered villages along the coast. The Khmer, of Cambodian decent, live and have lived for a long time in the swampy Mekong Delta, south of Ho Chi Minh City. They are more numerous than the Cham people.  The other residents of Vietnam live in the mountainous regions of the country. They, as a group, are commonly called the Montagnards. In the northern mountains, along the Chinese border, live tribes that have migrated there in the last several centuries. Some of the more common of these include the Tai, Nung, Meo, Yao, Muong, and the Tay. The Tay are by far the most numerous of the northern people. To the south, in the central highlands, are the Rhade and the Jarai peoples. They are descendants of nomads who came to the central coast in the third or second millennia BC, and have since been pushed up into the highlands. Now they live mainly by slash and burn agriculture. For centuries, the mountain people lived in isolation and were suspicious of lowlanders. They maintained only limited communication and trade with the Vietnamese. In the last fifty or so years, the Vietnamese have tried both peacefully and forcefully to integrate them into their society, and they have found themselves in the middle of several wars. Now the Vietnamese government is implementing programs to improve and develop communities, bring lowland Vietnamese people into the mountains, and educate the children of these Montagnards, while still allowing them to maintain their heritage.  Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world. Their official language, Vietnamese is spoken throughout the country, but dialects vary between the north, south, and center. English is common in larger cities and is taught in schools, and French is also spoken in various parts of the country. Vietnam has an 88 percent literacy rate. Their national script is called Quoc Ngu. It was introduced by European colonists, and utilizes the Roman alphabet (the alphabet used for English). The Vietnamese people, and the many minority groups living with them have created a unique culture and form of society. They have held onto their heritage and pride throughout countless struggles and wars, and are still striving to integrate and unite all parts and people of their incredible country. Culture: Vietnam has a very rich culture that has been shaped by many different civilizations throughout history. Through many long struggles, the Vietnamese have created their unique culture. Vietnamese art shows a strong Chinese influence, but has the delicate Vietnamese twist. Ceramics are common in Vietnam as is silk weaving, and elaborately engraved furniture. A popular art form is wood block printing where a design or picture is carved into a block of wood, then painted. The paint is pressed onto a sheet of paper, and a beautiful picture appears. Mother-of-pearl inlay originated in Vietnam over 1,000 years ago. Pieces of colorful mother-of-pearl shells are inlayed in wooden bowls, boxes, furniture, or other things. Silk screen painting is also popular. Before photography, portraits and scenery would be painted onto pieces of white silk. Lacquerware, introduced by the Chinese is found all over Vietnam. Wooden objects are painted with black and a design, and coated over and over with a clear, glassy liquid. When the coats dry, there is a glossy layer over the object that protects it from the humid Vietnamese climate. Dragons, and turtles are two very important animals in the Vietnamese culture. There are many beautifully crafted sculptures of those and other important animals, people, and things all over the country. Many of these arts have been used in Vietnam for centuries. Vietnamese music has a sad eerie quality to it and is quite mesmerizing. Often it takes the form of poetry that is sung. It is very interesting because the tones of music must rise and fall as the Vietnamese language does. There are three main types of Vietnamese music: folk, classical, and choral. Folk music includes children's, work, festival, and funeral songs, and is sometimes accompanied by instruments. Classical music, based on the Chinese opera, is played by a large orchestra. Choral music is sung by a chorus with instrumental accompaniment. Common Vietnamese instruments include bamboo flutes, xylophones, the 16 string zither, double trumpets, consisting of two attached bamboo tubes, skin drums and gongs, and bamboo flutes. The dan ban, and instrument unique to Vietnam, consists of a single copper string stretched across a large gourd, and makes a sound that easily fits in with the Vietnamese tongue. Parts of Vietnamese music, such as the use of the pentatonic scale, have been adapted from the Chinese. In large cities, the American and European influence is strong in the culture, and the music. Music such as rock and roll is popular among teens. Vietnamese novels are uncommon. Novels became popular under the French rule. Before that, and the introduction of the Roman alphabet; poems, written with Chinese characters, were the form of literature. Poetry is still very common and popular in Vietnam. The most famous Vietnamese poem is Kim Van Kiew. Even some people who can't read, can recite that poem by heart. Folk tales, orally told from one generation to the next, are also widely used. They often involve sacred and mythological animals, and teach a lesson.  Architecture in Vietnam today is a mixture of French colonial manors, and Chinese pagodas and temples. Many traditional Vietnamese buildings were destroyed by nature or war. Many big buildings and cathedrals resemble French Gothic architecture. Other buildings have pointed roofs and curving eaves, like Chinese buildings. There are remains of ancient stone buildings built by previous inhabitants of Vietnam. In cities, many buildings contain stores on the bottom floors and homes on top. Homes are small. In rural and mountain areas, houses are larger, one or two room wooden dwellings. Throughout the lowlands of the country, people dress in loose pants or skirts with long sleeve shirts that can easily be rolled up. In cities jeans and T-shirts are common as well. Most people wear sandals or go barefoot. The ao dai is a traditional garment worn for special occasions. The women's ao dai consists of a long, decorated tunic extending down below the knees, and a black or white skirt or pair of loose pants underneath. The men's ao dai, not often worn, has a decorated tunic that only extends to a little below the waist. The mountain people wear traditional dress made on looms. The material often has a repeated pattern and is decorated with beads. Each mountain tribe has a different style of clothing, and wears different colors. Conical hats, made out of tightly woven straw or bamboo are worn by people all over Vietnam to protect them from the scalding sun, and heavy rains. Top »

COUNTRY FAST FACTS     Location: South East Asia Full country name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam Area: 329,566 sq. km (128, 527 square miles). Population: Over 83 million (Growth Rate 1.2%). Capital city: Hanoi (population 4 million). People: 85% ethnic Vietnamese, 3% ethnic Chinese, also Khmer, Cham (a remnant of the once great Indianised Champa Kingdom) and members of some 55 ethno-linguistic groups. Languages: Vietnamese, French, Chinese, English and a variety of Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian local dialects. Religions: Buddhism is the principal religion but there are also sizeable Taoist, Confucian, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Muslim and Christian minorities. President: Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet. Prime Minister: Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung