Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

the Gulf of Thailand is to the southwest.

Mountains cover about two thirds of the

land, especially in the north. The

Mekong River forms a delta, or triangle

of rich land, in the south.

Vietnam has a warm, rainy climate.

Storms called typhoons (like hurricanes)

sometimes strike during the warmest

seasons.

Plants and Animals

Forests of oak, beech, pine, teak, and

ebony trees cover about a third of the

land. Bamboo plants grow in many

places. Mangrove trees grow along the

coast.

Deer, elephants, tigers, leopards, bears,

and monkeys live in the forests. Vietnam

also has crocodiles, boars, jackals, otters,

skunks, and flying squirrels.

People

Most of the people are Vietnamese. Chinese

and Hmong peoples form small

groups in the north. In the south there

are small groups of Khmer (or Cambodians)

and Cham. Many other small

groups live in the mountains.

The country’s main language is Vietnamese.

Many people also speak Chinese,

Khmer, English, French, or a local

language. Buddhism is the major religion.

Vietnamese religions and Chris-

People live in houseboats on the Gulf of

Tonkin in northern Vietnam.

84 Vietnam BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

tianity are also common. Most of the

people live in villages in the river deltas.

Economy

Most of Vietnam’s workers are farmers.

The most important crop is rice.Other

food crops include cassava, corn, sweet

potatoes, and peanuts. Farmers also grow

sugarcane, coffee, tea, and rubber trees.

They raise ducks, pigs, cattle, and buffalo.

Vietnam’s factories make food products,

clothing, shoes, cement, chemicals, steel,

and electronics. Vietnam also produces

coal, oil, and other minerals.

History

The first Vietnamese lived in a kingdom

called Nam Viet beginning in 207 BC.

China soon conquered Nam Viet. The

Vietnamese gained independence from

China in AD 939.

French Rule

France invaded the region in the 1800s.

By 1883 the French controlled all of

Vietnam. France later combined Vietnam,

Cambodia, and Laos into one territory

called French Indochina.

AfterWorldWar II a Communist group

called the Viet Minh took control of

northern Vietnam. In 1946 a war broke

out between the French and the Viet

Minh. The Viet Minh won the war in

1954.

VietnamWar

Vietnam was then divided into two

parts. North Vietnam set up a Communist

government. A president with

strong powers ruled South Vietnam.

Communist rebels called the Viet Cong

soon began fighting the government of

South Vietnam. North Vietnam supported

the rebels. The United States

supported South Vietnam. In 1965 the

United States began bombing North

Vietnam. It also sent U.S. soldiers into

the south. However, the United States

could not defeat the Communists.

Communist forces took over South

Vietnam by 1975.

Recent History

North and South Vietnam joined

together in 1976. In 1978 Vietnam

attacked Cambodia. Vietnam’s actions

led to trouble with China and other

countries. Vietnamese forces finally left

Cambodia in 1989. Vietnam’s relationships

with other countries then began to

improve.

..More to explore

Communism • Hanoi • Mekong River

• VietnamWar

Farming is very important to Vietnam’s

economy. Some farmers sell fruit from baskets

on their bicycles.

Facts About

VIETNAM

Population

(2008 estimate)

88,537,000

Area

128,379 sq mi

(332,501 sq km)

Capital

Hanoi

Form of

government

Socialist republic

Major cities

Ho Chi Minh City,

Hanoi, Haiphong,

Da Nang, Bien

Hoa

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Vietnam 85

 

VietnamWar

The VietnamWar was a long conflict in

Southeast Asia. It began in 1954, after

the country of Vietnam was split into

two parts, North Vietnam and South

Vietnam. North Vietnam wanted to

reunite the country under Communism,

its political and economic system. South

Vietnam fought to keep this from happening.

The United States helped South

Vietnam, but North Vietnam won the

war in 1975. Soon Vietnam was a

united, Communist country.

The VietnamWar had a huge cost in

human lives. More than 1.3 million

Vietnamese soldiers and about 58,000

U.S. troops were killed. More than 2

million civilians (people not fighting the

war) also died.

Background

Vietnam had many troubles before the

VietnamWar. In the early 1900s the

country was part of a French colony.

Japan seized the colony in 1940 and

held it until 1945. Then a Vietnamese

group called the Viet Minh declared

Vietnam’s independence. But the

French still wanted to rule Vietnam as a

colony. The two sides fought an eightyear

war, called the French Indochina

War. The Viet Minh defeated the

French in 1954.

France and the Viet Minh then took

part in a meeting to decide what would

happen to Vietnam. People from the

United States, the Soviet Union, and

several other countries also participated.

The meeting divided Vietnam into

North and South Vietnam. The Viet

Minh got control of North Vietnam. A

Communist named Ho Chi Minh was

the president. The Vietnamese who had

supported the French got control of

South Vietnam. Ngo Dinh Diem, who

opposed Communism, led the south.

The French soon left the country.

CivilWar

By 1957 Communist rebels in South

Vietnam had begun fighting Diem’s

government. They were called the Viet

Cong. The Viet Cong hid by day and