Vietnam

1. Vietnam By: William, Caitlin, and Miranda

2. Location • Geographic Coordinates: 16 10 N, 107 50 E • Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia • Area- 331,210 sq km • Coastline- 2,444 km (excluding islands) • Extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point • Lowest Point: South China Sea (0 m), Highest Point: Fan Si Pan (3,144 m)

4. Climate • Tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March) • Occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

5. Geographic Features • low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

7. Halong Bay

8. Ban Gioc Waterfall

9. Mekong River

10. Population • 88,576,758 (July 2009 est.) • Urban Population: 28% of total population • Life Expectancy: 71.71 years (Total Population)

11. Economy • GDP per capita (PPP): $2,900, GDP (PPP): 258.2 Billion • Population Below Poverty Line: 12.3% • Labor Force: Agriculture 51%, Industry 15.4%, Services 32.7% • Agriculture Products: Paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, seafood, and + • Industries: Food processing, garments, shoes, machine building, and +

12. Region (Provinces) • Vietnam is divided into 58 provinces and 5 centrally governing cities • Provinces are controlled by a People’s Council, which is elected by the inhabitants. • A People’s Committee is appointed by the People’s Council to act as the executive branch. • Providences are divided into districts, provincial cities, and towns.

14. Region (Population) • Largest city is Ho Chi Minh City with 7,123,340 • Second largest city is Ha Noi. • These cities are both centrally-governed cities in the Red River Delta • The third largest district is ThanhHoa, a province located in the North Central Coast. • Least populous province is Bac Kan, located in the northeast. • Centrally controlled cities are divided into rural districts, and urban districts. • Then the districts are subdivided into wards.

17. Regions of Vietnam • Vietnam can also be divided into eight regions: • Northwest • Mountainous and consists of four provinces and has the lowest GDP per capita. • Northeast • Mountainous • Red River Delta • Flat plain formed by the Red river, protected by dikes. Agriculturally rich and densely populated. Known for rice cultivation

18. Regions of Vietnam (Con’t) • North Central Coast • Hostile to the United States forces throughout the Vietnam war since it was a National Liberation Front (Communists) place. • South Central Coast • Central Highlands • Large numbers of ethnic minorities • Series of plateaus • Known for planting coffee tree, cacao, pepper, white mulberry, cashew and rubber plants.

19. Regions of Vietnam (Con’t) • Southeast • Most economically developed region in Vietnam and the most urbanized. • Mekong River Delta • Human settlement of this region dates as far back as 4th century B.C.E. • Produces about half of Vietnam’s rice output, and produces more rice than Korea and Japan put together. • Even today, many new species are being discovered.

20. Regional Conflict • Itu Aba Island/Taiping Island • Currently under control of Taiwan, but territorial disputes exist between China, Vietnam, and the Philippines • Very small but contains lots of natural resources • Paracel Islands • Currently under control of China since 1974, although disputes are still unresolved between Taiwain and Vietnam who also have interests. • Also contains resources

21. History • Vietnam has been inhabited since Paleolithic times • 1200 BCE: wet-rice cultivation and bronze casting developed • Hong Bang Dynasty marks the first Vietnamese state: Van Lang

22. History (Con’t) • In 111 BCE Vietnam is under Chinese rule, which lasts for 1,000 years • Independence movements were short term and not successful • Vietnam gained autonomy, not independence in the 10th century • In 938 AD Vietnamese lord Ngo Quyen defeated Chinese forces and Vietnam regained independence • Afterwards Vietnam underwent a golden era and repelled mongol invasions three times • Buddhism became the official religion

23. History (Con’t) • A civil war occurred between the Mac dynasty and the Le dynasty • The Mac dynasty was Chinese supported • The Mac dynasty was defeated and power was divided between the Trinh lords in the North and Nguyen lords in the South. • They engaged in civil war for forty years • The Tay Son brothers defeated both parties and established a short dynasty, which ended the civil war • Nguyen lords were aided by the French and defeated the Tay Son brothers, which unified Vietnam

24. History (Con’t) • France corrupted Vietnam’s independence with military conquests from 1859 until 1885 • As a result Vietnam became part of French Indochina • This brought the modern, western-style system of education and Christianity to Vietnam • The French tried to develop a plantation economy • As a result the wishes of the Vietnamese for self-government and civil rights were ignored, so a nationalist political movement developed

25. Movements • French Colonization of “Indochina” • Marxism and Communist Movements • First Indochina War • U.S. Entry into Vietnam War

26. French Indochina • French rule began when the federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. (Later Laos was added) • The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (in Tonkin) in 1902 • Wanted Vietnam’s raw material’s and cheap labor • Built roads and railways for trade • Promoted Catholism • French did little to help out the Vietnamese in terms of education

27. Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Movement • Ho studied in Paris and was greatly influenced by Marxist-Leninist literature • Became a founding member of the French Communist Party • Moved back and began training teams revolutionary techniques and teaching Marxism-Leninism, Vietnamese and Asian revolutionary history • Was inspired my Japan’s Independence and victory over Russiaand wanted Independence for Vietnam as well. • His Revolutionary followers were called the Viet Minh and they carried out guerilla warfare against the French, U.S., and other political factions

28. First Indochina War and Outcome • The First Indochina War was virtually a stalemate between the French and the Viet Minh from 1946 – 1950; then towards the end in 1954, the Viet Minh gained significant advances in driving out the French. • Dien Bien Phu was the climactic confrontation that occurred between March and May 1954 and culminated in a comprehensive French defeat that influenced negotiations over the future of Indochina at Geneva • The Geneva Conference of 1954 ended France's colonial presence in Vietnam and partitioned the country into two states at the 17th parallel pending unification on the basis of internationally supervised free elections. • Creation of the DMZ( De-militarized Zone) • When Ngo Dinh Diem was appointed to be the prime minister, with Bao Dai the then president, Vietnam was split into two separate countries: North Vietnam and South Vietnam. During this separation, more than 860 thousand people fled to the South and more than 50 thousand left for the north.

29. Diem • First president of Vietnam 1955-1963 (though the election was most-likely rigged) • Endorsed by both the French and the U.S. because of his anti- Communist sentiments • While Johnson visits Saigon, calls Diem “Churchhill of Asia” • Wealthy Catholic and repressed peasant revolts and religious factions, including the Buddhists • Rounded up suspected communists • Allocated land to the wealthy and often abstentee landowners while the peasants were tenents • U.S. later decided that Diem was a corrupted leader and helped the Vietnamese army overthrow him. Possible C.I.A. assassination in 1963

30. U.S. Entry into Vietnam • After French leave Vietnam in 1956, the U.S. assumes responsibility for training the South Vietnamese • In 1957, Communist insurgent activity in South Vietnam begins. Guerrillas assassinate more than 400 South Vietnamese officials. Thirty-seven armed companies are organized along the Mekong Delta • In 1962 US Air Force begins using Agent Orange -- a defoliant that came in metal orange containers-to expose roads and trails used by Vietcong forces. • Unlike Viet Minh’s ,Viet Cong were the South Vietnamese forces that were ordinary peasants that were predominantly non- communists • Gulf of Tonkin- On August 2, three North Vietnamese PT boats allegedly fire torpedoes at the USS Maddox, a destroyer located in the international waters of the Tonkin Gulf, some thirty miles off the coast of North Vietnam. The attack comes after six months of covert US and South Vietnamese naval operations. A second, even more highly disputed attack, is alleged to have taken place on August 4. • This is a vital point during the war because the Resolution approved by Congress gave Johnson the power to wage war without an official declaration • Operation Rolling Thunder begins- continuous air raids last for 3 years

31. Guerilla warfare

32. Vietnam War Continued • North Vietnamese launch Tet Offensive. Ina show of military might that catches the US military off guard, North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces sweep down upon several key cities and provinces in South Vietnam, including its capital, Saigon. Within days, American forces turn back the onslaught and recapture most areas. From a military point of view, Tet is a huge defeat for the Communists, but turns out to be a political and psychological victory. The US military's assessment of the war is questioned and the "end of tunnel" seems very far off. • My Lai Massacre- On March 16,1968 the angry and frustrated men of Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, Americal Division entered the village of My Lai. "This is what you've been waiting for -- search and destroy -- and you've got it," said their superior officers. Many unarmed women and children are brutally tortured and killed • A short time later the killing began. When news of the atrocities surfaced, it sent shockwaves through the US political establishment, the military's chain of command, and an already divided American public.

33. U.S. Leaves Vietnam War and Aftermath • Nixon signed the cease-fire agreement January 28, 1973 • Fall of Saigon and North Vietnam takeover- Unifying a communist Country • Country left in ruin due to bombing, napalm, and agent orange

34. Migration • Under French Colonization • -rural–urban migration of landless peasants. • rural–rural movements of agricultural laborers in search of temporary employment in farming. Thirdly, • -It is argued that migration during the period of the French rule was basically a survival strategy adopted by rural households. It also occurred in response to the labour market demand under colonialism. Migration was an explicit policy of the French to encourage ‘capitalist activities’ and, in particular, the maintenance of mobile rural labor reserves for such activities. • -This period witnessed severe exploitation and brutal treatment of the native Vietnamese by the French in plantations or coalmines and, in consequence, there was increased impoverishment amongst the rural population • North/ South Division • -An initial flush of settlers from the North to the South occurred during a power transfer period of a few months, when political negotiations led to southward migration of almost 900,000 northern residents, including the French, their collaborators and Catholics • -Population movement in this period was greatly influenced by the warfare as well as the different political and ideological orientations of the two regimes, and thus displayed distinctive patterns between the northern and southern parts. There was, in effect, ‘zero urban growth’ in the North, but ‘hyper-urbanisation’, in the South • -Civil life during the wartime was severely disrupted. In the North, urban people were evacuated to the countryside to avoid heavy bombing, leading to an overall decline of

35. Migration During Post War Decade(1975-1985 • The historical trend of North–South population movement by the majority ethnic Kinh people continued after the organised North-North resettlement program initiated during wartime. • There was southward movement of significant numbers of northern cadres in order to consolidate the Communist power in the newly conquered South. • Organisedrelocations of people also took place from both northern cities and rural areas in the Red River Delta to regions such as the Central Highlands and other southern frontier provinces bordering Cambodia and Laos. For the latter, the Red River Delta residents were encouraged to move to the northern highlands and midlands regions

36. Doi Moi • 1986-These reforms led to the development of what is now referred to as the Socialist- Oriented market where the state sector plays a decisive role in the economy but private enterprise and cooperatives play a significant role in commodity production. This economic reform helped Vietnam establish diplomatic relationships with the capitalist West and East Asia in the 1990s, such as the United States and Japan. The Communist Party of Vietnam has reaffirmed its commitment toward the socialist economic orientation and that the renovation of the economy is intended to strengthen socialism

37. Sex Industry • World renown for their sex tourism • Recent estimates say that nearly a third of all sex workers in Vietnam are under the age of sixteen • Trafficked to other countries • According to the Vietnamese Supreme People’s Court, there has been a 60 percent increase in the number of trafficking cases between 2001 and 2006

38. Humans and Environment • Agriculture and Importance of rice • -Of all households in Vietnam, 70% earn their livelihood from agricultural production. • -Rice (Mekong delta, red red river delta, coastal zones) and fish cultivation predominate as main sources of livelihood. • -In Vietnam, 53% of the farming population is female and 73% of these women are employed in the agricultural sector. • Roles of women • - involved in trading the agricultural produce in local markets and marketing cooperatives. Traditionally, the first stages of rice cultivation are male designated and the latter stages female designated. However, the traditional task division has changed due to lack of male labour. • Women are thus increasingly involved in all stages of rice production. Apart from rice, rural households produce a variety of vegetables and fruits in their homegarden. In upland areas, 80% of the land area, farmers produce perennial crops, such as tea, coffee, rubber, pineapple, and have fruit trees. • Fisheries • -Vietnam has around 1.4 million hectars of inland waters for aquaculture purposes, majority paddy fields and further reservoirs, tidal flats, lagoons and small lakes and ponds. • -One third of this water surface is already used for aquaculture purposes; 61% for fish culture and 39% for shrimp culture. • -Aquaculture is included in the integrated farming system approach, the VAC system. In addition, Vietnam has marine fisheries along the coast. • -Both men and women are actively involved in aquaculture. Men are involved in decisions of fish species to be raised, timing for stocking, buying fingerlings, netting and harvesting. Women are often involved in daily feeding such as gathering grass and manure and feeding fish by rice bran.

39. Impact on Environment • Erosion and Pollution • -In many provinces of Vietnam a process of soil degradation is apparent due to intensive use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and weed killers. Soils in upland areas have grown thinner: 50% of soils in hilly and mountainous areas are degraded. • - In areas where two to three paddy crops are grown soils have become saline. • -Pest and disease outbreaks have been occurring more frequently, especially in the Mekong delta, where yearly two to three crops of rice are grown. • -There are harmful impacts due to improper use of pesticides. Rice and fish production system is adversely affected by pesticide use. • -The process of deforestation reduces forest resources available to the households and leads to soil degradation. Fish resources are declining due to overfishing. • Deforestation • -Since colonial times, had been exploited. Forests were logged or cleared to make way for rubber, coffee and tea plantations. Roads were built to facilitate timber extraction and to increase colonial control over remote areas • -Vietnam War impact from napalm and agent orange, and lumber to pay for war expenses • -According to 2005 report conducted by the Food Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Vietnam has the second highest rate of deforestation of primary forests in the world, second only to Nigeria

40. Place Ethnic Groups, Religion, Culture, and Customs

41. Ethnic Groups Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census) Kinh exert political and economic control Kinh localized in the alluvial deltas and coastal plains but government has enacted programs to settle them in indigenous areas.

42. Religion Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)

43. Culture Food: Very little oil, many vegetables, main dishes based around rice, and soy or fish sauce. Characteristic flavors of sweet, sour, and spicy. Music: Ca Tru, Cheo Opera, and Hat Xam Martial arts most common sport

44. Customs Longevity Superstition Ancestor Worship Birth & Death

45. Citation • http://community.middlebury.edu/~scs/maps/vietnam-population_density,1999.jpg • http://countrystudies.us/vietnam/11.htm • http://www.chinhphu.vn/portal/page?_pageid=439,1090462&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&pers_id=1091147&item_id=33638381&p_details=1