Vietnam

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

The National flag of Vietnam

Map of Vietnam.

My 1'st visit to Vietnam was in 1995, traveling together with 2 Americans, all of us for business purpose.

My companions was a little worried about going there, as US had just re-opened relations with Vietnam a few months earlier. As we arrived there they however had a pleasant surprise, as there was no bad feelings what so ever, and we only meet friendly Vietnamese people all the places we went.

I found Vietnam a nice surprise also, but for a different reason.

When you travel in Asia you will know, "it can be not as clean as it could have been" which includes Singapore.! but all the places I was, in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon ) & Nah Trang it was very clean.

The country is rather poor in economic terms, but are a very interesting country with a history that goes back to ancient times, unfortunately including many wars & great pains caused by the Chinese, French, & Americans

Historic brief.

The 1'st Vietnamese state goes back to the 3'rd century BC.

In 111 BC it was concurred by the Chinese, and remained a Chinese provins for a thousand years, despite several attempt to overthrow the Chinese, in 39-42 & 248 AC, attempts which was lead by female freedom fighters.!!!

968 AC Vietnam was free from the Chinese, and Vietnam became a Imperial state lead by Emperor Dinh Bo Linh.

The Chinese did however not give up that easy, and there was many clashes in the centuries to follow, where the Vietnamese concurred the country of Champa ( Roughly South Vietnam ) with Vietnam getting the roughly present shape in 1757.

The empire was already at that time almost divided in 2 at the 17'th latitude.

In 1862 France concurred the southern part of Vietnam, which became part of French Indochina, and in 1883 the Northern part of Vietnam was concurred aswell. In 1930-31 the Vietnamese tried to throw out the French, but unsuccessful. At the outbreak of world war 2, the Vietnamese allowed Japan to occupy Vietnam, to throw out the French.

After the 2 world war ended, the French however wished to have Vietnam back and started a war which lead to the division of Vietnam into South & North Vietnam, in 1954.

The South Vietnamese had a Communist Guerrilla under Vietcong, who later on started a war to re-unite the South with the North, leading to the Vietnam war with American involvement. The result was the fall of the South Vietnamese government and the Americans kicked out in 1975. Vietnam was again united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

There have since been wars with Cambochea & China, but today it is quite calm in the country and it is to be member of ASEAN in December 1997.

Some facts on Vietnam, see here