Asian Country: Vietnam - Term Paper Example

Vietnam Vietnam is a country situated on the South East of Asia. It is bordered by China to the North, Gulf of Thailand to the south, Laos and Cambodia to the west and South China Sea to the east. The country has a long and thin S-shape, with an area of 330,360 square km. the country’s coast line is 3,260 kilometers. The terrain of the country is characterized by a low, flat delta in the north and south. In the central part of the country are highlands and the far north and northwest pat for the country is mostly hilly and mountainous. The climate of the Vietnam is mostly monsoonal in the North and tropical towards the south (Tucker 30). Among the natural resources that the country enjoys include coal, phosphates, bauxite, offshore oil and gas, hydropower, manganese and chromate. The country normally suffers from occasional typhoons, which may occur any time from May to January. These typhoons are accompanied by extensive flooding especially along the banks of the Mekong River (Ray, Dragicevish and Louis 45). History The history of Vietnam dates back to over 2700 years ago. Back then it used to be part of the Chinese Empire. The first inhabitants of the country were at first scattered in the Northern part. The country has a rich history in its relations with its largest neighbor, China. It was under Chinese rule until 939 AD when it gained independence (Gainsworth 34). The country flourished under the Ly Dynasty which was in power for 200 years, from 1010 to 1225. Under the Ly Dynasty, Vietnamese continued living under Chinese social and political institutions. For instance, their children were schooled following the Confucianism System that was popular in China at the time. However, native forms of social expression were common especially at the village level. These native forms and cultural expressions helped the Vietnamese create vibrant traditions of their own (Largo 12). Under the Ly dynasty, Vietnam was mostly an agricultural economy and rice was the country’s main staple food. Feudal system of land ownership flourished during this period. However, there also existed a class of powerful landlords who exerted influence separate from the feudal lords. Apart from agriculture, commerce was also an important mainstay of the Vietnamese economy. The local craft industry was among the most vibrant in the region and many products from the country could be found in the major markets of Asia. However, unlike its neighbors, Vietnam never ventured into international trade, and therefore, it rarely featured in regional trade activities (Tucker 58). During the 19th century, Vietnam became involved with the French. The French helped Nguyen Anh seize power in the hopes that he would help them in their trading and missionary endeavors. However, this was not to be as Nguyen was highly suspicious of French intentions. Many missionaries and their converts were killed by Nguyen forces, and this led to an intervention by Emperor Napoleon III. After several invasions from French forces, Vietnam finally accepted French control in the country. However, the French occupation of the country was not to last as Vietnamese soon started revolting against their colonizers (Gainsworth 134). In 1954, after years of civil strife, the French decided to grant the Vietnamese nationals their freedom. The two sides agreed to temporarily divide the country into two before full independence could be attained. The Vietnamese nationals, led by the Viet Minh took over the north in Hanoi while the French and their supports took control of the south and established their base at Saigon. The Northern Viet Minh established a communist society while the South under Ngo Dinh Diem built a strong anti communist regime (Largo 47). However, Diem’s regime was a dictatorial one and his failure to establish strong economic and political reforms made him unpopular in the South. His refusal to reunite with the communist North put him in even more trouble. In 1963, Diem was overthrown and assassinated by his own forces. A situation of political turmoil followed Diem’s assassination and the communists in the North took this opportunity to assert their influence. However, the US sought to intervene in order to stop what it perceived as communist invasion in the south. The then President of the United States, Lyndon Johnson decided to send troops to South Vietnam to fend off Communist forces. However, this military tactic did not deter the communist forces and soon they were inflicting defeats to the Saigon troops. The US then decided to gradually remove its troops from the country and let the country prepare for an election. However, the elections never happened and the communists launched an attack which saw the final collapse of the Saigon administration in 1975 (Tucker 81). The fall of the Saigon led government gave birth to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. the country was now reunited, but the conflict did not end there. There were border skirmishes with Cambodia which resulted in an army invasion into Cambodia and installation of a pro-Vietnamese government in the country in 1979. However, no more than a few weeks later, Vietnam was itself attacked by its communist neighbor, China. This invasion pushed Vietnam to gradually withdraw its forces from Laos and Cambodia and by 1989, most of its troops had left Cambodia (Gainsworth 127). The country then embarked on programs meant to reconstruct the country’s social economic structures which had been severely hurt by many years of war. Foreign investments increased in the 1990s as the country sought to improve its relations with the US. Today, Vietnam has put in place policies and measures that have seen it make developments geared towards development that is relevant to the 21st century (Largo 200). People and Culture The people of Vietnam are called Vietnamese. According to July 2011 estimates, Vietnam’s population is about 90,549,390. This makes it the 14th most populated country in the world. The Kinh or Viet are the single most populous ethnic group and they make up 86.2% of the total population. They are followed by the Tay (1.9%), the Thai (1.7%) and the Muong (1.5%). Others are the khome, Hoa, Nun Hmong and others who are fewer than 4.1 of the entire population. Many Vietnamese (80.8%) do not claim to follow any religion. However 9.3% of them are Buddhists while Catholics make up 6.7% of the population. There are also a few protestants, Muslims and followers of traditional religious movements such as Hoa Hao and Cao Dai. The main language spoken in Vietnam is Vietnamese, which is also considered to be the official language. English is also growing to be a favored second language for many. Other common languages include: Chinese, French, Khmer and Malaya-Polynesian. The literacy level of Vietnamese is 90.3%. The culture of the Vietnamese people is heavily influenced by Confucianism teachings. The basic structures of the Vietnamese family and society structures are based on the tenets of Confucianism movement. Therefore, the Vietnamese naturally revere virtues of loyalty, respect, honor, sincerity and duty (Tucker 92). Politics and Government As a communist state, the country is run by the Communist Party of Vietnam. Under article 4 of the country’s constitution, the party is given the leading role in the day to day politics. This has ensured that there is no legal opposition party in the country. However, there are several dissenting groups that operate from overseas. The main role that these groups play is to organize and support demonstrations against the government (Ray, Dragicevish and Louis 145). Every five years, the Communist Party of Vietnam convenes a National Congress whose job is to create policies and decide on the economic future of the country. It is also the responsibility of the National Congress to elect a central Committee, which elects the Politburo. The Politburo in turn appoints the General Secretary, which is also the highest position within the Communist party. There is a national assembly that consists of 498 members who are elected every five years through a universal suffrage. The National Assembly is the only body in Vietnam that has legislative and constitutional powers. Among the duties of the National Assembly are to formulate domestic and foreign policies, find solutions to economic challenges and create policies for the country’s defense and security. According tot the constitution, the Nation Assembly has the powers to appoint the President, the Prime Minister as we as the chief procurators of Vietnam’s Supreme People’s court (Tucker 100). Economy The economy of Vietnam is based on the Marxist planned-market school of thought. The economy has been gradually shifting from a highly centralized economy to a more socialist-oriented one. After the war in the 1980s, the government adopted the Doi Moi economic trend to help the country recover from the ravages of the war. However, this policy was later abandoned in favor of one that support reform in the private sector. This saw the formulation and implementation of Five Year plans which have seen the country make important growths economically. The country has been able to maintain a stable GDP growth rate of over 6% over the years. Today, it is one of the world’s fastest growing economies (Ray, Dragicevish and Louis 207). Works Cited Gainsworth, Martin. Vietnam: Rethinking the State. New York: Zed Books, 2010. Print. Largo, V. Vietnam: Current Issues and Historical Background. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2002. Print. Ray, Nick, Peter Dragicevish and Regis St. Louis. Vietnam. New York: Lonely Planet, 2007. Print. Tucker, Spencer. Vietnam. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 1999. Print. Read More