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VIETNAM
History
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History
The origins
of the Vietnamese are generally traced to the inhabitants of the Red River
Delta between 500 and 200 B.C., people who were a mixture of Australoid,
Austronesian, and Mongoloid stock. Like their contemporary descendants,
they were largely villagers, skilled in rice cultivation and fishing.
Chinese
Influence
A country
of southeast Asia in eastern Indochina of the South China Sea. Ruled
by China from 221 B.C. to A.D. 939 and from 1407 to 1428, it was occupied
by the French in the19th century. After the fall of the French garrison
at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, it was partitioned into North Viet Nam and South
Viet Nam. The country was reunited in April 30, 1975 after the end
of the Viet Nam War. Hanoi is the capital and Saigon the largest
city.
Indian
Influence
The south
of Vietnam was, from the 1st to the 6th centuries, part of the Indian kingdom
of Funan. The Hindu kingdom of Champa appeared around present-day
Danang in the late 2nd century and had spread south to what is now Nha
Trang by the 8th century.
Chinese
Rule
The Chinese
conquered the Red River Delta in the 2nd century and their 1000-year rule,
marked by tenacious Vietnamese resistance and repeated rebellions, ended
in 938 AD when Ngo Quyen vanquished the Chinese armies at the Bach Dang
River. During the next few centuries, Vietnam repulsed repeated invasions
by China, and expanded its borders southwards from the Red River Delta,
populating much of the Mekong Delta.
French
Influence
In 1858,
French and Spanish-led forces stormed Danang after several missionaries
had been killed. A year later, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon)
was seized. By 1867, France had conquered all of southern Vietnam,
which became the French colony of Cochin China.
Japanese
Influence
For many
years Vietnam then formed part of the French colony of Indochina, along
with Cambodia and Laos. With the agreement of France, the Japanese
occupied Vietnam during their Second World War sweep through South-East
Asia. Vietnam's nationalist and revolutionary forces had been actively
pursuing complete independence for many years and after the Japanese defeat
in 1945 the communist forces of Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Democratic Republic
of Vietnam.
Democratic
Republic of Vietnam
In 1946,
France sent a large force to re-establish their control; and after eight
years of fighting France was finally defeated at the siege of Dien Bien
Phu (1954). In the same year The Geneva Agreement provided for the
temporary partition of North and South, to be re-unified in 1956 following
general elections.
But things
changed and the elections were not held and hostilities developed into
full-scale war in which U.S. troops intervened to back the anti-communists.
This war is better known as the Vietnam War. The U.S. withdrew in
1973 and Vietnam was reunified three years later with the victory of the
communist forces and the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Socialist
Republic of Vietnam
The Vietnamese
army was the strongest in South-East Asia and had undertaken a full-scale
invasion and occupation of Cambodia to drive out the Khmer Rouge regime.
In September 1989 Vietnamese troops withdrew from Cambodia. Vietnam
was finally able to concentrate on rebuilding its own economy, having introduced
a homegrown version of perestroika known as doi moi. The Vietnamese
economy suffered from the withdrawal of aid and subsidised goods from the
former USSR and from Eastern Europe.
Association
of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
In June
1991, during the 7th Congress of the ruling Communist Party, important
changes among the leadership took place; Do Muoi was appointed Party General
Secretary, Vo Van Kiet Prime Minister. These indicated that the party
was determined to pursue a reformist economic programme while keeping many
senior military men in key positions. An advantage to this approach
was an improvement in political relations with Vietnam's near neighbors.
A friendship and co-operation treaty with the Association of South-East
Asian Nations (ASEAN) was signed in July 1992. The economic dividends
are clear in as much as six of the top seven foreign investors in Vietnam
are ASEAN members. The other one is the US, which has moved quickly
since President Clinton dropped the trade embargo in February 1994.
A closer relationship with ASEAN may assist a resolution of the 6-way territorial
dispute (involving China, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines and Brunei,
as well as Vietnam) over the potentially oil-rich sandbanks known as the
Spratly Islands. Armed conflict between Chinese and Vietnamese forces
occurred here in 1988. There are also territorial disputes over ownership
of the Paracel islands and over exploration rights in the Tu Chinh basin.
Communist
Influences
Vietnamese
relations with China are historically poor, but here too, some progress
has been made. The settlement in Cambodia in 1991 was an important
contributing factor and economic links have grown rapidly. The pace
of reform - economic growth has averaged 8% in the 1990s - is causing the
usual problems of overheating and conservative elements in the Communist
Party are trying to put the brakes on premier Vo Van Kiet's reform programme.
There are no signs that the Communist Party intends to relax its hold on
political power.
Links
to More Information
History Channel
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Sources:
Central
Intelligence Agency
Vietnam:
A Country Study
Consular
Information Sheet
Country
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