Indochina+(Vietnam)

=IndoChina (Vietnam) =

//**Vietnam's National Anthem Music and Lyrics By: Nguyen Van Cao **// //Doan ve quoc quan Doan Quan Viet-Nam Di Doàn quân Vietnam di Chung lòng cuu quoc, Bu'óc chân don vang trên du'óng gap ghenh xa. Co in máu chien thang mang hon nu'óc Súng ngoài xa chen khúc quân hanh ca. Du'õóng vinh quang xây xác quân thù Thang gian lao, cùng nhau lap chien khu. Vi nhân dân chien dau không ngung Tien mau ra sa tru'óng. Tien lên! Cùng tien lên! Nuoc non Vietnam ta vung ben. Doàn quân Vietnam di Sao vàng phap phoi, Dát giong nòi que hu'óng qua noi lam than. Cung chung suc phan dau xây doi moi Dung deu len gông xích ta dap tan. Tu bao lâu ta nuot cam hon Quyet hy sinh, doi ta tu'oi tham hón. Vi nhân dân chien dau không ngung Tien mau ra sa tru'óng. Tien lên! Cùng tien lên! Nuoc non Vietnam ta vung ben//


 * English Translation- ** March to the Front Soldiers of Vietnam, we go forward, With the one will to save our Fatherland Our hurried steps are sounding on the long and arduous road Our flag, red with the blood of victory, bears the spirit of our country The distant rumbling of the guns mingles with our marching song. The path to glory passes over the bodies of our foes. Overcoming all hardships, together we build our resistance bases. Ceaselessly for the people's cause we struggle, Hastening to the battle field! Forward! All together advancing! Our Vietnam is strong eternal. Soldiers of Vietnam, we go forward, The gold star of our flag in the wind Leading our people, our native land, out of misery and suffering Let us join our efforts in the fight for the building of a new life. Let us stand up and break our chains. For too long have we swallowed our hatred Let us keep ready for all sacrifices and our life will be radiant. Ceaselessly for the people's cause we struggle, Hastening to the battlefield! Forward! All together advancing! Our Vietnam is strong eternal.


 * B **[[image:vm-map.gif height="300" align="left" caption="Map of Vietnam"]]** ackground Info- ** Vietnam, originally called Indochina, was ruled by France from 1884. They did not gain their independence until after WWII, on September 2, 1945. French Indochina also included Laos, and Cambodia. Today Vietnam, officially called The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a communist state, and is made up of 53 provinces. Vietnam is also a densely populated area, with 88,576,758 people as of July 2009, making it the 13th most populated country in the world. The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese, but English is increasingly favored as a second language. Sadly, Vietnam also faces problems such as poverty. In the 1980s, nearly 75% of the nation was in poverty. However, in the early 90s the government committed itself to improve the system, and it has been very successful ever since. As of 2003, United Nations 'Human Development Report' records that the poverty is now under 29% and dropping rapidly, one of the sharpest declines in any other country on record.


 * Geography **// - // Vietnam is located in southern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, China and Cambodia. At 331,210 sq km, it is roughly the size of Italy. It has many natural resources, such as phosphates, coal, manganese, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, and hydropower. The terrain of Vietnam is mostly low with mountainous land in the far north and north-west. Climate varies in the north and the south; the south has a tropical climate while the north has a monsoonal climate, with a hot, rainy season (May to September) and a warm, dry season (October to March.) The lowest point in Vietnam is the China Sea at 0 m while the highest point in Vietnam is the Fan Si Pan at 3,144 m. Vietnam also has a huge market, for its GDP per capita is $2,900 (for 2009). It's revenue is $21.89 billion. The product of the its agriculture include paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish, and seafood.

** Pre-Imperialism **- In it’s early years, before Indochina was ever controlled by France, it was dominated mainly by China. For practically a millennium, lasting into the 9th century, Indochina was ruled by many Chinese dynasties. Vietnam’s economy before French influence was mainly rural, agricultural, and village-oriented. ** Western Countries ** - The French were active in southeast Asia since the 17th century. The French aided the Nguyen dynasty to rise to power in Vietnam in the 1840's. Emperor Napoleon the Third issued the French army to invade southern Vietnam. The French ruled all of Vietnam and the added Laos, Cambodia, and northern Vietnam into this territory, which would later be called Indochina. Why imperialize Indochina? The French imperialized Indochina directly, as a colony, to exploit the rich resources of rice, oil, iron ore, rubber, tin, and later bauxite and titanium, among others using colonials employed at slave wages. In other words, France wanted power, wealth, and to spread their French culture (assimilation).

//History of Vietnam-// 1945: General Ho Ying-Chin sets up a provisinal government in Vietnam. 1946: French and Vietnam negotiations breakdown. First Indochinese war begins. 1947: French fail to destroy Vietnam as they had origanally planned. 1950: China Soviet offer to give weapons to Vietnam 1953: French granted Loas full independence, Vietnam forces push into Loas 1954: French Lose at Dien Bien Phu 1955: Diem becomes President of the Republic of Vietnam 1956: French leave Vietnam

Imperial Effects ** - For most of its history, Vietnam was controlled by China. There were intermittent periods of independence, generally followed by yet another conquest by China. In 1887, the French took their turn and formed French Indochina. The French made four times as much land used towards rice farming, and most of the rice would be exported. This angered the native people. Colonization helped the economy of Indochina since the cash crops grown and goods produced could be sold on world markets. Also, new roads, harbors, and railroad systems improved communication and transportation. However, health, education, and sanitation did not become better. Also, many people migrated to Indochina during French rule. This led to racial and religious clashes that can still be seen to this day. When France was liberated Japan took control of Indochina. The US still aided Vietnam. It was agreed that Vietnam would be partitioned into north and south until order was restored, with an ultimate goal of reunification. The Nationalist Chinese were to occupy the North and the British would occupy the South. Imperialism did make Vietnam stronger.


 * Vietnam's Struggle For Independence- ** In the early 1900s, Indochina (soon to become Vietnam) was a resource rich territory. France began to imperialize the colony, and this led to the development of nationalist movements. One great Vietnamese nationalist, Ho Chi Minh, turned to Communists for help. During the 1930s, Ho’s Indochinese Communist party led revolts and strikes against the French. Many protesters were thrown into jail. The French sentenced Ho to death, but instead he fled into exile. Ho returned to Vietnam in 1941. Just one year prior to his return, in 1940, Japan gained control of Vietnam during World War II. Ho and other nationalists then founded the Vietminh (Independence) League. The Japanese were defeated in 1945, and were forced out of Vietnam. Vietnamese nationalists and communists joined together in order to fight against French armies. At the time, France held most of the major cities, but Vietminh had a lot of support in the countryside. Using hit and run tactics, Vietminh confined France to the cities. This caused France to question how valuable the colony really was. In 1954, France was defeated at Dien Bien Phu, and they surrendered to Ho Chi Minh. After the defeat of France, an international peace treaty was held in Geneva to determine the fate of Indochina. It was decided that Vietnam would be split at the 17° north latitude. To the north of the line, Ho Chi Minh and his Communist forces would govern. To the south of the line, the United States and France would set up an anti-Communist government under the rule of Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem became a dictator of the south. Eventually though, many people in the south grew to hate Diem. Guerilla fighters, called Vietcong, fought, and won control of large areas of countryside. In 1963, Diem was assassinated and after his death, the south declined.

** Vietnam Today- ** The country of Vietnam has definitely changed from it’s past. It is home to about 85 million people currently. Vietnam remains a Communist governed state, with a three branch government system. Government officials are voted for by members of the National Assembly. Vietnam also has a written Constitution. Overall, the government of Vietnam is stable. Vietnam’s economy today is a varying one. Rice is a major agricultural product, as well as coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, and seafood. Food, clothing, machinery, and mining are major industries throughout the nation. Currently the economy is pretty stable, although they are experiencing a slight recession and inflation. If you visit Vietnam, you will find plenty to do there. You could visit one of it’s many nature preserves and explore the jungles, mountains, caves, or bays. Snorkeling, diving, deep sea fishing, cycling, and hiking are popular activities to try. French influences can still be seen throughout Vietnam, and there are lots of historic sites to visit as well.
 * The Vietnam War- ** Fearing there might be a Communist victory in Vietnam, the United States decided to become more involved overseas. Congress allowed President Lyndon Johnson to sent troops to fight in Vietnam. By 1965, there were more than 185,000 U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, and by 1968, more than 500,000. U.S. planes began to bomb North Vietnam. Even though the United States was the strongest, best-equipped, and most advanced army in the world, they still faced some challenges. U.S. soldiers were not accustomed to guerilla fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. Also, North Vietnam was becoming more powerful with aid from China and the Soviet Union, as South Vietnam grew less popular. The U.S. turned to bombing of millions of acres of forests and farmland. In 1969, President Richard Nixon starting to pull troops out of Vietnam, allowing South Vietnam to increase it’s combat role. Nixon bombed North Vietnam, as well as Laos and Cambodia. Nixon kept withdrawing troops from Vietnam and finally all troops were back on home grounds in 1973. Two years later, in 1975, the Vietnam War had ended, with the North overrunning the South.

F u N F a C t S ** - **
 * The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi.
 * The currency of Vietnam is called the Dong. One United States dollar is equivalent to 19200 Viet Nam Dongs.[[image:220px-Vietnam_dong_1976.jpg width="175" height="86" align="right" caption="Vietnam's currency: Dong"]]
 * There are only 44 airports and 1 heliport in the whole country of Vietnam.
 * Vietnam is the world's second largest exporter of coffee and rice.
 * Even though Vietnam is 1,650 kilometers (1,031 miles) from north to south, the country gets as narrow as 50 kilometers (31 miles) across.
 * The cost of living in Vietnam today would roughly be around 20.00 american dollars a day, or 600 a month which shows the poor economy in Vietnam
 * 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty in the Vietnam war; from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975
 * 2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in The Vietnam War
 * 240 men were given the Medal of Honor in The Vietnam War
 * The average age of the men who died during The Vietnam war were 23.1 years old
 * Over 58,000 were killed in Vietnam war
 * The Vietnam National flower is the Lotus
 * The Vietnam National animal is the Water Buffalo
 * The Vietnamese National sport is Jinazi
 * The Vietnamese National dish is Nuoc-mam, a fragrant fish sauce

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 * Resources- ** Beck, Roger B., et.al. Modern World History. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2005. Print.