Understand

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History

Vietnam's history is a history of war, colonization and rebellion - from long, long before Americans ever showed up. Occupied by China no less than four times, the Vietnamese managed to beat off the invaders just as often. Vietnam's last emperors were the Nguyễn Dynasty, who ruled from their capital at Hue from 1802 to 1945, although France exploited the succession crisis after the fall of Tự Đức to de facto colonize Vietnam after 1884.

After a brief Japanese occupation in World War II, the Communist Viet Minh under the leadership of Hồ Chí Minh continued the insurgency against the French, with the last Emperor Bao Dai abdicating in 1945 and a proclamation of independence following soon after. The majority of French had left by 1930, but in 1948 they returned to continue the fight until their decisive defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The Geneva Conference partitioned the country into two at 17th parallel, with a Communist-led North and Ngo Dinh Diem declaring himself President of the Republic of Vietnam in the South.

US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the Southern Vietnam government, escalating into the dispatch of 500,000 American troops in 1966 and what became known as the Vietnam War - although the Vietnamese refer to it as the American War. What was supposed to be a quick and decisive action soon degenerated into a quagmire, and US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, on April 30, 1975, a North Vietnamese tank drove into the South's Presidential Palace in Ho Chi Minh City and the war ended, with over 50,000 Americans and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese killed.

While the Americans are still interested in the history of the war, it is untaught history to most Vietnamese. The American Vietnamese war was only one of many that the Vietnamese have fought. Over two thirds of the current population was born after 1975. American tourists will receive a particularly friendly welcome in Vietnam, as many young Vietnamese aspire to American culture.

Economy

Economic reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult. After the failures of the state-run economy started to become apparent, the country launched a program of dổi mới (renovation), introducing elements of capitalism. The policy has proved highly successful, with Vietnam recording near-10% growth yearly (except for a brief interruption during the Asian economic crisis of 1997), but after several decades,the country is doing much better. The economy is much better than Cambodia, Laos, and other neighboring third world countries.

Climate

Vietnam is large enough to have several distinct climate zones.

The South is hot, humid and tropical, with temperatures hovering in the 25-30°C all year round, but it rains the most from May to November.

The North has four distinct seasons, with a comparatively chilly winter (temperatures can dip below 15°C in Hanoi), a hot and dry summer and pleasant spring (March-April) and autumn (October-December) seasons. However,...