Vietnam :: Vietnam Culture Vietnamese Government Essays

VietnamThe Socialist nation of Vietnam consists of the former DemocraticRepublic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the former Republic of Vietnam ( confederationVietnam). The division of the untaught resulted from the defeat of the French byCommunist-inspired nationalists in 1954. A prolonged genteel war resulted in avictory for the Communist nitrogen, and reunification occurred in mid-1976.Physical SettingVietnam has an area of 127,207 square miles (329,465 square kilometers) andis located in southboundeast Asia. The country has a coastline of nearly 1,440 miles(2,317 kilometers), much of which fronts on the South China Sea. Bordercountries are China, Cambodia, and Laos. The latter two countries, along withVietnam, constituted the former French Indochina.Northern Vietnam is quite plenteousnessous, especially the extreme north andnorthwest. The Red River (Song Hong), which originates in Chinas YunnanProvince, is the principal river of the north and is about 725 miles (1,167kilome ters) in length. The major(ip) lowland area is a delta that has been createdby deposits from the Red River as it enters the gulf of Tonkin. The river passesthrough the capital city of Hanoi. For much than 2,000 years the Tonkin Lowland,considered the cradle of Vietnamese civilization, has been the scene ofconsiderable water control efforts in the form of canals and dikes.The southernmost portion of the country is dominated by another lowlandthat is much more extensive than that in the north. This lowland has essentiallybeen created by the Mekong River (Song Cuu Long) and its diverse tributaries.Just north of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) the landscape becomes morevaried and rolling with forested hills.The central portion of Vietnam varies in width but is only 35 miles (56kilometers) at its narrowest point. This region has only a narrow coastal stripin contrast to the rest of the coastline, where wider lowlands exist.The west portion of the area is dominated by the Annam ese, orAnnamite, Cordillera, a major mountain chain, which forms the spine of thecountry from north to south. Along with the two major rivers, there are manyshorter rivers that drain the highlands and flow eastward to the South China Sea.The country also has six island groups, 14 separate mountain ranges, and threelarge lakes.The climate of Vietnam is largely tropical, though the north whitethorn bedistinguished as subtropical. Differences in humidity, rainfall, and temperatureare caused largely by changes in elevation. The north has a hot and humid five-month-long wet sequence lasting from May through September. The remainder of theyear is relatively spry and rainfree, but humid. A prolonged period of fog,