WELCOME TO VIET NAM
Vietnam stretches 1600km from north to south, with a total area of 329,566 sq km, thus Vietnam is bigger than Italy and slightly smaller than Japan. Vietnam's 3451 km of coastline include countless kilometres of beaches, untouched by modern society, and quite a few stunning lagoons. Many consider the shape of Vietnam like that of the letter "S" or a dragon, with two large ends and narrow middle. The widest region is 600km wide, and the narrowest is only 50 km, so it is normally compared with a Vietnamese shoulder pole. The central region is the pole itself, carrying two rice baskets at the two ends (i.e. the northern and southern region).
In the decades following World War II the name "Vietnam" came to symbolize to many Westerners either a brutal and horrifying jungle war or a spectacular failure of Amerecan power - or both. After the fall of South Vietnam to communist North Vietnamese forces in 1975, Vietnam was virtually isolated from the world. But towards the end of the 1980s, the Cold War thawed and the Hanoi goverment succeeded in bringing Vietnam out of international isolation, in part by opening the country's doors to foreign visitors. Not long thereafter, the dramatic collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the ending of the Cambodian Civil War greatly reduced tensions in Indochina with the rest of the world
Most visitors to Vietnam are overwhelmed by the sublime beauty of the coutry's natural setting. The Red River Delta in the north, the Mekong Delta in the south, and almost the entire coastal strip are a patchwork of brilliant green rice paddies tended by peasant women in conical hats. Between two deltas, the coastal paddies lining the South China Sea give way to soaring mountains, with slopes that are cloaked with the riches of primeval rainforests. Slightly futher south is the Central Hightlands, which are dotted with pristine waterfalls. The area is home to dozens of distinct ethnolinguistic groups (hill tribes), more than almost all other countries in Asia. Visitors to Vietnam will have their senses thrilled by all the sights and sounds, tastes and smells of a society born from over a century and a half of contact between ancient traditions of the East and the ways of the West.
Viet Nam was named through different ages
Different from China in the north, Vietnam referred to the Viet community in the south. Through its 4,000-year history, Viet Nam was named Van Lang(In the times of the Hung Kings about 1,000 years BC), Au Lac(179BC led by An Duong Vuong), Van Xuan(between 968 and 1054), Dai Co Viet(between 968 and 1054), Dai Viet (between 1054 and 1400, then between 1428 and 1804), Dai Ngu (between 1400 and 1407), Dai Viet(between 1054 and 1400, then between 1428 and 1804). Under Thoi Bac Thuoc (The Chinese domination lasted 1117 years between 179BC), Vietnam was called Giao Chau, An Nam Do Ho Phu (Dominated An Nam). Since 1804, Nha Nguyen renamed this country Viet Nam. However, King Minh Mang (Nha Nguyen - Nguyen Dynasty) himself admitted that the name Viet Nam had existed long before. Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Binh Khiem and Le Quy Don had also used the name Viet Nam. In 1991, in Dong Dang (Lang Son), the archaeologists discovered the Thuy Mon Dinh stela with the words Viet Nam on it. Under the French domination, Vietnam was named An Nam, and An Nam also referred to Central Vietnam itself. The name Vi謙 Nam has been officially and popularly used from the August 1945 revolution till our days.
Besides 53 other ethnic groups (Dao, Ba Na, H'Mong, Hoa, Kho Me, Muong, Mo Nong, Nung, Xo Dang, Thai, Gia Rai, E De, Cham...), Viet (Viet or Kinh ethnic group) occupies up to 87% of the Vietnamese population. Many of ethnic minorities have the unnoticeable economic and cultural development, or remain in a primitive state
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Thoi Can Dai
Thoi Can Dai (Modern Times) : Nha Nguyen (Nguyen Dynasty) continued to maintain the feudal regime. The French colonialists launched an aggression on Vietnam. Many anti-French insurrections broke out. Born in 1930, Vietnamese Communist Party led the people to fight the French and to chase the Japanese.
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Thoi Bac Thuoc
Thoi Bac Thuoc refers to the period when Vietnam was invaded and dominated by Chinese dynasties. The Chinese domination lasted 1117 years between 179BC (occupation of Au Lac by Trieu Da) and 938 (Ngo Quyen's victory ober the Nam Han troops). The Chinese domination resided in exploitation and assimilation. Along with the Chinese language, the Chinese culture (especially ideologies and rituals) flooded into Vietnam. The Viet people faced the assimilation plots while collecting the Chinese elements in administrative, economic, social and ethnological fields. Their national character has been preserved since Red River Civilization. Except Si Nhiep, Tich Quang, Nham Dien, most of Chinese governors were corrupt and cruel. The Viet people's indomitable will was reflected by insurrections of Hai Ba Trung, Ly Nam De... First, the fact that Thuc Phan had lost Au Lac in 179BC initiated the 1117-year Chinese domination. The Chinese dynasties succeeded one another to govern Au Lac. The Viet people's typical insurrections were the ones of Hai Ba Trung (40-43), Ba Trieu (249), Ly Nam De, Ngo Quyen (938). The latter's victory over Nam Han troops brought an end to the Chinese domination, initiated the period of independence and set up the reunified feudal nation.
The August 1945 Revolution was successful, so the power returned in the people's hands. The anti-French resistance war lasted 9 years and ended brilliantly by the Dien Bien Phu victory (1954). The peace was re-established in North-Vietnam, while South-Vietnam continued the struggle against the American imperialists and their hirelings. Penetrated with the motto " Let's fight so that American invaders go home and quisling government collapses", the whole country entered the combat and eventually achieved the complete victory in Spring 1975. Since then, Vietnam began to edify the socialism for a prosperous, civilized and happy life.
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Lan Anh - Phong Tho
| North - West Tour
| Why Viet Nam