|RNature and climate:|N A mountainous area, but mainland are the two fertile deltaplains, the Tonkin in the north och The Mekong in the south.
North of the Tonkinplain is a mountainchain forming the border to China with a highest peak of 2427 m.a.s.l.
Highest peak in the forested mountainchain that forms the border to Laos och Cambodja reaches 2598 m.a.s.l. In these mountains are some rainforests.
Tropical monsoon climate in the south and warm tempered climate in the north. Average temperature in January 15°C in the north and 26°C in the south. In July 26°C in the north and 29°C in the south.
Percipitation between 1500 and 2000 mm all over the nation.
|RPeople:|N 84% Vietnamese, 2% Chinese. Mountaintribes like Muong, Thai, Khmer, Man and Cham.
80% of the population lives in the fertile deltaplains.
|REconomy:|N 65% of the population is occupied in agriculture, 35% in manufacturing and services.
Agriculture dominates. Most important crops are rice, maize, fruits, vegetables, grain, maniok and sugarcane. Also extensive production of natural rubber.
Extensive fishing.
Several minerals like coal, oil (off shore), phosphates, iron, manganese, bauxite, apatite and chromate.
Heavy manufacturing mainly in the north producing machinery for agriculture, fishing and forestry.
Light manufacturing mainly in the south producing consumer goods.
|RHistory:|N Vietnam was early populated by Indonesian people, and between 200 BC and 200 AD tribes from the north invaded and conquered the whole area except the Mekong Delta, that belonged to the Funan realm and later came under Cambodja. From then until the 10th century Vietnam belonged to China.
From 939 to 1400 Vietnam was an independent nation and then again occupied by China, but liberated by Le Loi 1418. The Le dynasty ruled Vietnam until 1787. During the 15th century the Kampatribe was defeated and about 1700 the Mekong Delta was conquered from Cambodja.
During the 18th century a civil war raged the nation and it was divided in two parts, one northern and one southern.
In the early 19th century the nation was united with French support.
1858-1867 French troops occupied the southern part of Vietnam and in 1883 also the northern part. Vietnam then became a part of the French Indochina.
In 1941 the whole area was occupied by Japan and at the end of the war the independent empire of Vietnam was proclaimed, which the same year was transformed to a republic under leadership of the communist Ho Chi-Minh.
A guerillawar was started against the French troops that tried to reinstate French sovereignty. This guerillawar developed to an open war.
1954 the French gave up the northern part of Vietnam and the nation was divided along the 17th parallel.
Soon France also left South Vietnam. Instead the USA sent extensive military aid.
In 1957 a guerillawar was started against the regime in South Vietnam and in 1960 the liberation movement FNL was founded. From 1964 the US participated with regular military forces in support of the South Vietnamese government and at several occasions they bombed Hanoi, the North Vietnamese capital.
In 1973 the USA withdraw its forces and soon South Vietnam fell in the hands of FNL and the North Vietnamese forces. The two parts of Vietnam were in 1976 united under leadership of the communist regime in North Vietnam.
The antagonism between Cambodja and Vietnam led to a Vietnamese invasion in Cambodja 1979, where a Vietnamfriendly regime was installed. Great Vietnamese forces were left in Cambodja, but according to the Vietnamese those troops were all withdrawn 1989. As retaliation Chinese forces made raids into Vietnam in 1979.
Between 1977 and 1980 hundreds of thousands civilians left Vietnam, most of them Chinese.
In 1987 economic reforms were introduced stating less interference from the government. 1990 the inflation was more than 1000%.
