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Location
 Shaped like an
elongated S, Vietnam stretches the length of the Indochinese
Peninsula and covers a surface area of 128,000 square miles. China lies to the
north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and the South China Sea to the east.
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a sovereign
and reunified independent country, has a high percentage of territorial
waters. Looking at the map, Vietnam is located in the center of the
Southeast Asia, and is shaped like the letter "S". The country lies in the
eastern part of the Indochina peninsula, bordered by China to the north,
Laos and Cambodia to the west, and the East Sea and Pacific Ocean to the
southeast. Vietnam's coast line is 3,260 km long and its inland border
measures 4,510 km.
The country's total length, from the northernmost point to the southernmost
point, is 1,650 km.
Its width, stretching from east to west, is 600 km at the widest point in
the north, 400 km in the south, and 50 km at the narrowest part in the Quang
Binh province on the central coast. Vietnam is also a transport junction
from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Geography
Topographically, Vietnam is a
verdant tapestry of soaring mountains, fertile deltas, primeval forests
inhabited by exotic fauna, sinuous rivers, mysterious caves, otherworldly
rock formations, and heavenly waterfalls and beaches. Beyond nature, the
curious and open-minded visitor will find in Vietnam a feast of culture and
history.
For convenience, the country
can be thought of as comprising three unique areas: north, central, and
south. The north is known for its alpine peaks, the Red River Delta, the
plains of Cao Bang and Vinh Yen, enchanting Halong Bay, and historic Hanoi, as
well as for the diversity of its ethno linguistic minorities.
Central
Vietnam, also home to many ethnic minorities, is characterized by high
temperate plateaus rich in volcanic soil and by spectacular beaches, dunes,
and lagoons. It is also the location of the ancient imperial city of Hue.
In
the South, visitors encounter modern life in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly
Saigon) and the fertile alluvial delta of the Mekong River. Vietnam's
territory also encompasses a large continental shelf and thousands of
archipelagic islands.
Nationalities
The Vietnamese nation was primarily influenced through a process of
anthropological cross-pollination between ancient Chinese and Indian
cultures.
As far as anthropology is concerned, the Vietnamese people have their origin
in the Mongoloid race, which is scattered throughout northern and eastern
Asia.
At present, there are about 54 Ethnic minority groups inhabiting Vietnam.
The Kinh (or Viet) people account for nearly 90 percent of Vietnam's total
population. Major ethnic minority groups include the Tay, Thai, Muong,
H'Mong, Dao, and Khmer. Each ethnic group has developed its own language and
cultural identity, thus making the Vietnamese culture a well blended
combination of different cultures.
Language
The Vietnamese language belongs to a language
group which was established a long time ago in East Asia. Changes in material
conditions over many centuries and the increasing demands of cultural life have
influenced the Vietnamese language.
While adopting many elements of the Chinese language, the Vietnamese people
changed many Chinese words, gradually creating Han-Viet (Chinese-Vietnamese)
which incorporated purely Vietnamese words. "Vietnamization" not only applied to
the Chinese language, but also to French and other language groups, creating a
diverse vocabulary for the Vietnamese language.
Around the 17th century, western missionaries
came to Vietnam and learned Vietnamese in order to disseminate Catholicism. They
developed a romanced script to represent the Quoc Ngu (meaning national
language) in order to translate prayer books and catechisms. A number of
Portuguese and Italian missionaries used Quoc Ngu to compile catechisms and
Portuguese-Vietnamese and Vietnamese-Portuguese dictionaries. Based on these
works, in 1651, Alexandre de Rhodes, a French Jesuit missionary, published the
Vietnamese Portuguese-Latin dictionary in Rome. After Alexandre de Rhodes, Quoc
Ngu was further improved by foreign missionaries and Vietnamese scholars.
In 1867, some colonial schools began to teach Quoc Ngu. It was not until early
in the 20th century that Quoc Ngu became widely used in the local primary
educational system. The introduction of Quoc Ngu constituted a new step in the
development of the Vietnamese language. While Romanization received a reserved
welcome in other Asian countries, it recorded extraordinary success in Vietnam,
creating favorable conditions for cultural and intellectual development.
Religion
The major religious traditions in Vietnam are Buddhism (which
fuses forms of Taoism and Confucianism), Christianity (Catholicism and
Protestantism), Islam, Cao Daism and the Hoa Hao sect.
Buddhism
Buddhism was first introduced to Vietnam in the 4th century B.C., and
reached its peak in the Ly dynasty (11th century). It was then regarded as
the official religion dominating court affairs. Buddhism was preached
broadly among the population and it enjoyed a profound influence on people's
daily life. Its influence also left marks in various areas of traditional
literature and architecture. As such, many pagodas and temples were built
during this time.
At the end of the 14th century, Buddhism began to show signs of decline. The
ideological influence of Buddhism, however, remained very strong in social
and cultural life. Presenty, over 70 percent of the population of Vietnam
are either Buddhist or strongly influenced by Buddhist practices.
Catholicism
Catholicism was introduced to Vietnam in the 17th century. At
present the most densely-populated Catholic areas are Bui Chu-Phat Diem in
the northern province of Ninh Binh and Ho Nai-Bien Hoa in Dong Nai province
to the South. About 10 percent of the population are considered Catholic.
Protestantism
Protestantism was introduced to Vietnam at about the same time as
Catholicism. Protestantism, however, remains an obscure religion. At present
most Protestants live in the Central Highlands. There still remains a
Protestant church on Hang Da Street in Hanoi. The number of Protestants
living in Vietnam is estimated at 400,000.
Islamic
Islamic followers in Vietnam are primarily from the Cham ethnic
minority group living in the central part of the central coast. The number
of Islamic followers in Vietnam totals about 50,000.
Caodaism
Caodaism was first introduced to the country in 1926. Settlements of the Cao
Dai followers in South Vietnam are located near the the Church in Tay Ninh.
The number of followers of this sect is estimated at 2 million.
Hoahaoism
Hoahaoism was first introduced to Vietnam in 1939. More than 1 million
Vietnamese are followers of this sect. Most of them live in the western part
of South Vietnam.
Food
Looking for a quick lunch of soup, salad or a sandwich?
Maybe you ought to think Vietnamese. Perhaps an exquisite vegetarian meal?
Well, then, why not think Vietnamese? Or is tonight time for multiple
dishes, contrasting flavors, varied textures and exotic ingredients? Once
again, it's a good time to think Vietnamese. Or perhaps something healthy
and "lite?" Guess what: think Vietnamese.
While Vietnamese food has long been appreciated in France,
the former colonial power, U.S. residents are only beginning to discover its
many fine features. Vietnamese chefs like to refer to their cooking as "the
nouvelle cuisine of Asia." And indeed, with the heavy reliance on rice,
wheat and legumes, abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables, minimal use of
oil, and treatment of meat as a condiment rather than a main course,
Vietnamese food has to be among the healthiest on the planet.
A famous national condiment is nuoc mam, a
piquant fermented fish sauce served with every meal. Indigenous tropical
fruits include bananas, pineapples, coconuts, lychees, melons, mandarin
oranges, grapes, and exotic varieties like the three-seeded cherry and the
green dragon fruit.
History
Legend has
it that Vietnam's origin lay in the harmonious union of lac Long Quan, King
of the Sea, and Au Co, Princess of the Mountains. Real life was not so
paradisical, as Vietnam's early history--like its recent history--is
characterized by a nearly continuous struggle for autonomy. First came an
entire millenium of Chinese domination, which was finally thrown off in the
9th century. External control was imposed once again in the 19th century,
when Vietnam was occupied by the French.
French rule lasted until WWII,
when the country was invaded by Japan. At the war's end the predominantly
Communist Viet Minh, which had led the resistance movement against the
Japanese, declared the country's independence. The French Indochina War
ensued, until France admitted defeat in 1954, and the Geneva Accords left
Vietnam divided into a Communist north and an anti-Communist south. By this
time the U.S. had replaced the French as the primary sponsor of the
anti-Communist government. Tension between north and south mounted over the
next few years, until in 1964 full scale war erupted. The conflict lasted
for the next eight years, and involved hundreds of thousands of troops from
the U.S. and other countries. In 1973 a cease-fire agreement allowed the
U.S. the opportunity to withdraw its troops, and in 1975 the southern
capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. An extended period of
political repression followed, prompting massive emigration from the
country. In 1991, with the fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War,
many western powers re-established diplomatic and trade relations with
Vietnam. The last country to do so, in 1995, was the U.S.
Vietnamese Culture
The richness of
Vietnam's origins is evident throughout its culture. Spiritual life in
Vietnam is a grand panoply of belief systems, including Confucianism,
Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Tam Giao (literally 'triple religion'),
which is a blend of Taoism, popular Chinese beliefs, and ancient Vietnamese
animism.
The most important festival of
the year is Tet, a week-long event in late January or early February that
heralds the new lunar year and the advent of spring. Celebration consists of
both raucous festivity (fireworks, drums, gongs) and quiet meditation. In
addition to Tet, there are about twenty other traditional and religious
festivals each year.
Vietnamese architecture
expresses a graceful aesthetic of natural balance and harmony that is
evident in any of the country's vast numbers of historic temples and
monasteries. The pre-eminent architectural form is the pagoda, a tower
comprised of a series of stepped pyramidal structures and frequently adorned
with lavish carvings and painted ornamentation. Generally speaking, the
pagoda form symbolizes the human desire to bridge the gap between the
constraints of earthly existence and the perfection of heavenly forces.
Pagodas are found in every province of Vietnam. One of the most treasured is
the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue, founded in 1601 and completed more than two
hundred years later. In North Vietnam, the pagodas that serve as the shrines
and temples of the Son La mountains are especially worth visiting. In South
Vietnam, the Giac Lam Pagoda of Ho Chi Minh City is considered to be the
city's oldest and is notable as well for its many richly-carved jackwood
statues.
As a language, Vietnamese is
exceptionally flexible and lyrical, and poetry plays a strong role in both
literature and the performing arts. Folk art, which flourished before French
colonization, has experienced a resurgence in beautiful woodcuts, village
painting, and block printing. Vietnamese lacquer art, another traditional
medium, is commonly held to be the most original and sophisticated in the
world. Music, dance, and puppetry, including the uniquely Vietnamese water
puppetry, are also mainstays of the country's culture.
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