Vietnam

Vietnam


    The Socialist Republic of Vietnam consists of the former Democratic
Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the former Republic of Vietnam (South
Vietnam). The division of the country resulted from the defeat of the French by
Communist-inspired nationalists in 1954. A prolonged civil war resulted in a
victory for the Communist north, and reunification occurred in mid-1976.

Physical Setting

    Vietnam has an area of 127,207 square miles (329,465 square kilometers) and
is located in Southeast Asia. The country has a coastline of nearly 1,440 miles
(2,317 kilometers), much of which fronts on the South China Sea. Border
countries are China, Cambodia, and Laos. The latter two countries, along with
Vietnam, constituted the former French Indochina.

    Northern Vietnam is quite mountainous, especially the extreme north and
northwest. The Red River (Song Hong), which originates in China's Yunnan
Province, is the principal river of the north and is about 725 miles (1,167
kilometers) in length. The major lowland area is a delta that has been created
by deposits from the Red River as it enters the Gulf of Tonkin. The river passes
through the capital city of Hanoi. For more than 2,000 years the Tonkin Lowland,
considered the cradle of Vietnamese civilization, has been the scene of
considerable water control efforts in the form of canals and dikes.

    The southernmost portion of the country is dominated by another lowland
that is much more extensive than that in the north. This lowland has essentially
been created by the Mekong River (Song Cuu Long) and its various tributaries.
Just north of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) the landscape becomes more
varied and rolling with forested hills.

    The central portion of Vietnam varies in width but is only 35 miles (56
kilometers) at its narrowest point. This region has only a narrow coastal strip
in contrast to the rest of the coastline, where wider lowlands exist.

    The westernmost portion of the... [continues]

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