Vietnam

1. Vietnam By Matthew Koller

2. Vietnam's Flag and Location Flag -The five points of the star represent the unity of farmers, workers, intellectuals, soldiers, and youth in establishing socialism. Red stands for revolution and bloodshed. Location - Vietnam lies to the south east of the Asian continent. The water bodies that surround it are the Gulf of Thailand, the Gulf of Tonkin and the South China Sea. Its political neighbors include China, Laos and Cambodia.

3. Landforms Landforms-High mountains, flat plains and most other landforms in between; Vietnam is mainly hills and densely forested mountains. The Northern Highlands- The high peaks of the northwest mountains are very tall. An east extension of the Himalayas, was created about a hundred million years ago. Sapa- A small town high in up on the highland mountain. Vietnams highest mountain ranges include: Lung Chung- 2,918 m PuLuong- 2,985 m Mt. Fansipan- 3,143 m, and it takes about three days to climb this mountain.

4. Bodies of Water Surrounding Vietnam The Gulf of Thailand- The Gulf of Thailand, used to be The Gulf of Siam. It is the inlet of the South China Sea. This gulf is bordered by Thailand, Cambodia, and the southwestern edge of Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin- This is the northwest arm of the South China Sea, its is bordered by China, Hainan Island, and northern Vietnam. The South China Sea- This is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 square kilometers. Surrounded by Bomeo, China, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

5. 5 Tourist Attractions in Vietnam: Nha Trang-The most popular seaside town in Vietnam. It is located along the 2nd most beautiful bay in the country. The towns beaches include white sand, clear water, and a cool ocean breeze. The Ocean is also great for scuba diving. The Cu Chi Tunnels- These are a path of underground tunnels located about 40 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The Viet Cong guerrillas used the tunnels as hiding spots during the Vietnam War. They have become a very popular tourist attraction over the years. Mekong River- A/K/A the "Mekong Delta". The region in Southern Vietnam where the Mekong River connects to the sea. It is a very rich and beautiful area, which includes rice fields, and waterways. Believe it or not it about half of Vietnam's agricultural output comes from here. Mui Ne- The formerly little-inhabited beach south of the fishing village of Mui Ne has seen some serious development in the last 15 years. Strong sea breezes formed mountains of sand over the years, which makes this beach a popular tourist attraction. There are some very beautiful views of this attraction. Sa Pa Terraces- Sa Pa is a town in northwest Vietnam not far from the chinese border. Rice terraces can be found in the Muong Hoa valley between Sa Pa Town and the Fansipan Mountain, on a backdrop of thick bamboo woodlands. Local mountain people, the Hmong, Giay, Dao, Tay, and Giay, grow rice and corn on these paddy terraces, along with vegetables. \

6. Languages in Vietnam Vietnamese is the national and official language spoken in Vietnam. There are 107 other languages spoken in Vietnam. In early history Vietnamese people used Chinese characters to write.

7. Vietnam's Government THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM (SRV) is governed through a highly centralized system dominated by the Vietnamese Communist Party. The government manages all of the problems and state affairs through the parties apparatus. Party members fill all key government positions. All citizens are expected to be members of one or another of the mass organizations led by party cadres, and all managers and military officials are ultimately answerable to party representatives. The capital city of Vietnam is Hanoi.

8. Important Holidays in Vietnam The most important holidays in Vietnam are New Years and Christmas. People celebrate these holidays by making chinese dragons. "Tet" basically means Thanksgiving, your birthday, and Christmas all celebrated at once. The second most popular holiday is The Mid Autumn Festival. This celebrates the harvest and honors family.

9. Vietnam'sMajorEconomy Vietnam's greatest economic resource is its literate and energetic population. Its long coastline provides excellent harbors, access to marine resources, and many attractive beaches and areas of scenic beauty that are well suited to the development of tourism. However, a lack of infrastructure with the government has limited full utilization of these assets. The actual potential for economic growth is based on Vietnam's wealth of natural resources. Now these natural resources are being used increasingly because of their population growth, environmental degradation, and rising domestic demand. Unfortunately, Vietnam remains one of the poorest in the world.

10. 7 Interesting Facts about Vietnam 1. Vietnam has a smaller geographical area in comparison to California and Germany, but larger when compared to Italy or Arizona. 2. The length of Vietnam from North to south is 1650 Km or over 1,025 miles. 3. China is Vietnam's largest bordering country. 4. China is 32 times bigger than Vietnam in geographical area. 5. China is 15 times bigger in population compared to Vietnam. 6. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is located 10 degrees north parallel. 7. Hanoi is located with the same geographical latitude with Honolulu and Cancun.

11. Other Facts on Vietnam: 1. It's not fair to say that Vietnams notable history has been largely dominated by headlines of war and oppressions. 2. Vietnam was dominated by the Chinese for 100 years, the French for 100 years, and the Americans for 10 years. So it's any wonder they have managed to keep such strong and prevalent culture and rituals.

12. Capital City, Hanoi Some people refer to Hanoias Saigon's unattractive sister. Hanoi is the second largest city in Vietnam. There are lots of family run mini hotels and guesthouses in Hanoi. Lake Hoan Kiem is a beautiful tourist attraction, located in the heart of the city, which features a bridge that leads to a private island. Hanoi is located 1,090 miles north from Ho Chi Minh City. This city features many restaurants and places to eat.

13. The Vietnam War 1959-1975 The Vietnam war was very long lasting, about 16 years. This war pitted the communist regime of North Vi etnam and its southern allies, a/k/a Viet Cong. The war was between South Vietnam and the United States. It began in 1954 because of conflict in the region stretched back to the mid 1940's, after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh and his communist Viet Minh party in North Vietnam. More than 3 million people including 58,000 Americans died during this war. More than half of those who died were Vietnamese civilians. By 1969, more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel were involved in the Vietnam conflict. This war led to divisions among American people, before President Richard Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973.

14. Pictures of Vietnam

15. Resources: www.state.gov › ... › Background Notes/Country Fact Sheets www.tripadvisor.com › Asia › Vietnam travel.nytimes.com › asia › vietnam www.vietnamonline.com https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world.../vm.html http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamwar.htm