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Vietnam: The People and Culture Overview
Home » Vietnam » Vietnam: The People and Culture » Vietnam: The People and Culture OverviewIt has been said that it takes all kinds of people to make the world go ‘round, and it has been proven true. No matter where you go, you’re sure to encounter interesting, unique people. It’s no different in the lovely Asian country of Vietnam.
The country of Vietnam is a single party Communist state located in Southeast Asia, bordered by China, Laos, Cambodia, and the South China Sea. Vietnam was originally established in 208 BC by Zhao Tuo, a Qin military official. It was originally called Nam Viet, and it consisted of Southern China and the Red River Delta. For roughly the next 1,200 years, Vietnam was ruled by a number of Chinese dynasties. Vietnam gained complete independence from the Chinese government around 1100, and continued its southward expansion, winning many military victories, for the next 700 years. France colonized Vietnam in the mid 1800s, ending its independence. Vietnam gained its independence from France following World War II. The country was split into two regions, North and South Vietnam, which battled each other (including the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s) until the North eventually overpowered the South and established control, which it maintains today. The country is no longer split into two regions, and a diplomatic relationship has been reestablished with the United States since the Vietnam War.
Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world, with an estimated population of about 84 million people. Its land area is about 127,000 square miles, only about 1% of which is water. The population is made up of 86% Viet and 1% to 2% of a number of other ethnicities, including Thai, Hoa, Nung, and Hmong. We will spend much of our time discussing these people groups, as well as the culture of this Southeastern Asian country.
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