The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH, who took control of the North. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South. Despite the return of peace, for over two decades the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies. Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities have committed to economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to experience protests from the Montagnard ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands over loss of land to Vietnamese settlers and religious persecution.

Facts

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 106 00 E
Population: 83.6 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Hanoi
Major language: Vietnamese Major religion: Buddhism
Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 72 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 dong = 100 xu
Main exports: Petroleum, rice, coffee, clothing, fish
GNI per capita: US $550 (World Bank, 2005)
Internet domain: .vn
International dialling code: +84
Area: total: 329,560 sq km land: 325,360 sq km water: 4,200 sq km
Area - comparative: Slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 4,639 km border countries: Cambodia 1228 km, China 1281 km, Laos 2130 km
Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: Tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)
Terrain: Low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
Natural resources: Phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 19.97% permanent crops: 5.95% other: 74.08% (2001)
Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: Occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Environment - current issues: Logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements (not ratified)
Geography - Note: Extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point

Courtesy of Yahoo World Factbook