The Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Mainland Territory: 331,211.6 sq. km
Population: 85,789.6 thousand inhabitants (Apr. 2009)
National Capital: Hanoi
Lying on the eastern part of the Indochinese peninsula, Vietnam is a strip of land shaped like the letter gSh. China borders it to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, the East Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south.
The countryfs total length from north to south is 1,650km. Its width, stretching from east to west, is 600km at the widest point in the north, 400km in the south, and 50km at the narrowest part, in the centre, in Quang Binh Province. The coastline is 3,260km long and the inland border is 4,510km. Latitude: 102o 08′ – 109o 28′ east
Longitude: 8o 02′ – 23o 23′ north
Vietnam is also a transport junction from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Climate : Vietnam lies in the tropics and monsoon.
Topography: Three quarters of Vietnam’s territory consist of mountains and hills.
Administrative Units: Vietnam is divided into 63 provinces and cities.
History
At the beginning of the Bronze Age, the Viet tribe groups had settled down in the North and in the north of Central Vietnam. There were about 15 groups of Lac Viet tribesmen living mainly in the northern highland and delta and a dozen Au Viet groups of tribesmen living in Viet Bac, the northern region of old Vietnam. (Detail)
Prehistoric Era
Prehistoric Era of Vietnam include: Pre-Paleolithic Age and Neolithic Age. (Detail)
Foundation of the Nation
Chinese domination period (1st century, BC – 10th century, AD)
In the 3rd century BC, the Han people who lived in the Yellow River basin unified China, merging the various ethnic groups who lived in southern China to the south of the Yangtze River into a centralized empire. This feudal empire soon spread southwards.
Insurrections and the Struggle for Independence
The grim resistance by the population against Chinese imperialist domination, which persisted century after century, time and again, broke out in the form of armed insurrection. (Detail)
Ngo Dynasty (939 – 965)
Ngo King (939-944)
Dinh Dynasty (968-980)
Dinh Tien Hoang (968-979)
Pre-Le Dynasty (980-1009)
Le Dai Hanh (980-1005)
Le Trung Tong (1005)
Le Long Dinh (1005-1009)
Ly Dynasty (1010-1225)
Tran Dynasty (1225-1400)
Language and Scripts
Among the 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups some have had their own scripts for a long time and some have not preserved their ancient scripts. As a matter of fact, some ethnic groups consisting of some hundreds of individuals living in remote areas have their own languages. (Detail)
Modern Literature
Vietnamese literary tradition has evolved through the multiple events that have marked the countryfs history. New literary movements can usually be observed every ten years but in the last century, Vietnamese literature underwent several literary transitions. (Detail)
Folk Literature
Since coming into existence, Vietnamese literature has been rich in folklore and proverbs; tales that have been handed down from generation to generation, gradually becoming valuable treasures.
