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Touring: France, Vietnam & Bhutan |
VIETNAM - Hill tribes and coastal towns
Vietnam
Overview - Cuisine
- Culture
- Geography
& Climate - History
- Gallery
History
Legend has it that Vietnam's origin lay in the harmonious
union of Lac Long Quan, King of the Sea, and Au Co, Princess
of the Mountains. Real life was not so idyllic, since
Vietnam's early history - like its recent history - was
characterized by a nearly continuous struggle for autonomy.
First came an entire millennium of Chinese domination,
which was finally thrown off in the 9th century. External
control was imposed once again in the 19th century, when
Vietnam was occupied by the French.
French rule lasted until WWII, when the country was
invaded by Japan. At the war's end the predominantly
Communist Viet Minh, which had led the resistance movement
against the Japanese, declared the country's independence.
The French Indochina War ensued, until France admitted
defeat in 1954, and the Geneva Accords left Vietnam
divided into a Communist north and an anti-Communist
south. By this time the U.S. had replaced the French
as the primary sponsor of the anti-Communist government.
Tension between north and south mounted over the next
few years, until in 1964 full scale war erupted. The
conflict lasted for the next eight years, and involved
hundreds of thousands of troops from the U.S. and other
countries. In 1973 came the defeat of the US and two
years later the country was unified.
An extended period of isolationism followed,
but in 1991, with the fall of Communism and the end
of the Cold War, the regime loosened its grip, and liberalized
its policies allowing many western powers to re-establish
diplomatic and trade relations with Vietnam. The last
country to do so, in 1995, was the U.S.
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