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The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, commonly known as Vietnam, is located in Southeast Asia. The country's history has been shaped by its location between China and India. Straddling lines of trade between north and south, east and west, Vietnam has been a center of human trade, interaction, and conflict for centuries.

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50 Insane Facts About Vietnam War You Didn't Know

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Climate Zones:

Vietnam is divided into a tropical and temperate zones. Some regions can have monsoons, high rainfall, and high humidity. It is more cooler and temperate near the tropics and in the mountainous regions.

Physical Geography:

Vietnam borders the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea. It is near China, Laos, and Cambodia. It is also in Southeastern Asia.

Effect of Geography:

The human population would be able to grow because of the amount of water resources available, which is proven by the population distribution crowding around the major bodies of water.

Natural Resources:

Vietnam has an abundant amount of coal, bauxite, oil, gas deposits, copper, hydropower, and timber. The main mineral exports of the country are coal and petroleum.

Environmental Issues:

Deforestation, soil degradation, water pollution, overfishing, water contamination, and air pollution are environmental issues present in the state. Deforestation and soil degradation is one of the main problems. Logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices are contributing to both deforestation and soil degradation. The soil degradation can make food unsafe. Food safety is a big issue in Vietnam that could cause people to go sick or hungry.

Vietnamese Government Solutions:

The Vietnam government is pushing the R&D of chemicals that make food safer. However, too many herbicides and insecticides can have the opposite affect and make the food more poisonous.

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Growth Rate:
The growth rate in Vietnam is 1% as of 2017.

Population Distribution:
0-14 years - 23.55% (male 11,909,326/female 10,735,324)

15-24 years - 16.23% (male 8,098,019/female 7,509,021)

25-54 years - 45.56% (male 22,087,095/female 21,719,615)

55-64 years - 8.55% (male 3,798,928/female 4,419,837)

65 years and over: 6.12% (male 2,281,923/female 3,601,075) (2017 est.)

Vietnam does not have many senior citizens, but has a very large population of younger people.

Life Expectancy:
The life expectancy from birth in Vietnam is 73.7 years. 34.9% of the population live in an urban setting. Although the average population in Vietnam may look healthy, more than 250,000 people in Vietnam have Aids.

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Primary Languages:

The major language spoken in the state is Vietnamese.

Minor Languages:

Yes, but they are not official languages and are spoken by the minority of the state. A few examples are Tày, Mường, and Chinese.

Religion:

As a communist country, Vietnam is officially an atheist state. However, many people in Vietnam are not Atheist and practice a number of religions such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Caodaism, and Hoahaoism. About 7.9% of people practice Buddhism, 6.6% practice Catholicism, 1.7% practice Caodaism, and 0.9% practice Hoahaoism. The percentage of people practicing are sometimes unrepresentative because some Vietnamese practice a mix of religions.

Impact of Religion:

Religion in Vietnam provides the people with moral guidelines and gives meaning to their existence and the world they live in. People do not consider traditional worship really be a religion, but more of a way of life.

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Vietnam - Landscapes, Cities, People and Culture

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Government:

Vietnam is a communist state. Communism is a political and economic doctrine that aims to replace private property and a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of at least the major means of production (e.g., mines, mills, and factories) and the natural resources of a society. In Vietnam, the CPV is above all government branches, controls the economy, and the media.

Current Leaders:

The Chief of State is President Nguyen Phu Trong.

The Prime Minister is Nguyen Xuan PHUC.

Political Groups:
The only political group active in Vietnam is the Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nguyen Phu TRONG].

Political Issues Today:

One of the ongoing political issues is human rights. Vietnamese rights bloggers face regular harassment and intimidation. Officials often arrest political critics for their posts on the internet. In 2018, Vietnam put on trial at least 12 people for “conducting propaganda against the state.”

ASEAN:

ASEAN was established in August 1967 with the purpose of accelerating the economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region, and promoting regional peace and stability.

Vietnam's Role in ASEAN:

As an ASEAN member, Vietnam has worked hard to secure peace and reconciliation among Southeast Asian nations, which were once deeply divided by war. Vietnam was the first Indochinese country to join ASEAN, and its move helped end confrontation between the Indochinese bloc and ASEAN. Vietnam has also helped ASEAN partner with non-regional players — including China, Russia, India, and the EU. Vietnam also led efforts within ASEAN to ensure regional security. Soon after becoming a member, Vietnam signed the Treaty on the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone and was one of the founding members of the ASEAN Regional Forum.

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GDP Real Growth Rate:

Vietnam’s GDP real growth rate is 6.8%. This means that the economy of Vietnam is growing very rapidly, but fast growth can foreshadow a fast decline.

GDP Per Capita:

Vietnam’s GDP per capita is $6,900. For reference the, USA's GDP per capita is $59,531.66.

Vietnam's Distribution of Economic Activities:

Vietnam’s distribution of economic activities is agriculture: 40.3%, industry: 25.7%, and services: 34%.

Poverty:

8% of Vietnam’s population is living in poverty.

Inequality:

Class Discrimination - Class discrimination is a large problem in Vietnam. The divide between the rich and the poor is very apparent. There is also a difference in opportunities.

Gender Inequality - There is not much gender inequality on paper because the government has been trying to decrease gender inequality. However, there is still some cultural gender inequality such as the females of the ethnic minorities of Vietnam. They legally are allowed to get an education, but the economic and financial situation in the home, the lack of value surrounding educational importance, and the poor quality of teaching and infrastructure at local schools inhibit their access to education.

Improved Sanitation:

78% of the total population uses improved sanitation. This percentage shows that a lot of the Vietnamese people do not have enough money to use improved sanitation.

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Vietnam is heavily influenced by China.  They are considered to be a collectivist country due to their traditional values.  They are a communist state; which emphasizes collective group effort and equality among all people. It makes sense that Vietnam is a communist state considering what they value; which is traditional collectivist ideologies rooted in Confucian ethics. Confucian ethics emphasizes group over individual.

The French colonized Vietnam in the mid 1800s. After WWII, Vietnam gained independence but France still ruled the country until Ho Chi Minh took over in 1954.

It is important to understand the state’s history because this state due to its history and communism had a large and major impact on the world. The Vietnam war brought the US to become more involved with the red scare and the world. It also especially made the US more involved with third world countries.

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CIA World Factbook -

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vm.html

Weather Online -

https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/Vietnam.htm

World Atlas - https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-major-natural-resources-of-vietnam.html

Voa News -

https://www.voanews.com/a/vietnam-food-safety/4685782.html

Vietnam History -
http://academic.depauw.edu/mkfinney_web/teaching/Com227/culturalPortfolios/VIETNAM/VIETNAM/history.html
Borgen Project - https://borgenproject.org/tag/gender-equality-in-vietnam/

Worldbank - http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2014/07/08/inequality-in-vietnam-a-special-focus-of-the-taking-stock-report-july-2014

Encyclopedia Britannica -
https://www.britannica.com/topic/communism
NTI -

https://www.nti.org/learn/treaties-and-regimes/association-southeast-asian-nations-asean/
East Asia Forum

https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/10/23/vietnams-role-in-asean/
BBC Country Profiles -

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16567315

Cultural Atlas -

https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/vietnamese-culture/vietnamese-culture-religion

World Meters -
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/vietnam-population/
Index Mundi -
https://www.indexmundi.com/vietnam/demographics_profile.html