!8!# Cam Ranh Bay Vietnam - first duty station [1971] | !8: Singing ...

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!±8± Cam Ranh Bay Vietnam - first duty station [1971]

In a war zone - a zone of combat, which, or for that matter, is in a support unit, which is in a war zone, there are very few flops, waving flags, or for that matter, the soldiers are standing erect with dressed greens, gloriously waiting for the fight to bend [like in the movies], sorry, just dodge teams stepping soldiers march in the rain and mud, bullets, rockets.

The soldiers in Vietnam, mostly young, were a bit 'worn inNervous to find out where she, set in the scheme of things, that is. That said, what was the goal [of what we've all asked ourselves, sooner or later]: - to win, to stabilize or contain? Nothing was clear except for one thing, or so I discovered shortly after my arrival in Vietnam was not to win, that war is won, in terms of directly from the victory.

Whatever the political mind of the politicians in Washington, DC, have soldiersbut I know that was not to win the war. Because we all knew we had or have a simple task. But then we do not want to run in Russia, we have, which was our way of avoiding a nuclear confrontation, I suppose, as in Korea, not in a rush to China, and lift the face of a nuclear power in this area, it means that we had these large bombs used to stop the hordes of enemy soldiers coming. Or at least that was the way we think our decision makers, or so, I think.

Back toVietnam again, I do not think it would be tough to win a war, [we did not set limits on ourselves, and missed targets for the good of other nations to get angry with us], but then had the negative forces against you / or We, like Jane Fonda [see also Last Words] in addition to the uncertain political minds in Washington DC, and in the ... making it more difficult. [As in many wars, you get the wild radicals, even in the Persian Gulf war, as SeanPenn, and a few like him. All] wants to go stir our emotions and see their films, and part with them on a protest march, but if you protest against them, are emotionally unstable, I do not like [President George Bush as saying. " .. there is no way ..."]. And in most cases, the demonstrators as they are, have never seen one day of fighting, but it is not lack of wisdom with them.

He protested in my way when I came home from Vietnam, I would not go to see theirMovies, though I saw one and bought another one, but it was very difficult for me to see them. I appreciate the great movie stars have an advantage of being able to go on stage and what they believe to be, for millions of people in a few minutes, someone like me, you know, it's my only way, or he was talking about does not support it at all possible way. Some people feel this way is not the proper way to react, but it is the only one I know, and a non-violent way, as I knew, and the road is a good old American styleprotest, I know.

And from what I see from those times and events, most people could not the difference between being assertive, which I think is the look in protest at war or peace, health and aggression, I believe, hypocritical at best . But that's how it always is. You go on a march for peace, and create a war. For me, a march for peace is peace, and so on and so forth, but we see the creation of hysteria, exactly what you protest, they should not bebehavior? But this was what I thought at that time.

Life in general in Vietnam [in a support group where I was] made his regular duties as a house, or Germany, you were cleaning their guns, washing socks, grabbed the rain and a hot shower. Married men have been trying not to feel the pain of missing women, and I received a Dear John letter, for example, my girls from Augsburg, Germany, was no longer going to write to me - as I expected, but I My Grief on leaveSt. Paul, Minn., a tear, a river, destroyed, or was it two rivers, however, can not remember, was too long ago. In war it is better to leave behind the love letters.

But it was over [the report of Augsburg], and I was glad I did not want to end up like the other guys --- that is in a hurry and wait, hoping to get to the mailbag, we get one or two letters every day to give you the power and control of your life to this person, and decide what to write whenYou - all plug your mind you think '... I go to war to die today and go to hell, or do you think they do back home. "This raises the question of who should live, because surely Charlie, the enemy does not want, and how I've always said, and I said I would go home together, or not, and if Charlie had in me. By the way, we would both go to hell together, but married men always wanted to go home, they thought of home And you know what in your head most of the time. especially ifwere married or had a short time, she always seemed busy. In a combat zone, this can be dangerous.

I do not want to walk before dark, to wake in their sleep, while in Vietnam, so I slept with one eye open all the time, while in Vietnam, and if a shadow crossed my path, who would die or would have liked to have .

On other occasions, someone could say to my companions,

"Why do you always keep the gun locked and loaded ...?" Meaning ready to shoot, "... even if you know Charlie isthe hills, two miles away, something harmless, only if it remains there. "My answer was always,

"I like that has been loaded - it's good for me, as I am in control, the way I want." It would concern some of my friends that I'm afraid shoot them by mistake. And I suppose that anything was possible.

m

Vietnam had many things to me, you could say that its a bag full of experiences, such as, but not quite as, Augsburg, Germany, where I landed in a novel,yup, that's where it was before it was released later in Vietnam. And San Francisco was also quite a learning experience where I lived for a year before joining the army and was sent there to Augusta. Somehow that seems to combine all of them because everyone else will end up in a mixed here in Vietnam.

Bring some 'of my experiences new heroin, and the search for my dance on top of a hut in the middle of the jungle free supply, where I and four other soldierswere the reduction of metal supply house. Even here we were listening to the top of the roof, dance, music, some Bob Dylan, I think, and turtles, etc., because there were no war. I kept my M16 Locked and Loaded, though, - but God does not want to come to the enemy, I had left on the ground by some other clothes I hang up. I had to jump off the roof, take my gun up to this point, we'd all be dead.

After several hours of rope-a-dope adventure, we had the placeAll dismantled, so that Charlie could not use it, and then we returned to base camp. That was my first use of white gold, heroin. Three dollars per capsule, and you could smoke, rubbing in the veins, or for that matter, inject, but I liked it. It 'was so good, I told myself, this was not happening again. I will certainly end up with a joke, drugs, and this was not the right place.

Like the sun, that day we had once again returned to our team in time for dinner. Ushad rice mixed with eggs, hamburger and green peppers and fried all together, it was fantastic.

m

The storage of ammunition, as we called [ammunition supply area] where I work so much, I fly a slap in the face all day in the little wooden hut that we used seemed to office. And to be perfectly honest, which in itself is a stressful job, especially when there is no wind to vent through the place. And just try not to crush them, eaten alive, that is, they land on everything, everywhere, all daylong.

Outside the hut was the only copper falls on you like you could almost touch the ball yourself, you can cook an egg on a rock, one of the soldiers tried, it works. Often, when things are slow, and often did, he would daydream on the porch of the hut, or go around looking for a stick to clean his ass, because there was no toilet paper.

With wives or lovers are really in love with back home for the first time the heat and rain of the lostVietnam, but again I say this because there was no reason for concern at times. I've often thought of the Israeli army, according to my understanding, if a person was married, she would not allow him to serve for a year or so. That made good sense, had her sex, her house was in order, for the most part, and concentrated.

Nights of stars seemed less, no birds sing at all, in fact, there were no birds. Not in the jungle or in the ammunition depot, only dry heat, lizards, and not too far fromSouth China Sea coast. No birds, no birds, no sir never, ever heard, no bird at all - and if I had ever seen. [As I write this I hear them now before my windows, chirping and singing. What a beautiful sound!]

m

It seemed to me that would make me live through Vietnam, I never thought that I would not be until I was breathing and not bleeding. One of my friends did it the hard way, has screwed so many women, so he has all these different types of sexually transmitted diseasesDisease, some have never heard of, and was sent to Japan for treatment. Her back was bent backwards like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. We had to talk into the night, and said simply: "Chick, sometimes I sleep with three times a day."

I said: "You must stop, look, what it is, yes," which was a month before he had the disease for the fifth time, or was it 7? In any case, this time has a difficult time, it seemed to me was, it was agreed at the problems of the spine, and talkit was too painful, I could say, and the next day he was gone. What a way to go without a fight, only bad company. I think we have chosen all our sins and our way of dealing with them and the unknown, with boredom and fun rules, which were here: and most of the way, how we deal with issues as they were treated by separating the [suspension of your mind / or reality], was about sex, drugs, gambling, fighting, or alcohol, as I often choose, or what was available. I think that war is war,Do not sit waiting for the pizza man is, we should fight or training to do what we did.

@

And I'm here in Vietnam, is the year l971, on the other side of the world, no poet, no people rich, not lawyers, but one of the guys named Presley, was a relative of Elvis' [or so it has said]. However, the rich and famous were not present, it is not always the case? It 'easy to say who is and who is not expendable, government. No disrespectit should, because I do not mind, here I must be a better place, no one waiting for me at home, not a girl, that is. For me it's just a trip into the jungle along the coast.

My Hutch

And 'I971 was the winter I lived in a barn at a military base in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, Research and dry, white sand and dirt that is packed against the hills around the camp, there was a radar station, above us. Down to the shore on the coast of southern ChinaSea, there were a couple of shrines, temples hidden in the jungle, and a road that leads to three ammunition dumps, Alpha, Charlie and Delta [alpha, the Air Force Dump]. It was dry and the sand was white, in fact perfect for a beach to swim and to paraphrase a voice that has spoken on this area in a resort type transformed after the war, could well be a good area for a location with financial planning and capital could be perfect, it was actually in the air, orI must say, with Americans present, some businessmen. I could not imagine such a place, be realistic, but who knows, things have happened stupid, I told myself. It was not always, you can watch two pictures at once, and prospects. But it could once again set to be a location.

I belonged to 611th Ordnance Company, there were 167 troops at the mine, with two rolls of stalls in the campsite, [four men in a hut], a dining roomStables, those in-between a floor of metal extending from the stalls at the fair with holes that covered the yard. A measure of safety for all creatures great and small, who wanted to visit us, such as snakes, lizards and scorpions, and who knows what else.

We also had a parent room [head] in front of our Military Liaison [or camping / complex], a shower of the complex way in the back where the bathrooms were outside, which left him a little 'even if isolated - not bad for a combination combat zone. And right next to our company has become a society of Military Police [MP], and their structure was similar to ours. Outside of our area was dusty dirt road connecting the compressed air hard, very hard done dirt dirt - and, I would add that with some rocks and cover the surface.
m

Winter in Vietnam was not like in the winter in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I came from. Here in Vietnam, it was hot, hot, muggy and hot, sometimesThe humidity was like a hot shower in your sweat. There were more lizards of dogs, some up to six meters. More than mice and scorpions were more jumbo bull as mosquito wasps, but cats, I think we were like them in this category in Minnesota vs. Vietnam, Cam Ranh Bay in particular. Yes it was a cat lover might say oasis. But these long-legged monster bull-tail giant mosquitoes and cockroaches, flies a foot over his head was enough to keep the mindbusy, if I had to think about anything else, and found themselves up all night with a crown of them in the head - is a giant cockroach on my face to wake up at night, and sometimes bite. And if you think they do not bite, think again.

And if they kill me at my ease in my stable I donate twenty minutes, thirty years ago, was flying, I know, I always come back to this fly problems, but they were everywhere, even in my dreams, yes, ratherSheep jumping over the fence, I'd crush the flies. But why complain, I told myself, I do not have to comb your hair, shine my boots, or for that matter do not impress, dress for brass [official], as in Germany. I believe that everything has its good and bad elements to.

Ê

When I arrived the first time in Vietnam, it was a flat night, the air was thin - as if he could not breathe, gently we [the more than 200 soldiers with me from the beam] is moving to a metalPlatform [something like our camp was here] again, I suppose, scorpions, no other living beings to do the Charlie [the enemy] did. We were moved, as I said, the plane was off the plane on the deck and then pulled away quickly, the enemy was not into them is null and destroy it. Then there are the bus to the processing center in Cam Ranh Bay. And there in the middle of the night, we waited and waited and waited.

We were like a stream of soldier antslong and tortuous as a football field. And even if 205 000 soldiers in Vietnam, when I arrived, or so I've heard, it was not so many as here a year ago - in retrospect, withdraw it slowly, in a place where there are over 500,000.

In any case, more to come and go twice a day from this position to my understanding.

We did not know what to expect the first few hours and nothing happened, just like the old saying goes. "Hurry ... Wait 'L'Army is good for this. I had only eight months before my service was, and I would quit the army, but I heard were the expansion of some soldiers, an additional 6-9 months, - it is open to all, I met some who are within a few weeks, has extended its so-called date of leaving Vietnam. In any case, I felt I could do standing on my head [the eight months that is] still, this heat does not make me very well, and I felt then, when things are for me, it wouldDass

Being from Minnesota, I was more accustomed to the cold and hot. In fact, I had 10 months of Augsburg, Germany spent just before coming here, and it was a bit 'spicy, but not that bad time. It seems to me that easily, as I have set, or perhaps family had just returned to Germany, and I was picky with this damn hot.

In Minnesota, we had really hot summers, so maybe once again my complaint unfounded, and the extreme cold in winter. And so I said, I woulda [way]. I also appreciate the way to the snow and cold of Germany and Minnesota, for the most part.

"This," said the soldier next to me [while I was with 200 other soldiers who arrived first waited with me in Vietnam].

[I gave him a hint, I assure you he was upset, or are not sure what I] I do not know.

Another man on my extreme south [of about 100 meters] found a pop machine and bought two cold Coca-Cola, drankfaster than counting to ten, and must have shocked his system because of the extreme heat, and leave, as if he were dead - but has simply moved only by changes in body temperature.

[E 'was in February, l971.] I got my khaki shirt that day, wiped the dirt from my eyes and leaned against the wall. Something told me it would be possible for a whole night and all day tomorrow to be something that is, processing me into the country with over 200 soldierswith me [and was].

Cam Ranh Bay Vietnam - first duty station [1971]

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Source: http://singingkaraokemachinebuynow.blogspot.com/2011/09/cam-ranh-bay-vietnam-first-duty-station.html

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Một số website .vn bị hack ngày 28/06

http://ndwrpi.gov.vn notified by LatinHackTeam http://www.zone-h.org/mirror/id/14239792
http://tthc.bacgiang.gov.vn/in.txt notified by brwsk007 http://www.zone-h.org/mirror/id/14273539
http://tcdlcl.dosttn.gov.vn/in.txt notified by brwsk007 http://www.zone-h.org/mirror/id/14273590
http://kntc.bacgiang.gov.vn/index.html notified by Ashiyane Digital Security Team http://www.zone-h.org/mirror/id/14242630

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Hacker Trung Quốc tiếp tục tấn công các Website Việt Nam [ tintuc.xalo.vn và HVAonline.net]

Sau đợt tấn công hàng trăm website của Việt Nam vào tuần trước, Hacker Trung Quốc lại tiếp sử dụng phương thức DDOS để tấn công vào các website hàng đầu của Việt Nam. Nguyên nhân của sự việc này là thông tin các "hacker" Việt Nam tấn công các website của TQ được đăng tải trên các trang mạng của TQ, sự việc này đã làm nổi lên làn sóng phản công của các hacker TQ.

Điển hình là diễn đàn hacker lớn nhất Việt Nam HVAonline.net và trang tin tức tintuc.xalo.vn đã bị tấn công khá nặng nề dẫn đến tình trạng bị tê liệt một số thời gian.

Theo thông báo của Ban quản trị diễn đàn HVA, báo cáo của nhà cung cấp dịch vụ hosting cho thấy phần lớn các địa chỉ IP tấn công từ chối dịch vụ DDOS có nguồn từ Trung Quốc. Trong mạng lưới các máy tính tham gia tấn công (botnet) cũng có cả một số dải IP của Việt Nam. Điều này chứng tỏ không ít máy cá nhân ở Việt Nam đã bị nhiễm virus và trở thành máy tính ma (zombies) tham gia vào botnet của hacker Trung Quốc.

Nguồn: http://vietnamnet.vn/vn/cong-nghe-thong-tin-vien-thong/25714/dien-dan-hacker-viet-bi-hacker-tq-tan-cong.html

( Ảnh chụp màn hình phần mềm điều khiển tấn DDOS vào trang tintuc.xalo.vn)

Ngoài ra còn có rất nhiều website khác cũng bị tấn công DDOS khá nặng nề:

1. http://www.vietgate.net/
2. http://www.nhandan.com.vn/
3. http://www.vietnamtrade.org/
4. http://www.customs.gov.vn/
5. http://us.24h.com.vn/
6. http://vietnamnet.vn/
7. http://www.vneconomy.com.vn/
8. http://www.zing.vn/news/

Theo nhận định của nhóm VSG thì sự việc này sẽ còn tiếp diễn và kéo theo sự tham gia của một số lượng lớn hacker Trung Quốc theo chủ nghĩa dân tộc. Hiện nay một số mạng Việt Nam, băng thôgn ra quốc tế cũng khá chậm, không rõ là việc này có phải là do ảnh hưởng từ các cuộc tấn công của TQ hay không vì chưa được kiểm chứng.

Nhóm VSG tổng hợp.

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Báo điện tử Petrotimes.vn bị hacker tấn công xóa dữ liệu

Tờ báo điện tử đưa tin đầu nguồn về các vụ tàu Trung Quốc xâm phạm lãnh hải, cắt cáp thăm dò địa chấn của các tàu Petrovietnam vừa bị tấn công làm tê liệt tối qua, 9/6.

Dữ liệu website Petrotimes.vn cũng bị hacker xóa sạch nhưng rất may đã được sao lưu đầy đủ nên không gây thiệt hại nào đáng kể.

Trả lời phóng viên VietNamNet, ông Nguyễn Như Phong, Tổng biên tập Báo điện tử Tin nhanh Năng Lượng Mới – PetroTimes.vn, cho biết: Vào lúc hơn 20h tối qua (9/6), một lượng truy cập khoảng trên 600 ngàn kết nối đồng thời đã dồn vào websie petrotimes.vn khiến website bị ngừng hoạt động vì quá tải.

Không chỉ bị tấn công từ chối dịch vụ, ông Nguyễn Như Phong cho biết toàn bộ dữ liệu của website Petrotimes đã bị hacker xóa sạch. Tuy nhiên, nhờ có sự cảnh báo từ trước của các cơ quan chức năng và an ninh mạng, toàn bộ hệ thống đã được sao lưu dữ liệu đầy đủ nên website đã được khôi phục trở lại nhanh chóng và chỉ bị gián đoạn trong khoảng hơn 30 phút.

Lúc 5h30 sáng qua (9/6), một tàu Trung Quốc tiếp tục xâm phạm lãnh hải Việt Nam và cắt cáp địa chấn tàu Viking II của Petrovietnam. Do có thông tin đầu nguồn của ngành dầu khí, PetroTimes.vn là tờ báo điện tử đưa tin và ảnh chụp, video đầu tiên về vụ việc trong buổi chiều cùng ngày.

Sau khi đưa tin về việc tàu Viking II bị cắt cáp được vài tiếng, PetroTimes đã phải hứng chịu cuộc tấn công kép từ hacker nước ngoài, bao gồm cả tấn công từ chối dịch vụ và xâm nhập phá hoại cơ sở dữ liệu. Các thông tin phân tích dữ liệu log cho thấy có nhiều dải địa chỉ IP tham gia tấn công xuất phát từ Trung Quốc.

Trước đó, ngày 8/6, trang web của Trung tâm biên phiên dịch quốc gia thuộc Bộ Ngoại giao VN tại địa chỉ ntc.mofa.gov.vn cũng đã bị tin tặc xâm nhập và treo cờ Trung Quốc, đồng thời thay đổi nội dung các đường link bên trái website.

Việc các webiste chính thống của Việt Nam phát ngôn, đưa thông tin trực tiếp về vụ các tàu Trung Quốc xâm phạm lãnh hải, cắt cáp tầu thăm dò dầu khí của Việt Nam đều bị tấn công cho thấy các hacker nước ngoài đang chuyển hướng tấn công vào các mục tiêu website quan trọng của Việt Nam chứ không chỉ dừng lại ở các website nhỏ lẻ của doanh nghiệp, cá nhân thiếu bảo mật như trước. Đây là một hành động leo thang về tấn công mạng đáng lo ngại, cũng như có sự liên quan mật thiết với các hành động xâm phạm lãnh hải Việt Nam của tàu Trung Quốc.

• Huy Phong

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Hàng loạt website Việt Nam bị một nhóm hacker nước ngoài tấn công

Liên tiếp trong vài ngày gần đây, nhiều người phát hiện ra hàng loạt website của các tổ chức lớn tại Việt Nam đồng loạt bị tấn công nhằm mục đích deface (thay đổi) giao diện trang chủ. Dựa trên thông điệp để lại: "HACKED BY HASHOR "ASHIYANE DIGITAL SECURITY TEAM"" - 1 thành viên nhóm hacker Ashiyane của Iran đang là đối tượng bị tình nghi.

Trong số các nạn nhận của đợt tấn công này, có thể thấy nhiều cái tên thuộc các tổ chức, cơ quan lớn như tên miền: BigC.vn (đăng ký bởi công ty thương mại quốc tế và dịch vụ Đại Siêu Thị Big C), donglucsport.com.vn (công ty thể thao Động Lực), tanhoangviet.com.vn (công ty thương mại kỹ thuật Tân Hoàng Việt), ceci.org.vn (trung tâm nghiên cứu hợp tác quốc tế Canada), cect.gov.vn (trung tâm tư vấn công nghệ và môi trường - Tổng cục môi trường), sonongnghiep.binhduong.gov.vn (Sở nông nghiệp Bình Dương)...

Ngay cả tên miền rất có giá trên thị trường chuyển nhượng là: baobongda.com.vn cũng bị tấn công. Rất may, lỗ hổng bảo mật trên các website trên đã hầu hết đã được khắc phục và hoạt động trở lại bình thường.

Theo tìm hiểu, Ashiyane Digital Security Team (ADST) là một trong ba nhóm hacker nổi tiếng nhất Iran, bên cạnh Iran Hackers Sabotage Team và Iran Babol-Hackers Security Team. Theo số liệu của Zone-H, ADST chịu trách nhiệm cho hàng ngàn vụ tấn công khác nhau, tính cả các vụ do từng thành viên đơn lẻ thực hiện.

Cũng giống như nhóm Iran Hackers Sabotage Team, mục đích chính của ADST là thông qua việc hack các trang web, chúng muốn bán những thông tin trợ giúp an ninh mạng, web hosting và dịch vụ mạng. Bên cạnh đó cũng có nhiều bằng chứng cho thấy động cơ chính trị trong những hành động phá hoại. Đơn cử như vụ tấn công vào trang web của NASA do nhóm này tiến hành là một câu trả lời cho những động thái của Mỹ tại Trung Đông.

ADST được tổ chức khá bài bản và quy củ. Chúng được chia thành nhiều nhóm, phụ trách nhiều mảng khác nhau như quản lý, thiết kế phần mềm hay nhóm chỉ có nhiệm vụ thay đổi hoàn toàn giao diện trang web bị hack.

Độ tuổi các thành viên ADST trung bình từ 16 đến 28 tuổi, nhóm người này sở hữu những kỹ năng công nghệ thông tin đa dạng. Phần lớn các thành viên đều thông thạo việc sử dụng các hệ điều hành như Windows, UNIX, Cisco IOS hay LINUX. Một số khác lại có kinh nghiệm lập trình trên nhiều nền ngôn ngữ như C, C++, VC++, Delphi hay Perl.

Mặc dù kỹ năng có thể khác nhau, nhưng tất cả đều “khoe khoang” đã có kinh nghiệm hack các hệ thống mạng, vượt tường lửa, bẻ khóa các shareware... Một vài thành viên thậm chí còn mở những lớp học dạy can thiệp vào hệ thống mạng, phân chia theo các cấp độ khác nhau.

Cuộc tấn công của ADST nhằm vào nhiều website Việt Nam có lẽ chỉ mang ý nghĩa lấy thành tích và tập luyện. Tuy nhiên, dù với lý do gì thì các hành động này cũng đáng bị lên án.

(Tổng hợp - gameK)

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Việc nhóm hacker Iran hay Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ tấn công vào các web site tại Việt Nam đã ko còn là lạ, với việc lơ là bảo mật và chưa đầu tư nhiều vào công tác bảo mật nên các Website Việt Nam thường mắc những lỗi bảo mật rất căn bản. Qua tìm hiểu của mình thì các nhóm hacker Trung Đông tấn công các website của Vn thường bằng những lỗi sau đây:

1. Dựa vào những lỗi đã được công bố của các mã nguồn mở thông dụng như Joomla, Phpnuke, Dotnetnuke . . .
2. Lỗi WebDAV ( đây là một lỗi khá phổ biến trên các server chính phủ chạy phiên bản Windows server cũ)
3. Hacker sử dụng các tool Auto để Bruce Force các Website và server đặt password kém

Có thời gian mình sẽ liệt kê dần những lỗi căn bản này!

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Iraq, Afghanistan, and the ghost of Vietnam

When the last US combat brigade left Iraq last week, it did so in triumph. The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division rolled across the border into Kuwait leaving an Iraq that is relatively stable, even though many politicians and opponents of the war had called it hopeless less than four years ago. Many of the same people are similarly painting the war in Afghanistan as a lost cause today.

We should all be proud of the magnificent job that the US military has done in Iraq and Afghanistan. Units who fought in these theaters of the War on Terror include soldiers from the Georgia Army National Guard, Rangers from Hunter Army Air Field, and elements of the 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning. Georgia soldiers also served with units based around the country and the world.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have long been compared to the US experience in Vietnam with many warning of a quagmire as US forces engaged al Qaeda and Shiite insurgents. It is possible however, that many in this country have learned the wrong lesson from the history of the Vietnam War.

It is widely believed in some circles that it is almost impossible for a conventional force to defeat insurgents fighting a guerilla war. This view is ignorant both of world military history as well as the history of the many small wars that the US has fought around the world. The US military, especially the Marine Corps, has defeated or neutralized insurgents in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Nicaragua, and even Vietnam. The story of these and other conflicts is detailed in Max Boot’s The Savage Wars of Peace.

Boot disputes the conventional wisdom that the US military was defeated by the Viet Cong in a guerilla war. He explains how General William Westmoreland was the wrong man for the command of the US forces in Vietnam. Westmoreland was a West Pointer who tried to fight a conventional, big unit war similar to what he experienced in WWII and Korea.

Mounting casualties led to increasing public opposition, especially after the Tet Offensive of 1968. During Tet, the VC violated an armistice to launch surprise attacks around South Vietnam. The scale of the attacks convinced many, including veteran newsman Walter Cronkite, that the insurgency was not nearly defeated, as many in the government and the military had claimed. In reality, Tat was a huge defeat for the VC. WE and ARVN counterattacks decimated VC ranks and they never recovered (Boot, p. 310).

In the wake of Tet, General Westmoreland was replaced by General Creighton Abrams. Abrams implemented a “one war” strategy that focused on “clear and hold” in a manner similar to General Piraeus’ successful strategy in Iraq. William Colby, leader of the CIA’s Phoenix Program was also instrumental in turning the war around. The Phoenix Program targeted VC cadres in South Vietnam and was responsible. The program led to the killing of 26,000 local VC as well capturing 33,000 and inducing 22,000 to defect (Boot, p. 310).

The methods of Abrams and Colby were so successful that in 1970, only two years after Tet, 90% of South Vietnam was under Saigon’s control (Boot, p. 311). Sir Richard Thompson, a counterinsurgency expert, wrote in 1970 that he was “able to visit areas and walk through villages which had been under VC control for years. There was a much greater feeling of security and people were ready to take up arms for the government because they sensed that the VC were weaker…. Existing roads are kept open, and more are being repaired and opened monthly” (Boot, p. 311).

Yet we know that the Vietnamese communists ultimately prevailed, overrunning the South and reuniting the nation under communist rule. So what happened? In a word: Congress.

Richard Nixon began a policy of Vietnamization, turning over prosecution of the war to the Vietnamese and drawing down US forces in the country. As US forces left, the North Vietnamese saw an opportunity. On March 30, 1972, the NVA launched its Easter Offensive, a conventional forces invasion of the South. Nevertheless, the ARVN forces were able to hold long enough for US airpower to inflict heavy losses on the invaders and the NVA was ultimately turned back (Boot, p. 310-311).

The strong showing led the North Vietnamese to sign the Paris Peace Treaty on January 27, 1973. This was a victory for the United States since it imposed an immediate ceasefire in addition to stipulating the withdrawal of US troops. President Nixon promised the South Vietnamese that the US would come to their aid if the North Vietnamese broke the ceasefire (http://hnn.us/articles/31400.html).

Unfortunately for the South Vietnamese, President Nixon was forced to resign in 1974. Even before that, Congress passed the Case-Church Amendment on June 19, 1973 which banned US military activity in Southeast Asia after August 15. Congress also cut aid to South Vietnam from $1.26 billion to $700 million (http://hnn.us/articles/31400.html). The North Vietnamese sensed blood in the water.

In 1975, the North Vietnamese launched a second conventional invasion of the South. This time, without American airpower or aid, the ARVNs fell back. Boot reports that the situation was so dire that the South Vietnamese troops had to reuse bandages taken from corpses (p. 310-311). With no American help forthcoming, an angry South Vietnamese President Thieu pleaded, “If [the U.S.] grant full aid we will hold the whole country, but if they only give half of it, we will only hold half of the country” (http://hnn.us/articles/31400.html). Instead, Congress granted no aid and South Vietnam fell in 55 days.

Many of the prominent Democrats who prevented the US from honoring its commitments to South Vietnam also opposed the Iraq War. These include Senators John Kerry and Ted Kennedy.

Knowing the full story of the fall of Saigon, the lesson that we should learn is that when our enemies cannot defeat us on the battlefield, they sow dissension at home. They realize that their best chance is to exhaust the political will of the government’s civilian leaders. General Vo Nguyen Giap, leader of the NVA, stated “We were not strong enough to drive out a half-million American troops, but that was not our aim. Our intention was to break the will of the American Government to continue the war” (Boot, p. 316).

A very real danger is that history will repeat itself in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thanks in large part to the sacrifice and hard work of the US military, Iraq is now much more stable than many observers believed possible a mere four years ago. The turnaround is also due to President Bush’s troop surge and General Petraeus’ counterinsurgency strategy. Afghanistan has further to go, but variations on the same strategy could also work there given enough time. It is a testimony to the stabilizing effect of US forces, and the reality of the danger that remains, that more than half of Iraqis did not want US troops to leave yet (http://frankwarner.typepad.com/free_frank_warner/2010/08/poll-60-of-iraqis-want-us-troops-to-stay.html).

Much of the violence in Iraq was caused by Shiite militia groups supported by Iran. Iran pledged to the Iraqi government in 2007 that it would stop equipping and training these groups (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/06/AR2007110600853.html). This pledge may have been partly to reduce the violence in Iraq and lull the US into a false sense of security, making it politically easier for the Obama Administration to withdraw US combat troops. It might also have been inspired by the possibility of uniting Iraqi Shiites into a political bloc that would elect a government friendly to Iran.

As Iran moves ever closer to developing nuclear weapons, it is possible that they will become emboldened by President Obama’s stated goal of a withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan by July 2011. A nuclear armed Iran that is faced with only token US opposition might well decide that a conventional invasion of Iraq is in their best interests. After all, Iraq is a long-time enemy that fought a decade long war with Iran in the 1980s. Perhaps more importantly, Iraq also controls significant oil reserves. Control of Iraq’s oil would make Iran exponentially more powerful on the world stage. Nuclear weapons in the Persian Gulf and conventional forces in Iraq would also threaten the vast oil reserves of Saudi Arabia.

The danger for the United States is that, like the Americans of 1975, we will be tempted to wash our hands of Iraq if an Iranian invasion comes. To do so, would be a mistake of the worst order. Not only would Iranian domination of the Persian Gulf threaten our own economy, it would also threaten our allies Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, as well as the economies of the industrialized world. It would be very difficult to form a “coalition of the willing” to stave off a nuclear-armed terrorist state.

Additionally, it would further damage America’s reputation abroad if countries in which the US has invested vast amounts of men and material are allowed to fall to Iran. A fall of Baghdad and Kabul would arouse similar emotions as the famous photo of US embassy personnel being evacuated by helicopter from the roof of the Saigon embassy. It would lead our allies to question whether we can be counted upon and our enemies to sense our weakness.

Americans should make no mistake: Just because US forces are no longer in a combat role in Iraq, it does not mean that the war is over. It merely means that US troops are less likely to die in combat and that native forces are doing the lion’s share of the work. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to continue for some time as long as al Qaeda and Iran continue to oppose the elected governments and the US doesn’t cut off aid. As George Orwell once said, “the quickest way to end a war is to lose it.”

Sources:
Boot, Max. The Savage Wars of Peace. Basic Books, New York, NY. 2002
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/06/AR2007110600853.html
http://hnn.us/articles/31400.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96350333
http://frankwarner.typepad.com/free_frank_warner/2010/08/poll-60-of-iraqis-want-us-troops-to-stay.html

Denver CO
August 27, 2010

Source: http://captainkudzu.blogspot.com/2010/08/iraq-afghanistan-and-ghost-of-vietnam.html

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Check Out JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy for $9.31

JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy Review

I'm reading a stunning book written by the late L. Fletcher Prouty who served as the chief of special operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Kennedy presidency. A retired colonel of the U.S. Air Force, Prouty was in charge of the global system designed to provide military support for the CIA's secret activities. He knew where the bodies were buried and the file cabinet containing the paperwork used to cover it up.

Prouty was a source for Oliver Stone's movie "JFK" and was portrayed as "Mr. X" by Donald Sutherland, the man in black who advised New Orleans DA Jim Garrison (portrayed by Kevin Costner) that he was on the trail to the truth.

If you have ANY interest whatsoever in learning the truth of the events that led to what happened to our country on Nov. 22nd, 1963 and changed the course of its direction, read it.

A brief excerpt from the 375+ page book that is the most detailed account of the inception of the CIA and the events that culminated in the coup d'etat on Elm Street in Dallas on a sunny day in November.

Excerpt:

From Chapter 16 - Government by Coup d'Etat

The year was 1964. Pres. John F. Kennedy had been shot dead months before by bursts of "automatic gunfire" in Dallas by "mechanics," that is, skilled gunmen, hired by a power cabal determined to exert control over the United States government. Lyndon B. Johnson, JFK's successor, had been only a few feet under the bullets fired at Kennedy as he rode two cars back in that fatal procession.

By 1964 Johnson was becoming mired in the swamp of the Indochina conflict. Kennedy, who had vowed to "break the CIA into a thousand pieces," was dead. LBJ, who had heard those fatal bullets zing past his ears, had learned the ultimate lesson; and for good measure, Richard Nixon was in Dallas on that fatal day, so that he, too, had the fact of this ever-present danger imprinted on his memory for future use by his masters.

From Chapter 18 - Setting the Stage for the Death of JFK

"The significance of all this was that I had introduced President Kennedy's Vietnam policy statement NSAM #263, into these discussions. It is my belief that the policy announced so forcefully by Kennedy in his earlier NSAM #55 and in NSAM #263 had been the major factor in causing the decision by certain elements of the power elite to do away with Kennedy before his reelection and to take control of the U.S. government in the process.

Kennedy's NSAM #263 policy would have assured that Americans by the hundreds of thousands would not have been sent to the war in Vietnam. This policy was anathema to elements of the military-industrial complex, their bankers, and their allies in the government. This policy and the almost certain fact that Kennedy would have been reelected President in 1964 set the stage for the plot to assassinate him."

I can't put this book down. It is without doubt, the most thorough explanation of the rogue CIA, it's influence and impact on America's involvement in paramilitary operations around the world and subsequent growing conflicts. It is, as Prouty describes:

"...For the world as a whole, the CIA has now become the bogey that communism had been for America. Wherever there is trouble, violence, suffering, tragedy, the rest of us are now quick to suspect the CIA had a hand in it. Our phobia about the CIA is, no doubt, as fantastically excessive as America's phobia about world communism; but in this case, too, there is just enough convincing guidance to make the phobia genuine...

"This is what the destruction of sovereignty and disregard for the rule of law means, and it will not stop there. With it will go property rights -- as we have witnessed in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union -- and the rights of man."

It's not hard to understand why Obama hasn't pulled out of Iraq or Afghanistan. He can't. The military industrial complex and their bankers won't let him.

This is a fascinating look into the world of the power elite: the supremely powerful international bankers who keep the books and balances for each side.

"They make these transactions possible by offering the loans, issuing letters of credit, and collecting the interest on the entire package. In many LDCs (third world "less developed countries") the total amount of interest paid to the banks and their international financing structure amounts to more than half of the total value of dollars earned by their exports. For this reason, annual payments are seldom more than the interest involved and none of the principal. This is one reason why the principal never comes back to the United States." (p. 243 - Ch. Sixteen - Government by Coup d'Etat)

Though the title focuses on the CIA, Vietnam and the plot to kill JFK, this 355 page (not including six pages of notes) book goes much further. It lays out and explains the real power -- the international power elite -- that designs the strategy and moves the pieces on the global chess board of politics, finance, and wars, domestic and international.

Prouty's very detailed book is based on a 19-part magazine series first developed by Prouty, with and published by Freedom Magazine. Prouty served as the chief of special operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Kennedy presidency. A retired U.S. Air Force colonel, Prouty was in charge of the global system that provided military support for the CIA's secret activities. He was witness to activities, machinations and policy-making in the Pentagon and the White House that few others can claim. Prouty died in 2001.

"The year was 1964. Pres. John F. Kennedy had been shot dead months before by bursts of "automatic gunfire" in Dallas by "mechanics," that is, skilled gunmen hired by a power cabal determined to exert control over the United States government. Lyndon B. Johnson, JFK's successor, had been only a few feet under the bullets fired at Kennedy as he rode two cars back in that fatal procession.

"By 1964 Johnson was becoming mired in the swamp of the Indochina conflict. Kennedy, who had vowed to "break the CIA into a thousand pieces," was dead. LBJ, who heard those fatal bullets zing past his ears, had learned the ultimate lesson; and for good measure, Richard Nixon was in Dallas on that fateful day, so that he, too, had the fact of this ever-present danger imprinted on his memory for future use by his masters. (Ch. Sixteen, Government by Coup d'Etat - p 232)

~~*~~

When World War II ended with the nuclear bomb, the military industrial complex had a dilemma -- it understood that the next world war would be the final one, Yet it needed a way to keep the lucrative business of war making alive and profitable. How? By fighting a war waged for dollars, without a true military objective, under the control of civilian leaders, a war never intended to achieve victory. Enter Vietnam. Sound familiar?

Chapter Eighteen - "Setting the Stage for the Death of JFK"

[p 267]

Kennedy's NSAM #265 policy would have assured that Americans by the hundreds of thousands would not have been sent to the war in Vietnam. This policy was anathema to elements of the military-industrial complex, their bankers, and their allies in the government. This policy and the almost certain fact that Kennedy would be reelected President in 1964 set the stage for the plot to assassinate him.

[snip]

First of all, NSAM #263, October 11, 1963, was a crucial White House document. Much of it, guided by White House policy, was actually written by my boss in the Pentagon, General Krulak, myself, and others of his staff. I am familiar with it and with events which led to its creation.

[snip]

Our history books and the basic sources of history which lie buried in the archives of government documents that have been concealed from the public, and worse still, government documents that have been tampered with and forged. As I have just demonstrated above, this most important policy statement, NSAM #263, that so many historians and journalists say does not exist, has been divided into two sections in the Pentagon Papers source history.

~~*~~

Chapter Nineteen - Visions of a Kennedy Dynasty

[pp 289-290]

"With Kennedy's announcement that he was getting Americans out of Vietnam, he confirmed that he was moving away from the pattern of Cold War confrontation in favor of détente. He asked Congress to cut the defense budget. Major programs were being phased out. As a result, pressure from several fronts began to build against the young President. The pressure came from those most affected by cuts in the military budget, in the NASA space program, and in the enormous potential cost -- and profit -- of the Vietnam War.

Kennedy's plans would mean an end to the warfare in Indochina, which the United States had been supporting for nearly two decades. This would mean the end to some very big business plans, as the following anecdote will illustrate.

It was reported in an earlier chapter that the First National Bank of Boston had sent William F. Thompson, a vice president, to my office in the Pentagon in 1959, presumably after discussions with CIA officials, to explore "the future of the utilization of the helicopter in [clandestine] military operations" that had been taking place in Indochina up to 1959.

A client of that bank was Textron, Inc. The bank had suggested to Textron officials that the acquisition of the near-bankrupt Bell Aircraft Company, and particularly its helicopter division, might be a good move. What the bank and Textron needed to determine was the extent of use of helicopters by the military and by the CIA then and the potential for their future in Indochina.

Both parties were satisfied with the information they acquired from the Pentagon and from other sources in Washington. In due time the acquisition took place, and on October 13, 1963, news media in South Vietnam reported that an elite paramilitary force had made its first helicopter strike against the Vietcong from "Huey" Bell-Textron helicopters. It was also reported in an earlier chapter that more than five thousand helicopters were ultimately destroyed in Indochina and that billions of dollars were spent on helicopter purchases for those lost and their replacements.

Continuing the warfare in Vietnam, in other words, was of vital importance to these particular powerful financial and manufacturing groups. And helicopters, of course, were but one part of the 0 billion cost of U.S. participation in that conflict. Most of the 0 billion, in fact, was spent after 1963; only - billion had been spent on direct U.S. military activities in Vietnam in all of the years since World War II up to and including 1963. Had Kennedy lived, it would not have gone much higher than that.

It is often difficult to retrace episodes in history and to locate an incident that became crucial to subsequent events. Here, however, we have a rare opportunity.

The success of the deal between the First National Bank of Boston, Textron, and Bell hinged on the escalation of the war in Indochina. A key man in this plan was Walter Dornberger, chief of the German Rocket Center at Peenemunde, Germany, during World War II and later an official with the Bell Aircraft Company. Dornberger's associate and later protegé from Peenumunde, Wehrner von Braun, who had been instrumental in the development of the army's Pershing and Jupiter rocket systems, became a central figure in NASA's plans for the race to the moon. Such connections among skilled technicians can be of great importance within the military-industrial complex, as they generally lead to bigger budgets for all related programs.

Kennedy had announced a reduced military budget, the end of American participation in Indochina, and a major change in the race to the moon. It takes no special wisdom or inside knowledge to understand that certain vested interests considered the Kennedy proposal to defuse Vietnam and these other major budget items to be extremely dangerous to their own plans.

The pressure brought to bear on Kennedy was intense, but some sort of major event was needed that would stir emotions and trigger action. It is very likely that the death of President Ngo Dinh Diem of Vietnam and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, on November 1, 1963, in Saigon was one of those events. There were at least eight or nine more that, in retrospect, indicate that a plot against Kennedy had begun to unfold."

~~*~~

Is it any wonder that despite his campaign rhetoric to the contrary, Obama is still in Iraq and Afghanistan???

If you apply what Prouty reveals, it follows that Obama does not do anything unless it is decreed by the international power elite -- from pulling out of Iraq/Afghanistan to protecting our Gulf Coast oil-stained states.

JFK didn't dance to the tune of his masters. He did it his way. It cost him his life. Obama is the creation of his masters. He serves at their pleasure. He won't make JFK's mistake. You can count on it.

JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy Feature

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JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy Overview

The story of the man who inspired Oliver Stone’s JFK. Colonel L. Fletcher Prouty, the former CIA operative known as “X,” offers a history-shaking perspective on the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. His theories were the basis for Oliver Stone’s controversial movie JFK. Prouty believed that Kennedy’s death was a coup d’état, and he backs this belief up with his knowledge of the security arrangements at Dallas and other tidbits that only a CIA insider would know (for example, that every member of Kennedy’s cabinet was abroad at the time of Kennedy’s assassination). His discussion of the elite power base he believes controlled the U.S. government will scare and enlighten anyone who wants to know who was really behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy. 40 b&w illustrations

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

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Customer Reviews

Wow, must read for those curious about our future. - R. Ricsin -
Prouty explains how the CIA evolved from an intelligence gathering agency into a terrorist organization. You may not believe me about this, but once you read the books and consult the references, you will see how nefarious the CIA has been.

I was not a fan of JFK when I was younger due to my ignorance. After reading this book and seeing the JFK movie by Oliver Stone, I can say that JFK was a real man of honor who gave his life for it.

Who was Maj. Gen. E.G. ? - C. Butler - Kristianstad, Sweden - an American ex-Patriot
In Oliver Stone's film "JFK" in the Mall Scene meeting between D.A. Jim Garrison (played by Kevin Costner) and "Man X" (played by Donald Sutherland), a flashback scene presented a nameplate from the desk of an Air Force military general speaking on the phone, and partialy showing his name as Maj/Gen. E.G. (unknown)?

Who was Stone attempting to make reference to and cast aspersions upon Maj. General E.G. Lansdale?

Does anybody know?? Will check back from time-to-time is see "IF" any comments are posted to my inquiry. Thanks!

A killer book - Jon Holland - Monticello, Georgia USA
This is an excellent book.I personally own a harback edition that is autographed by Colonel Prouty to me. I am a firm believer in what he said and I believe that this sort of behavior still goes on today. War is money and it always will be. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the murder of President Kennedy.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 27, 2010 01:35:06

Source: http://blnpbooks.blogspot.com/2010/08/check-out-jfk-cia-vietnam-and-plot-to.html

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Vietnam

Vietnam /viˌɛtˈnɑm/, /vjɛtˈnɑm/ (Vietnamese: Việt Nam), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Cộng hòa Xã hội Chủ nghĩa Việt Nam), is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, and Cambodia to the southwest. On the country's east coast lies the South China Sea. With a population of over 85 million, Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world. The country is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies; according to government figures, GDP growth was 8.17% in 2006, the second fastest growth rate among countries in East Asia and the fastest in Southeast Asia. Late 2007, the ministry of finance said the GDP growth was estimated to hit a ten-year high record at 8.44% in 2007.

Etymology

Through the centuries, Vietnam has been called by many different names: Văn Lang during the Hùng Vương Dynasty, Âu Lạc during the An Dương Vương dynasty, Van Xuan during the Anterior Lý Dynasty, Đại Cồ Việt during the Đinh dynasty and Anterior Lê Dynasty. Starting in 1054, Vietnam was called Đại Việt (Great Viet). During the Hồ Dynasty, Vietnam was called Đại Ngu. Then, in 1804, King Gia Long planned to use the name of Nam Việt for Vietnam but the Qing dynasty of China disagreed and changed it to Việt Nam. In English, the two syllables were written into one: Vietnam. From 1839 to 1945, Emperor Minh Mạng renamed Việt Nam to Đại Nam.

The name Việt Nam had been used for this country before it became the official name in "Dư địa chí" of Nguyễn Trãi written in 1435 and perhaps even before. "Việt" is the name of the largest ethnic group in Vietnam: the Kinh (người Kinh) and "Nam" means "the South", affirming Vietnam's sovereignty from China (usually called "North country" to Vietnamese people).

History

Pre-Dynastic era

The area now known as Vietnam has been inhabited since Paleolithic times, and some archaeological sites in Thanh Hoa Province purportedly date back several thousand years. Archaeologists link the beginnings of Vietnamese civilization to the late Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Phung-nguyen culture, which was centered in Vinh Phu Province of contemporary Vietnam from about 2000 to 1400 BCE. By about 1200 BCE, the development of wet-rice cultivation and bronze casting in the Ma River and Red River plains led to the development of the Dong Son culture, notable for its elaborate bronze drums. The bronze weapons, tools, and drums of Dongsonian sites show a Southeast Asian influence that indicates an indigenous origin for the bronze-casting technology. Many small, ancient copper mine sites have been found in northern Vietnam. Some of the similarities between the Dong Sonian sites and other Southeast Asian sites include the presence of boat-shaped coffins and burial jars, stilt dwellings, and evidence of the customs of betel-nut-chewing and teeth-blackening.

The legendary Hồng Bàng Dynasty of the Hùng kings is considered by many Vietnamese as the first Vietnamese state, known as Văn Lang. In 257 BCE, the last Hùng king lost to Thục Phán, who consolidated the Lạc Việt tribes with his Âu Việt tribes, forming Âu Lạc and proclaiming himself An Dương Vương. In 207 BCE, a Chinese general named Zhao Tuo defeated An Dương Vương and consolidated Âu Lạc into Nanyue. In 111 BCE, the Chinese Han Dynasty consolidated Nanyue into their empire.

For the next thousand years, Vietnam was mostly under Chinese rule.[1] Early independence movements such as those of the Trưng Sisters and of Lady Triệu were only briefly successful. It was independent as Vạn Xuân under the Anterior Ly Dynasty between 544 and 602. By the early 10th century, Vietnam had gained autonomy, but not independence, under the Khúc family.

Dynastic era
Battle of Bach Dang river. Silk painting by Năng Hiển.
Battle of Bach Dang river. Silk painting by Năng Hiển.[2]

In 938 CE, a Vietnamese lord named Ngô Quyền defeated Chinese forces at the Bạch Đằng River and gained independence after 10 centuries under Chinese control. Renamed as Đại Việt, the nation went through a golden era during the Lý and Trần Dynasties. During the rule of the Trần Dynasty, Đại Việt repelled three Mongol invasions.[3] Buddhism flourished and became the state religion. Following the brief Hồ Dynasty, Vietnamese independence was momentarily interrupted by the Chinese Ming Dynasty, but was restored by Lê Lợi, the founder of the Lê Dynasty. Feudalism in Vietnam reached its zenith in the Lê Dynasty of the 15th century, especially during the reign of Emperor Lê Thánh Tông. Between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Vietnamese expanded southward in a process known as nam tiến (southward expansion). They eventually conquered the kingdom of Champa and part of the Khmer Empire.[4][5]

Towards the end of the Lê Dynasty, civil strife engulfed much of Vietnam. First, the Chinese-supported Mạc Dynasty challenged the Lê Dynasty's power. After the Mạc Dynasty was defeated, the Lê Dynasty was reinstalled, but with no actual power. Power was divided between the Trịnh Lords in the North and the Nguyễn Lords in the South, who engaged in a civil war for more than a hundred years. During this time, the Nguyễn expanded southern Vietnam into the Mekong Delta, annexing the Champa in the central highlands and the Khmer land in the Mekong. The civil war ended when the Tây Sơn brothers defeated both and established their new dynasty. However, their rule did not last long and they were defeated by the remnants of the Nguyễn Lords led by Nguyen Anh with the help of the French. Nguyen Anh unified Vietnam, and established the Nguyễn Dynasty, ruling under the name Gia Long.

Western Colonial era

Vietnam's independence ended in the mid-1800s, when the country was colonized by the French. The French administration imposed significant political and cultural changes on Vietnamese society. A Western-style system of modern education was developed, and Christianity was introduced into Vietnamese society. Developing a plantation economy to promote the exports of tobacco, indigo, tea and coffee, the French largely ignored increasing calls for self-government and civil rights. A nationalist political movement soon emerged, with leaders such as Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh, Emperor Ham Nghi and Ho Chi Minh calling for independence. However, the French maintained control of their colonies until World War II, when the Japanese war in the Pacific triggered the invasion of French Indochina in 1941. This event was preceded by the establishment of the Vichy French administration, a puppet state of Nazi Germany then ally of the Japanese Empire. The natural resources of Vietnam were exploited for the purposes of the Japanese Empire's military campaigns into the British Indochinese colonies of Burma, the Malay Peninsula and India.

First Indochina War

In 1941, Viet Minh - a communist and nationalist liberation movement emerged under Ho Chi Minh, to seek independence for Vietnam from France as well as to oppose the Japanese occupation. Following the military defeat of Japan and the fall of its Vietnamese colony in August 1945, Viet Minh occupied Hanoi and proclaimed a provisional government, which asserted independence on September 2.[6] In the same year the Provisional French Republic sent the French Far East Expeditionary Corps, which was originally created to fight the Japanese occupation forces, in order to pacify the liberation movement and to restore French rule. On November 20 1946, triggered by the Haiphong Incident the First Indochina War between Viet Minh and the French forces ensued, lasting until July 20 1954.

Despite fewer losses—Expeditionary Corps suffered 1/3 the casualties of the China and Soviet-backed Viet Minh—during the course of the war, the U.S.-backed French and Vietnamese loyalists eventually suffered a major strategic setback at the Siege of Dien Bien Phu, which allowed Ho Chi Minh to negotiate a ceasefire with a favorable position at the ongoing Geneva conference of 1954. Colonial administration ended as French Indochina was dissolved, and the contested State of Vietnam ceased to exist. According to the Geneva Agreements the country was divided at the 17th parallel into Ho Chi Minh's North Vietnam and Ngo Dinh Diem's South Vietnam after the example of Korea. This was intended to be temporary, pending an election in 1956, which never took place.

Vietnam War

The Communist-held Democratic Republic of Vietnam was opposed by the US-supported Republic of Vietnam. Disagreements soon emerged over the organizing of elections and reunification, and the U.S. began increasing its contribution of military advisers. U.S. forces were soon embroiled in a guerrilla war with the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF), the insurgents who were indigenous to South Vietnam. North Vietnamese forces unsuccessfully attempted to overrun the South during the 1968 Tet Offensive and the war soon spread into neighboring Laos and Cambodia, in both of which the United States bombed Communist forces supplying the North Vietnamese Army.

With its own casualties mounting, the U.S. began transferring combat roles to the South Vietnamese military in a process the U.S. called Vietnamization. The effort had mixed results. The Paris Peace Accords of January 27, 1973, formally recognized the sovereignty of both sides. Under the terms of the accords all American combat troops were withdrawn by March 29, 1973. Limited fighting continued, but all major fighting ended until the North once again sent troops to the South during the Spring of 1975, culminating in the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. South Vietnam briefly became the Republic of South Vietnam, under military occupation by North Vietnam, before being officially integrated with the North under communist rule as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on July 2, 1976.

Postwar

Upon taking control, the Vietnamese communists banned all other political parties, arrested public servants and military personnel of the Republic of Vietnam and sent them to reeducation camps. The government also embarked on a mass campaign of collectivization of farms and factories. Reconstruction of the war-ravaged country was slow, and serious humanitarian and economic problems confronted the communist regime. Millions of people fled the country in crudely-built boats, creating an international humanitarian crisis.[7][8] In 1978, the Vietnamese army invaded Cambodia (sparking the Cambodian-Vietnamese War) to remove the Khmer Rouge from power. This action worsened relations with China, which launched a brief incursion into northern Vietnam (the Sino-Vietnamese War) in 1979. This conflict caused Vietnam to rely even more heavily on Soviet economic and military aid.

Later

In a historic shift in 1986, the Communist Party of Vietnam implemented free-market reforms known as Đổi Mới (renovation). With the authority of the state remaining unchallenged, private ownership of farms and companies, deregulation and foreign investment were encouraged. The economy of Vietnam has achieved rapid growth in agricultural and industrial production, construction and housing, exports, and foreign investment. It is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world. See Economy section for more detail.

Government and politics
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a single-party state. A new state constitution was approved in April 1992, replacing the 1975 version. The central role of the Communist Party was reasserted in all organs of government, politics and society. Only political organizations affiliated with or endorsed by the Communist Party are permitted to contest elections. These include the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, workers and trade unionist parties. Although the state remains officially committed to socialism as its defining creed, the ideology's importance has substantially diminished since the 1990s. The President of Vietnam is the titular head of state and the nominal commander in chief of the military of Vietnam, chairing the Council on National Defense and Security. The Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung is the head of government, presiding over a council of ministers composed of 3 deputy prime ministers and the heads of 26 ministries and commissions.

The National Assembly of Vietnam is the unicameral legislature of the government, composed of 498 members. It is superior to both the executive and judicial branches. All members of the council of ministers are derived from the National Assembly. The Supreme People's Court of Vietnam, which is the highest court of appeal in the nation, is also answerable to the National Assembly. Beneath the Supreme People's Court stand the provincial municipal courts and the local courts. Military courts are also a powerful branch of the judiciary with special jurisdiction in matters of national security. All organs of Vietnam's government are controlled by the Communist Party. Most government appointees are members of the party. The General Secretary of the Communist Party is perhaps one of the most important political leaders in the nation, controlling the party's national organization and state appointments, as well as setting policy.

The Vietnam People's Army is the official name for the combined military services of Vietnam, which is organized along the lines of China's People's Liberation Army. The VPA is further subdivided into the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces (including Strategic Rear Forces and Border Defense Forces), the Vietnam People's Navy, the Vietnam People's Air Force and the coast guard. Through Vietnam's recent history, the VPA has actively been involved in Vietnam's workforce to develop the economy of Vietnam, in order to coordinate national defense and the economy. The VPA is involved in such areas as industry, agriculture, forestry, fishery and telecommunications. The total strength of the VPA is close to 500,000 officers and enlisted members. The government also organizes and maintains provincial militias and police forces. The role of the military in public life has steadily been reduced since the 1980s.

Provinces
Vietnam is divided into 59 provinces (known in Vietnamese as tỉnh, from the Chinese 省, shěng). There are also 5 centrally-controlled municipalities existing at the same level as provinces (thành phố trực thuộc trung ương).

The provinces are further subdivided into provincial municipalities (thành phố trực thuộc tỉnh), townships (thị xã) and counties (huyện), and then, subdivided into towns (thị trấn) or communes (xã).

The centrally-controlled municipalities are subdivided into districts (quận) and counties, and then, subdivided into wards (phường).

Geography and climate

Vietnam is approximately 331,688 km² (128,066 sq mi) in area (not including Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands), larger than Italy almost the size of Germany. The perimeter of the country running along its international boundaries is 4,639 km (2,883 mi). The topography consists of hills and densely forested mountains, with level land covering no more than 20%. Mountains account for 40% of the area, with smaller hills accounting for 40% and tropical forests 42%. The northern part of the country consists mostly of highlands and the Red River Delta. Phan Xi Păng, located in Lào Cai province, is the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143 m (10,312 ft). The south is divided into coastal lowlands, Annamite Chain peaks, extensive forests, and poor soil. Comprising five relatively flat plateaus of basalt soil, the highlands account for 16% of the country's arable land and 22% of its total forested land.

The delta of the Red River (also known as the Sông Hồng), a flat, triangular region of 15,000 square kilometers[9], is smaller but more intensely developed and more densely populated than the Mekong River Delta. Once an inlet of the Gulf of Tonkin, it has been filled in by the enormous alluvial deposits of the rivers over a period of millennia, and it advances one hundred meters into the Gulf annually. The Mekong delta, covering about 40,000 square kilometers, is a low-level plain not more than three meters above sea level at any point and criss-crossed by a maze of canals and rivers. So much sediment is carried by the Mekong's various branches and tributaries that the delta advances sixty to eighty meters into the sea every year.

Because of differences in latitude and the marked variety of topographical relief, the climate tends to vary considerably from place to place. During the winter or dry season, extending roughly from November to April, the monsoon winds usually blow from the northeast along the China coast and across the Gulf of Tonkin, picking up considerable moisture; consequently the winter season in most parts of the country is dry only by comparison with the rainy or summer season. The average annual temperature is generally higher in the plains than in the mountains and plateaus and in the south than in the north. Temperatures in the southern plains (Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta) varies less, going between 21 and 28 degree Celsius (70 and 82.5 °F) over the course of a year. The seasons in the mountains and plateaus and in the north are much more dramatic, and temperatures may vary from 5 degree Celsius (41 °F) in December and January to 37 degree Celsius (98.6 °F) in July and August.

Nature

Vietnam has two World's Natural Heritage sites: Halong Bay and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and 6 World's biosphere reserves including: Can Gio Mangrove Forest, Cat Tien, Cat Ba, Kien Giang, Red River Delta, Western Nghe An.

Biodiversity
Vietnam is in the Indomalaya ecozone.

According to chapter 1 in National Environmental Present Condition Report 2005- Biodiversity Subject of Vietnam Environment Protection Agency,[10] in species diversity, Vietnam is one of 25 countries having high level in biodiversity all over the world, is ranked 16th of biologically diverse level (having 16% world's species) (page 9). 15,986 flora was identified of which 10% was endemic (p9). Statistic says that there are 307 nematoda, 200 oligochaeta, 145 acarina, 113 collembola, 7750 insecta, 260 reptilia, 120 amphibia, 840 aves and 310 mammalia of which 100 aves and 78 mammalia are endemic (p9,10). Vietnam also have 1438 fresh water microalgae (9,6% species in the world) (Table 1.2, p9). It is defined that there are 794 aquatic invertebrate and 2458 sea fish (p10,11). In recent years, there have been 13 genus, 222 species, 30 taxon of flora newly described and 6 mammalia have been discovered such as pseudoryx nghetinhensis, muntiacus vuquangensis, lophura edwardsi, rhinopithecus avunculus, livistona halongensis, geothelphusa vietnamica, etc (frame 1.4, p11,12). In agricultural genetic diversity, Vietnam is one of 12 world's original cultivar centers (p13). Vietnam National Cultivar Gene Bank is preserving 12,300 cultivars of 115 species (p14).

In chapter 4 of that report, it is said that Vietnam government spent 49.07 million USD for biodiversity in 2004 (p71) and have established 126 conservation areas including 28 national parks (p73).

Economy

The Vietnam War destroyed much of the economy of Vietnam. Upon taking power, the Government created a planned economy for the nation. Collectivization of farms, factories and economic capital was implemented, and millions of people were put to work in government programs. For many decades, Vietnam's economy was plagued with inefficiency and corruption in state programs, poor quality and underproduction and restrictions on economic activities and trade. It also suffered from the trade embargo from the United States and most of Europe after the Vietnam War. Subsequently, the trade partners of the Communist blocs began to erode. In 1986, the Sixth Party Congress introduced significant economic reforms with market economy elements as part of a broad economic reform package called "đổi mới" (Renovation). Private ownership was encouraged in industries, commerce and agriculture. Vietnam achieved around 8% annual GDP growth from 1990 to 1997 and continued at around 7% from 2000 to 2005, making it the world's second-fastest growing economy. Simultaneously, foreign investment grew threefold and domestic savings quintupled.

Manufacturing, information technology and high-tech industries form a large and fast-growing part of the national economy. Vietnam is a relative new-comer to the oil business, but today it is the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia with output of 400,000 barrels per day. Vietnam is one of Asia's most open economies: two-way trade is around 160% of GDP, more than twice the ratio for China and over four times India's.[11]

Vietnam is still a relatively poor country with an annual GDP of US$280.2 billion at purchasing power parity (2006 estimate)[12]. This translates to a purchasing power of about US$3,300 per capita (or US$726 per capita at the market exchange rate). Inflation rate was estimated at 7.5% per year in 2006. Deep poverty, defined as a percent of the population living under $1 per day, has declined significantly and is now smaller than that of China, India, and the Philippines. [13]

As a result of several land reform measures, Vietnam is now the largest producer of cashew nuts with a one-third global share and second largest rice exporter in the world after Thailand. Vietnam has the highest percent of land use for permanent crops, 6.93%, of any nation in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Besides rice, key exports are coffee, tea, rubber, and fishery products. However, agriculture's share of economic output has declined, falling as a share of GDP from 42% in 1989 to 20% in 2006, as production in other sectors of the economy has risen. According to the CIA World Fact Book, the unemployment rate in Vietnam is one of the lowest in the world at 2%, trailing behind only Azerbaijan, Cuba, Iceland, Andorra and Liechtenstein. Among other steps taken in the process of transitioning to a market economy, Vietnam in July 2006 updated its intellectual property legislation to comply with TRIPS. Vietnam was accepted into the WTO on November 7, 2006. Vietnam's chief trading partners include Japan, Australia, ASEAN countries, the U.S. and Western European countries.

Military

Military of Vietnam consists of Vietnam People's Army and the Vietnam People's Air Force. It also has a coast guard.

Transport

The modern transport network of Vietnam was originally developed under French rule for the purpose of raw materials harvesting, and reconstructed and extensively modernized following the Vietnam War. The road system is the most popular form of transportation in the country. Vietnam’s road system includes national roads administered by the central level; provincial roads managed by the provincial level; district roads managed by the district level; urban roads managed by cities and towns; and commune roads managed by the commune level.

Bicycles, motor scooters and motorcycles remain the most popular forms of road transport in Vietnam's cities, towns, and villages although the number of privately-owned automobiles is also on the rise, especially in the larger cities. Public bus operated by private companies is the main long distance travel means for many people. Traffic congestion is a serious problem in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as the cities' roads struggle to cope with the booming numbers of automobiles. There are also more than 17,000 kilometers of navigable waterways, which play a significant role in rural life owing to the extensive network of rivers in Vietnam.

The nation has seven developed ports and harbors at Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Gai (Halong City), Qui Nhon, and Nha Trang.

Demography

Population

Recent census estimates the population of Vietnam at beyond 84 million. Vietnamese people, also called "Viet" or "Kinh", account for 86.2 percent of the population. Their population is concentrated in the alluvial deltas and coastal plains of the country. A homogeneous social and ethnic majority group, the Kinh exert political and economic control. There are more than 54 ethnic minorities throughout the country, but the Kinh are purveyors of the dominant culture. Most ethnic minorities, such as the Muong, a closely related ethnic of the Kinh, are found mostly in the highlands covering two-thirds of the territory. The Hoa (ethnic Chinese) and Khmer Krom are mainly lowlanders. The largest ethnic minority groups include the Hmong, Dao, Tay, Thai, and Nung.

Languages

The people of Vietnam speak Vietnamese as a native language. In its early history, Vietnamese writing used Chinese characters. In the 13th century, the Vietnamese developed their own set of characters called Chữ nôm. The celebrated epic Đoạn trường tân thanh (Truyện Kiều or The Tale of Kieu) by Nguyễn Du was written in Chữ nôm. During the French colonial period, Quốc ngữ, the romanized Vietnamese alphabet used for spoken Vietnamese, which was developed in 17th century by Jesuit Alexandre De Rhodes and several other Catholic missionaries, became popular and brought literacy to the masses.

Various other languages are spoken by several minority groups in Vietnam. The most common of these are Tày, Mường, Khmer, Chinese, Nùng, and H'Mông. The French language, a legacy of colonial rule, is still spoken by some older Vietnamese as a second language, but is losing its popularity. Vietnam is also a full member of the Francophonie. Russian — and to a much lesser extent German, Czech, or Polish — is sometimes known among those whose families had ties with the Soviet bloc. In recent years, English is becoming more popular as a second language. English study is obligatory in most schools. Chinese and Japanese have also become more popular.

Religions

For much of Vietnamese history, Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism have strongly influenced the religious and cultural life of the people. About 85% of Vietnamese identify with Buddhism even though they do not practice on a regular basis.[14][15] About 8% of the population are Christians (about 6 million Roman Catholics and less than 1 million Protestants, census of 2007). Christianity was introduced first by the Portuguese and the Dutch traders in the 16th and 17th centuries, then further propagated under the French colonists in the 19th and 20th centuries, and to a lesser extent, by American Protestant missionaries during the presence of American forces during the 1960's and early 70's. The largest Protestant churches are the Evangelical Church of Vietnam and the Montagnard Evangelical Church.

Vietnam has great reservation towards Roman Catholicism. This mistrust originated during the French colonial time when some Catholics collaborated with the French colonists as espionage agents and militiamen to suppress the Vietnamese independence movement. Furthermore, the Church's teaching regarding communism made it an unwelcome counterforce to communist rule. Relationship with the Vatican, however, has improved in recent years. Membership of Sunni and Bashi Islam is usually accredited to the ethnic Cham minority, but there are also a few ethnic Vietnamese adherents of Islam in the southwest. The total number of Muslims remains very small nevertheless. The communist government has from time to time been criticized for its religious restrictions although it has categorically denied that such restrictions exist today.

The vast majority of Vietnamese people of Asian religions practice Ancestor Worship, although this may not be strictly considered a religion.

From the articles of Religions by country, Religion in Vietnam and Demographics of Vietnam; 85% is nominal/secular Buddhists including predominant 83% East Asian Buddhist or "Triple religion" (80% of people are worship the mixture of Mahayana Buddhism mainly, Taoism, Confucianism with Ancestor Worship; 2% Hòa Hảo with 1% of some new Vietnamese-Buddhist sects as Tứ Ân Hiếu Nghĩa, Pure Land Buddhist, etc) and 2% Theravada Buddhism, mainly among Khmer people but the census of Government showed that only 16% have taken refuge in the Three Jewels; 8% Christians (7% Catholics and 1% Protestants); 3% Cao Đài; 2.5% Tribal animism; less than 70 thousand Muslims; small Hindu communities (over 50 thousand people) and a small numbers of Baha'is.

Education

Vietnam has an extensive state-controlled network of schools, colleges and universities but the number of privately-run and mixed public and private institutions is also growing. General education in Vietnam is imparted in 5 categories: Kindergarten, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and college / university. Courses are taught mainly in Vietnamese. A large number of public schools have been organized across cities, towns and villages with the purpose of raising the national literacy rate which is already among the highest in the world. There are a large number of specialist colleges, established to develop a diverse and skilled national workforce. A large number of Vietnam's most acclaimed universities are based in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Facing serious crises, Vietnam's education system is under a holistic reform launched by the government. In Vietnam, education from age 6 to 11 is free and mandatory. Education above these ages is not free, therefore some poor families may find it hard to come up with the tuition for their children without some forms of public or private assistance. Regardless, school enrollment is among the highest in the world and the number of colleges and universities increased quite dramatically in recent years, from 178 in 2000 to 299 in 2005.

Science

In the past, Vietnam did not have "science" in its generally accepted meaning, but many fields were well developed, especially social science and humanities. It has at least ten centuries of commentary and analytic writings. Among the best known works are those of "Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư" of Ngô Sĩ Liên. Writings that deal with geography, nature, customs and people were written by "Dư địa chí" of Nguyễn Trãi. In mathematics, operations (including power and extract the root) of primary arithmetics and surveying, measurement (length, area, volume...) of primary geometry were taught in schools using the famous textbook: "Đại thành toán pháp" of Lương Thế Vinh. Lương Thế Vinh had notion of zero and Mạc Hiển Tích used the term "số ẩn" (unknown/secret/hidden number) to refer to negative numbers. Much knowledge was collected into encyclopedia: "Vân đài loại ngữ" of Lê Quý Đôn and "Lịch triều hiến chương loại chí" of Phan Huy Chú.

Presently, Vietnamese scientists have been devoting themselves to contribute to human's knowledge such as Hoàng Tụy based the foundation of global optimization by finding out "Tụy's cut".

Culture

The spoken and written language is Vietnamese.

The culture of Vietnam has been influenced by neighboring China. Due to Vietnam's long association with the south of China, one characteristic of Vietnamese culture is financial duty. Education and self-betterment are highly valued. Historically, passing the imperial Mandarin exams was the only means for Vietnamese people to socially advance themselves.

In the socialist era, the cultural life of Vietnam has been deeply influenced by government-controlled media and the cultural influences of socialist programs. For many decades, foreign cultural influences were shunned and emphasis placed on appreciating and sharing the culture of communist nations such as the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and others. Since the 1990s, Vietnam has seen a greater exposure to Southeast Asian, European and American culture and media.

One of the most popular Vietnamese traditional garments is the "Áo Dài", worn often for special occasions such as weddings or festivals. White Áo dài is the required uniform for girls in many high schools across Vietnam. Áo Dài was once worn by both genders but today it is worn mainly by females, except for certain important traditional culture-related occasions where some men do wear it.

Vietnamese cuisine uses very little oil and many vegetables. The main dishes are often based on rice, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Its characteristic flavors are sweet (sugar), spicy (serrano peppers), sour (lime), nuoc mam (fish sauce), and flavored by a variety of mint and basil.

Vietnamese music varies slightly in the three regions: Bắc or North, Trung or Central, and Nam or South. Northern classical music is Vietnam's oldest and is traditionally more formal. Vietnamese classical music can be traced to the Mongol invasions, when the Vietnamese captured a Chinese opera troupe. Central classical music shows the influences of Champa culture with its melancholic melodies. Southern music exudes a lively laissez-faire attitude.

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Vietnam. Sports and games such as badminton, tennis, ping pong, and chess are also popular with large segments of the population. Volleyball, especially women's volleyball, is watched by a fairly large number of Vietnamese. The (expatriate Vietnamese) community forms a prominent part of Vietnamese cultural life, introducing Western sports, films, music and other cultural activities in the nation.

Vietnam is home to a small film industry.

Among countless other traditional Vietnamese occasions, the traditional Vietnamese wedding is one of the most important. Regardless of westernization, many of the age-old customs in a Vietnamese wedding continue to be celebrated by both Vietnamese in Vietnam and overseas, often combining both western and eastern elements.

Media

Vietnam's media sector is controlled by the government to follow the official communist party line. The Voice of Vietnam is the official state-run radio broadcasting service that covers the nation. It also broadcasts internationally via shortwave, renting transmitters in other countries and provides broadcasts from its website. Vietnam Television is the national television broadcasting company. As Vietnam moved toward a free-market economy with its Đổi mới measures, the government has relied on the print media to keep the public informed about its policies. The measure has had the effect of almost doubling the numbers of newspapers and magazines since 1996 . Vietnam is putting considerable effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system, but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern neighbors.

Tourism

Vietnam's number of visitors for tourism and vacation has increased steadily over the past ten years. About 3.56 million international guests visited Vietnam in 2006, an increase of 3.7% from 2005. The country is investing capital into the coastal regions that are already popular for their beaches and boat tours. Hotel staff and tourism guides in these regions speak a good amount of English.

International rankings
Organization Survey Ranking
Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom 142 out of 157
The Economist Worldwide Quality-of-life Index, 2005 61 out of 111
Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 155 out of 167
Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 111 out of 163
United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index 109 out of 177
World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 77 out of 125

Notes:
1. ^ Chinese Colonization (200BC - 938AD)
2. ^ Spears offer insight into early military strategy
3. ^ The Tran Dynasty and the Defeat of the Mongols
4. ^ The Kingdom of Champa
5. ^ The Le Dynasty and Southward Expansion
6. ^ http://coombs.anu.edu.au/%7Evern/van_kien/declar.html Declaration of Independence, Democratic Republic of Vietnam] - Vietnam Documents
7. ^ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The State of The World's Refugees 2000 - Chapter 4: Flight from Indochina. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.: Three million fled Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos combined; close to a million Vietnamese were helped by the UNHCR.
8. ^ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Boat people: A Refugee Crisis. Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
9. ^ Agroviet Newsletter September 2005
10. ^ Báo cáo Hiện trạng môi trường quốc gia 2005 - (Vietnamese)
11. ^ Vietnam Vrooooom: Asia's second-fastest-growing economy takes the global stage. - CNN Money
12. ^ Source for GDP: Economist Intelligence unit
13. ^ Economy of Vietnam - CIA World FactBook
14. ^ US Department of State: Background Note: Vietnam
15. ^ The Largest Buddhist Communities - adherents.com. This quotes a much lower figure than the 85% quoted by the US Department of State
(source: wikipedia.org)

Source: http://info-vietnam.blogspot.com/2008/01/hanoi.html

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