Vietnam -- School-age

Vietnam

Flag Map Vietnam

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Government Type: Communist state

Capital: Hanoi

County's inhabitants: Vietnamese
Vietnamese often call themselves "Children of the Dragon."

Abbreviation: VN

Currency: Dong (VND)

Official Language: Vietnamese
English and French are the most common second languages.

Vietnam Map

The country of Vietnam is located in Southeastern Asia. Vietnam is on the eastern edge of the Indochinese peninsula. it is a long, narrow country shaped like the letter s. The country of Vietnam is very narrow and long. It stretches a distance of about 1,025 miles (1,650 km) from north to south.

It borders the countries of China to the north and Laos and Cambodia to the west. Its longest border is with Laos. To the east and south lies the South China Sea.

Vietnam Globe

History

In 207 BCE, the land was conquered by the Chinese and the Han Dynasty and the land was named 'Nam Viet'. It became part of China 96 years later. The Chinese were forced out around 939 CE. and it was a very unstable area. In the 1500s it broke into two parts, the north and the south.

In the 1800s the south formed an alliance with the French, conquering the north and naming the country Vietnam. The French would take control of the area until World War II. France combined Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos into one territory called French Indochina. The Japanese invaded the country during World War II. After the war Japan returned Vietnam to the French.

After World War II a group called the Viet Minh formed. The French would rule the country until 1954 and Vietnam would be split in two, North Vietnam and South Vietnam. In North Vietnam the leader Ho Chi Minh wanted to reunify the country. A communist government was set up in North Vietnam. The communist rebels called the Viet Cong began fighting with South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh would declare war in an effort to unite Vietnam.

The United States would support the government of South Vietnam with funding and U.S. troops. Russia and China would also become involved and support North Vietnam. The Second Indochina War also known as The Vietnam War was from 1955 to the fall of Saigon (capital of South Vietnam) on April 30, 1975. Saigon was later renamed Ho Chi Minh City to honor the Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Mihn.

Vietnam would be reunified in 1976. In 1978 Vietnam attacked Cambodia. The Vietnamese forces would finally leave Cambodia in 1989.

Ho Chi Minh Video

Government

Vietnam is a one-party socialist state governed by the Communist Party of Vietnam. The government is led by the Communist Party of Vietnam, which is headed by the Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary.

The President of Vietnam is chosen by the National Assembly and is head of state and commander of the armed forces.

The Prime Minister of Vietnam is appointed by the President and approved by the National Assembly and is the head of and runs the government of Vietnam.

The National Assembly of Vietnam members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.

Flag of Vietnam

Flag of Vietnam

The Communist Party of Vietnam would use a red flag with a central gold (yellow) star. In 1976, when the two halves of the country united, the red flag with a yellow star was used throughout Vietnam. The five points of the star represents workers, peasants, soldiers, intellectuals, and traders.

Climate

The far northwest is mountainous with cold and fog during January and February. From June to August there is heavy rain.

South Vietnam is generally warm, the hottest months being March through May, this is the dry season in the south, followed by the April-October monsoon season (heavy rain).

In North Vietnam winter is cool and humid (November to April) and summer (May to October) is hot, humid and rainy.

Land

Three-fourths of Vietnam is mountains and highlands.

There were a lot of rainforest in Vietnam however logging has reduced the tropical rainforest of about 19 percent. Bamboo grows from the highest mountainous areas to the coastal delta.

North Vietnam is known for its mountains, the Red River Delta, the plains of Cao Bang and Vinh Yen, Halong Bay, and the capital city Hanoi.

Cuc Phuong is the first National Park of Vietnam which was established in 1962. It is located southwest of southwest of Hanoi.

Central Vietnam is known for its spectacular beaches, dunes, and lagoons. It is also the location of the ancient imperial city of Hue.

In the South is Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and the fertile delta of the Mekong River.

The Mekong River

Mekong River Basin

The Mekong river is the longest river in Southeast Asia. It begins in the mountains of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and flows southeast to the South China Sea. It has a length of 2,700 miles (4,350 km) and flows through many countries: China, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The Mekong river forms the boundary between Laos and Myanmar and is part of the boundary between Laos and Thailand.

The Mekong river creates a huge delta, a triangular piece of land in Southern Vietnam. The Mekong River Delta is known as the rice bowl of Southeast Asia. Most of the rice is grown in Vietnam is grown in the Mekong River Delta. 80% of the people living in this area are engaged in rice cultivation. Farmers grow rice even during the dry season as they use the Mekong’s waters to water their fields. People in this area are dependent on the river. They build house on it, do business in boats on it, and grow farm crops.

Rice, Deltas (simple explanation), Deltas (more detail explanation)

Farmers' Hats - view the many different hats rice farmers wear

life on the Mekong River in Vietnam
Morning on the Mekong River in Vietnam

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Mekong River Family Video

Plants

Vietnam consist of plains, deltas, tropical forests, mountains, and beaches with a rich variety of plant life. Vietnam has over 800 woody plants: a few of the wood are iron wood, oak, teak, mahogany, rosewood, palms, bamboo, and fruit trees in the Mekong Delta.

Vietnamese Plants

Animals

From its montains to its subtropical forest to its tropical forests, and coral reefs Vietnam is home to a variety of animals.

Monkeys, Asian elephants, tigers, pythons, water buffalo , and wild oxen can be found in Vietnam

10 Animals Found In Vietnam

Butterflies of Vietnam

The water buffalo has played a important role in Vietnamese agriculture. Farmers use water buffalo to pull plows in the rice fields. In the north the rice fields are terraced rice fields that only water buffalo can work there. Water buffalo are used as pack animals to carry crops and heavy load.

Water Buffalo Vietnam

The most dangerous animals in Vietnam are venomous snakes: king cobra, white-lipped pit viper, and the Malayan pit viper.

The Siamese crocodile and the Saltwater crocodile (the larget living reptile in the world) are found in Vietnam.

Vietnam has some dangerous insect, the Vietnamese giant centipede and the mosquito. In tropical parts of the world mosquitoes can spread >malaria a serious disease.

Elephant Species Differences

Vietnam Is Famous For

The Vietnam War.

Located in Vietnam’s northwest mountain ranges are rice terrace fields.

Terraced Rice Fields Vietnam

Ha Long Bay is a natural wonder that is located in northeastern Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, it is a seascape of limestone pillars.

Ha Long Bay

Vietnam Products

Vietnam is the leading producer and exporter of cashew nuts.

Vietnam is the largest producer of black pepper.

Vietnam is one of the original places to grow rice. Rice grows in places that are wet and hot. Vietnam is the second-largest rice exporter in the world after Thailand.

Vietnam is also the world's second largest exporter of coffee.

Vietnam also exports bamboo and rattan.

Rubber Trees Vietnam
Rubber Trees in Vietnam

Native to the South America, the rubber tree was introduced in Southeast Asia in the late 1800s by the French, establishing large rubber tree plantations.

Vietnam ranks third in the world in terms of rubber export value.

The sap of the rubber tree is a white milky liquid (latex) that oozes from any cut to the tree bark. The milky liquid is about 30 percent rubber. A product made from latex is surgical gloves. The rubber is used to make shoes, tires, rubber bands, and other items. Rubber Trees

Where Does Rubber Come From

This video is set in Singapore.

Language

The Vietnamese language is tonal and has six tones.

Why Tonal Languages Aren’t as Hard as You Think Explains what a tonal language is.

Vietnamese Tonal Language

Things to Do

A lunar calendar is used to determine the dates of seasonal holidays in Vietnam a lunar calendar.

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival
Make Paper Lanterns, Mooncake Recipe
Easy Mooncakes in place of red bean paste you can use strawberry jam.

Crayola Vietnam Flag Map color page.

The Vietmanese use chopsticks. How to Eat with Chopsticks

The Vietnam Lunar New Year is called Tet

Make Your Own Musha Dragon Puppet for Tet using a red plastic cup.

In the Vietnam War there was wide scale military use of helicopters. Roto Copter template.

How Tiger Got His Stripes Story Video

Recommend Books

Children of the Dragon: Selected Tales from Vietnam
by Sherry Garland

Song of the Mekong River
by Choi, Na-mi

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