History UsefulNotes / Vietnam

There is a bit of differences in Vietnamese spoken by Northern Vietnamese (around Hanoi), North-Central Vietnamese (between Hue and Hanoi), Central Vietnamese (around Hue) and Southern Vietnamese (around Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon), not only in the accents (which are quite distinct and readily recognizable by foreigners) but also in vocabulary and grammar, to the point where they might be considered as separate dialects. To talk in details will be too much for [=Tv Tropes=], but generally, Southern Vietnamese will be sloppier in pronunciation and grammar than Northern Vietnamese (like comparing American English with British English for example). The North-Central and Central Vietnamese, well, good luck with that. The basic vocabulary and the accent are so distinct that even native speakers from the North and the South will have ''considerable'' difficulty in understanding them, or might not understand them at all if they speak rapidly (which leads to many, many jokes involving Central Vietnamese speakers by the way, to the point that the accent is considered inherently funny). The distinct difference in Central Vietnamese might be explained by the fact that the region was settled much earlier comparing to the South and able to developed a distinct dialect. The region is also much more conservative, and emigration and immigration are rare which prevents the dialect to be influenced or influence the Northern and Southern counterparts. Northern Vietnamese is considered as the official form, and is presented in textbooks, political propagandas, literature and music, however, outside of Vietnam, Southern variation will often be heard instead (because most refugees from Vietnam came from the South, and overseas students are often from the South because it is richer than the other two regions). Within regions, especially in rural areas where cultural stigma discourages people from migration, there are also further variations.

* Thuy Trang, an actress best remembered as the original Yellow [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Power Ranger.]]
* Johnny Tri Nguyen, Vietnamese-born American martial arts actor and stuntman who has appeared in movies like ''The Rebel'' and Film/TomYumGoong

* The 2006 film ''Film/UltraViolet'' features Vietnamese people in a sci-fi/fantasy setting perhaps for the very first time.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'': By merit of the former Tigress being Vietnamese, [[spoiler: Artemis and Cheshire are both half-Vietnamese by blood, though born in America.

* '''Highest point:''' Fansipan (3143 m/10,312 ft) (78th)

* '''Lowest point:''' East Sea[[note]]As the Vietnamese called the sea[[/note]]/South China Sea (5,559 m/8,946 ft) (-) and Gulf of Thailand (85 m/279 ft) (-)

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' VN

* Hanoi (Hà Nội) - the capital and second largest city of around 6 million heads, with quite a few lakes and an atmospheric old quarter as its primary trademarks. Hanoi recently celebrated [[LongRunners its 1000th anniversary]]. Often represented by the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Pillar_Pagoda One Pillar Pagoda]], and sometimes referred to as ''Thăng Long'' ([[AwesomeMcCoolName "Ascending Dragon"]]), the most iconic among its older names.

In 1986, when destitute Vietnam was near the verge of collapse, a progressive faction in the Communist party rose to power and implemented a course of economic reform called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doi_Moi Renovation]], similar to what Deng Xiaoping did to China eight years earlier. Vietnam thus ceased to be a CommieLand in the strict sense of the term, and nowadays it's a young market economy with rather shaky macroeconomic conditions, dictated by a one-party regime which is in fact an oligarchy. Their relatives (or even themselves) are heads of the very keystone corporations in Vietnam, while the people working for the government for paycheck are unabashedly [[ObstructiveBureaucrat obstructive bureaucrats]]. Corruption in the police force is fairly common, with the police often being accused (not without reason) of being useless to anyone without money.

Vietnam has a love-hate relationship with its big Northern neighbor ''slash'' traditional enemy China. Thousand of years under Chinese influence surely left heavy impact on Vietnamese culture, to the point that the Nguyen Dynasty considered themselves rather than the Qing to be the true successors of the Han civilization. On the other hand, every dynasty but the last one picked up a fight against the contemporary China at least once, with [[OccupiersOutOfOurCountry varying]] [[ShockingDefeatLegacy results]] better remembered by the Vietnamese [[ButForMeItWasTuesDay than by their neighbors]]. As a result, continual struggle for independence forms the core of national spirit, and mistaking a Vietnamese for a Chinese will likely trigger a BerserkButton. Nowadays, the Communist regime looks up to the PRC as the last remaining ideological reassurance but relation between the two has never been truly friendly. The Sino-Vietnamese war of 1979 is still remembered, and sorest points of contention nowadays include possession of the Spratly and Paracel Islands and China's taking over bauxite mining activities in Vietnam, not to mention long-standing border disputes. All seems to fuel the fear that [[ChinaTakesOverTheWorld China is about to take over the world]], or at least Asia, and she would start with Vietnam.

The government (as mentioned many times) is a unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic with four heads: the Party General Secretary[[note]]head of the Party[[/note]], the Prime Minister[[note]]head of the government[[/note]], the President[[note]]head of state, considered largely ceremonious[[/note]] and Chair of National Assembly[[note]]first among equals of the NA, which is the most democratic part of the system[[/note]]. Key posisions are decided by the Party in the National Congress typically held once every five years just before the National Assembly Election.

Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet rather than scripts like Chinese or Japanese, though it used to use written classical Chinese until the 13th century when a different system, but still quite similar to Chinese writing system, called ''chữ Nôm'' was invented. ''Chữ Nôm'' developed until it was used extensively in 17th - 19th century. Although Vietnamese was the native language, education and government used Chinese as the official language. Around 17th century, an alphabet system was developed in order to facilitate trade from Western countries, by a French priest called Alexander de Rhodes. As the French invaded Vietnam in the late 19th century, French gradually replaced Chinese as the official language in education and government. Alphabet system pervaded the country, and Chinese scripts were gradually abolished. After gaining independence from France, Vietnam officially decided to use the alphabet as its writing system.

Vietnamese, like many other Asian languages, features tones in its phonology. There are only six tones, ''level'', ''hanging'', ''sharp'', ''asking'', ''tumbling'' and ''heavy''. The good thing about Vietnamese phonology is that there is nothing such as exceptions. The rules are rigid. Consonant, vowel, diphthong or triphthong sound the same in every word, hence it is only the matter of recognizing them. If you can recognize and remember all of the possible consonants and vowels (and diphthongs and triphthongs), which aren't that many, then reading a word out loud is just a matter of combining them together. Grade One in Vietnam is spent learning all those possible consonants, vowels, diphthong and triphthong. On the other hand, the tones might pose difficulties for foreign speakers - they almost can never get them right [[note]] In 2017, a proposal to reform Vietnamese writing system to make it more consistent and easier for foreigners to learn was ultimately regarded as a XtremeKoolLetterz meme [[/note]]. Since reading a word out loud is quite easy, so is spelling - though some diphthongs/triphthongs might sound the same like ''ân'' and ''âng'' in the South. In the North, the distinction is pretty obvious to familiar ears.

[[caption-width-right:330:Kinda looks like a giant S shape doesn't it? [[note]] Comparing it to a strip of silk is more common. cliché[[/note]]]]

Myths aside, Vietnam identifies itself with a Bronze Age culture called Đông Sơn, which is best known for its intricate decor motifs on bronze drums. It was from this culture that the state of Văn Lang allegedly arose, and if there's any truth in the creation myth, the dragon-fairy marriage can be interpreted as an alliance of highland and lowland tribes, the seed for what would eventually become Vietnam. Văn Lang was succeeded by Âu Lạc, which in turn was conquered by the Western Han Dynasty of China in 111 BC. The following ''millennium'' saw Chinese domination over Vietnam, interspersed by rebellions. ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNrFLB1TG-o Some of them]] were led by [[LadyOfWar women]], as expected from a matriarchal culture). But also thanks to the Hans, it's from this point onward that the history of Vietnam was at least recorded.

* Ho Xuan Huong (Hồ Xuân Hương), dubbed as the "Queen of Nôm poetry", essentially a Vietnamese, more vulgar version of Creator/JaneAusten that focus on poetry. A significant poet born at the end of the later Lê dynasty. She is creditted, along with Nguyen Du, with elevating the status of Vietnamese as a literary language. Her poems are notable for not only for writing in Nôm, her intelligence and social commentary but also for her use of [[SophisticatedAsHell sexual humor]], DoubleEntendre and [[RebelliousSpirit feist]][[PluckyGirl iness]] against the patriarchal and corrupt society she lived in, which made her [[CriticalDissonance popular with the masses and modern audience]] (who essentially made her into a national hero) [[VindicatedByHistory as oppose to her Confucius-influenced peers]] (who didn't even bother to write down a majority of her poems or any information about her background), and has been [[http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/15/books/woodcuts-bytes-for-vietnamese-poet-preserving-dying-ideographic-script-via.html translated into]] [[https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n82027726/ many languages]]. There was later some discovery that she also wrote in Classical Chinese, [[FanonDiscontinuity but pretty much everyone except for the most pretentious biographer tends to ignore that]].

* Ho Xuan Huong (Hồ Xuân Hương), dubbed as the "Queen of Nôm poetry", essentially a Vietnamese, more vulgar version of Creator/JaneAusten that focus on poetry. A significant poet born at the end of the later Lê dynasty. She is creditted, along with Nguyen Du, with elevating the status of Vietnamese as a literary language. Her poems are notable for not only for writing in Nôm, her intelligence and social commentary but also for her use of [[SophisticatedAsHell sexual humor]], DoubleEntendre and [[RebelliousSpirit feist]][[PluckyGirl iness]] against the patriarchal and corrupt society she lived in, which made her [[CriticalDissonance popular with the masses and modern audience]] (who essentially made her into a national hero) [[VindicatedByHistory as oppose to her Confucius-influenced peers]], and has been [[http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/15/books/woodcuts-bytes-for-vietnamese-poet-preserving-dying-ideographic-script-via.html translated into]] [[https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n82027726/ many languages]]. There was later some discovery that she also wrote in Classical Chinese, [[FanonDiscontinuity but pretty much everyone except for the most pretentious biographer tends to ignore that]].

* Nguyen Nhat Anh (Nguyễn Nhật Ánh), a Vietnamese novelist who specializes in writing for teenagers and young adult. He writes ''very'' extensively, with his most significant work is a novel from 1985 and still working today. His works have significant critical and commercial success from Vietnamese to internationally and was adapted into many films and a TV show based on his most famous serial work ''Kính vạn hoa'' (Kaleidoscope).

* '''Area:''' 331,699 km (128,070 sq mi) (66th)

* AllAsiansWearConicalHats: Conical hats (or ''non'') are very common in works portraying Vietnam, particularly the countryside.
* ForeignQuisine: Expect exotic foods that are played up for shock value for western audiences. Dogs and/or cats are likely to be included, though the country has shifted away from these animals of sources of meat.

Myths aside, Vietnam identifies itself with a Bronze Age culture called Đông Sơn, which is best known for its intricate decor motifs on bronze drums. It was from this culture that the state of Văn Lang allegedly arose, and if there's any truth in the creation myth, the dragon-fairy marriage can be interpreted as an alliance of highland and lowland tribes, the seed for what would eventually become Vietnam. Văn Lang was succeeded by Âu Lạc, which in turn was conquered by the Eastern Han Dynasty of China in 111 BC. The following ''millennium'' saw Chinese domination over Vietnam, interspersed by rebellions. ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNrFLB1TG-o Some of them]] were led by [[LadyOfWar women]], as expected from a matriarchal culture). But also thanks to the Hans, it's from this point onward that the history of Vietnam was at least recorded.

In 938 AD, a Vietnamese Lord named Ngô Quyền finally defeated the Chinese, and reclaimed independence. The following centuries saw a golden age for the nation, with culture flourishing under the rule of the Lý and Trần dynasties. The change in the family in rule was often because the descendants of the family became gradually worse in both moral and control of the country. Nevertheless, Vietnam still grew quite a bit. Buddhism took over Confucianism as the state religion. Vietnam also was able to [[DavidVersusGoliath repel three Mongol invasions]] around the 13th century (pretty good, eh?).

Relations with the US are likewise uneasy but have been normalized at a surprising rate since 1986, and now ended up even more cordial than with China, in spite of Washington's constant criticism on the state of human rights in Vietnam. Whether Vietnam will open its military port at Cam Ranh to American port calls is a matter of debate, but it's obvious that Vietnam is looking for a counterweight to the growing China threat. With UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia swept aside, who could be better suited for the job than [[EagleLand that superpower that messed up this land just 35 years ago]]? Nice tightrope Vietnam's walking there, but then, [[{{Realpolitik}} realist foreign policy]] makes for strange bedfellows, and--and you might think this odd--Vietnam is, on a people-to-people level, one of the most ''pro''-American countries in Asia (approval ratings for the United States in polls of ordinary Vietnamese people have hovered around 70% since 2012).

The government (as mentioned many times) is a unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic. The current Party General Secretary and current President is Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the current Prime Minister
Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, the current Chairperson of National Assembly is Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân, the current Vice President
Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh and the current First Deputy Prime Minister is Trương Hòa Bình.

** Chief Justice: Nguyễn Hòa Bình

** Vice President: Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh

** General Secretary and President: Nguyễn Phú Trọng

** Prime Minister: Nguyễn Xuân Phúc
** First Deputy Prime Minister: Trương Hòa Bình
** Chairwoman of National Assembly: Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân
** Chief Justice: Nguyễn Hòa Bình

Given the nature of French colonialism in Vietnam, it's natural that they have the second largest population of Overseas Vietnamese. Approximately 350,000 Vietnamese live in France, primarily in Paris. Unlike the United State or Australia, they are less likely to live in [[FriendlyNeighborhoodChinatown Vietnamese enclaves]] and are more disbursed through the population, likely owing to the fact that they have been in France much longer due to their much longer mutual history.

->Ceaselessly for the People’s cause let us struggle,

->Ceaselessly for the People’s cause, let us struggle,

* Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic

* Xuân Diệu, a Vietnamese poet who is famous for his love poems. He was extremely popular for his style of using both of his Western and Vietnamese influence to craft poems. His works regain attention during the 1990s and once again in 2010s when one of his friends Tô Hoài's memoir revealed that he is not only gay, but is a widely known fact among the army unit he served as well as the artist community, leading to numerous scholar articles reinterpreting his poems through a homosexual lens, as well as giving rise to rumors of pretty much [[LauncherOfAThousandShips every male Vietnamese wartime poets]] in vicinity has hooked up with him (something Tô Hoài himself wondered numerous times in said memoir) or becoming his muse. Most notable candidate would be his housemate from 1938 to 1940 Huy Cận (whose own poems in this time period received a reinterpretation through his relationship with Xuân Diệu, especially the poem Ngủ chung (Sleep Together)) and Hoàng Cát (the latter explicitly admitted in 2013 that he is aware of Diệu's feeling but [[AllLoveIsUnrequited didn't reciprocate it]]).

* Xuân Diệu, a Vietnamese poet who is famous for his love poems. He was extremely popular for his style of using both of his Western and Vietnamese influence to craft poems. His works regain attention during the 1990s and once again in 2010s when one of his friends Tô Hoài revealed that he is not only gay, but is widely known among the army, leading to numerous scholar articles reinterpreting his poems through a homosexual lens, as well as giving rise to rumors of pretty much [[LauncherOfAThousandShips every male Vietnamese wartime poets]] in vicinity has hooked up with him (something Tô Hoài himself wondered numerous times in his biography) or becoming his muse. Most notable candidate would be his housemate from 1938 to 1940 Huy Cận (whose own poems in this time period received a reinterpretation through his relationship with Xuân Diệu, especially the poem Ngủ chung (Sleep Together)) and Hoàng Cát (the latter explicitly admitted in 2013 that he is aware of Diệu's feeling but [[AllLoveIsUnrequited didn't reciprocate it]]).

* Xuân Diệu, a Vietnamese poet who is famous for his love poems. He was extremely popular for his style of using both of his Western and Vietnamese influence to craft poems. His works regain attention during the 1990s and once again in 2010s when one of his friends Tô Hoài revealed that he is not only gay, but is widely known among the army, leading to numerous scholar articles reinterpreting his poems through a homosexual lens, as well as giving rise to rumors of pretty much [[LauncherOfAThousandShips every male Vietnamese wartime poets]] in vicinity has hooked up with him or becoming his muse. Most notable candidate would be his housemate from 1938 to 1940 Huy Cận (whose own poems in this time period received a reinterpretation through his relationship with Xuân Diệu, especially the poem Ngủ chung (Sleep Together)) and Hoàng Cát (the latter explicitly admitted in 2013 that he is aware of Diệu's feeling but [[AllLoveIsUnrequited didn't reciprocate it]]).

* Xuân Diệu, a Vietnamese poet who is famous for his love poems. He was extremely popular for his style of using both of his Western and Vietnamese influence to craft poems. His works regain attention during the 1990s and once again in 2010s when one of his friends Tô Hoài revealed that he is not only gay, but is widely known among the army, leading to numerous scholar articles reinterpreting his poems through a homosexual lens, as well as giving rise to rumors of pretty much [[LauncherOfAThousandShips every male Vietnamese wartime poets]] in vicinity has hooked up with him or becoming his muse. Most notable candidate would be his housemate from 1938 to 1940 Huy Cận and Hoàng Cát (the latter explicitly admitted in 2013 that he is aware of Diệu's feeling but [[AllLoveIsUnrequited didn't reciprocate it]]).

* Xuân Diệu, a Vietnamese poet who is famous for his love poems. He was extremely popular for his style of using both of his Western and Vietnamese influence to craft poems. His works regain attention during the 1990s and once again in 2010s when one of his friends Tô Hoài revealed that he is not only gay, but is widely known among the army, leading to numerous scholar articles reinterpreting his poems through a homosexual lens, as well as giving rise to rumors of pretty much [[LauncherOfAThousandShips every male Vietnamese wartime poets]] in vicinity has hooked up with him or becoming his muse. Most notable candidate would be his housemate from 1938 to 1940 Huy Cận and Hoàng Cát (the latter explicitly admitted in 2013 that he is aware of Diệu's feeling but [[AllLovesIsUnrequited didn't reciprocate it]]).