Vietnam - Country history and economic development



2879 B.C. Va-n Lang becomes the first emperor of Vietnam, known as the Va-n Lang Kingdom.

Household Consumption in PPP Terms
Country All food Clothing and footwear Fuel and power a Health care b Education b Transport & Communications Other
Vietnam 49 7 15 4 18 6 2
United States 13 9 9 4 6 8 51
China N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Thailand 23 8 5 3 13 11 37
Data represent percentage of consumption in PPP terms.
a Excludes energy used for transport.
b Includes government and private expenditures.
SOURCE: World Bank. World Development Indicators 2000.

111 B.C. TO 939 A.D. Vietnam is under Chinese rule.

939. Vietnam becomes independent of China.

13THa CENTURY. Vietnam repels Mongol forces of Kublai Khan 3 times.

15TH CENTURY. Vietnam repels Ming China's attempt to control the country.

1801. The beginning of the unified reign of Emperor Gia Long, and the beginning of the Nguyen Dynasty.

1858. France begins its invasion of Vietnam, capturing Saigon in 1861. Eventually French control extends beyond Vietnam to all of Indochina.

1924. Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh leaves for southern China where he establishes the first Marxist organization to promote revolution in Indochina.

1930. Formation of Indochinese Communist Party in Hong Kong.

1941. Ho, after extensive overseas travel, returns to Vietnam to establish the Viet Minh, a revolutionary organization.

1945. On 2 September, Ho announces the birth of Vietnam as an independent, unified nation.

1946-1954. Vietnam fights a war against the French, while the United States provides military and financial aid to the French. In 1954, the French are defeated at Dien Bien Phu by the Viet Minh. Vietnam is later divided at the 17th parallel into North and South Vietnam, with the United States providing aid to the pro-capitalist South Vietnam and opposing the communist North Vietnam.

1959-73. The American war in Vietnam begins, with the United States siding with South Vietnam against North Vietnam. The United States finally leaves the country in 1973.

1975. Following the fall/liberation of the South Vietnamese city of Saigon, the 2 Vietnams are united as the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on 30 April.

1977. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is admitted to the United Nations.

1978. Vietnam invades Cambodia and overthrows the Pol Pot regime, which leads to prolonged civil war in Cambodia between Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge forces and the Vietnamese-installed government in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

1986. New doi moi economic policy calls for economic liberalization and the use of market forces and mechanisms.

1989. Vietnam withdraws its troops from Cambodia.

1994. The United States lifts its economic embargo against Vietnam.

1995. Vietnam is accepted as the 7th member of ASEAN.

1995. U.S. president Bill Clinton announces the normalization of relations with Vietnam. Clinton visits Vietnam in 2000.

2001. In October, a Bilateral Trade Agreement between the United States and Vietnam is approved by the U.S. Congress.

Also read article about Vietnam from Wikipedia

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