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Vietnam
Fact
Sheet :
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Area : 329,560
sq km
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Population : 85,262,356 (July 2007 est.)
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Capital : Hanoi
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Languages : Vietnamese
(official), English
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Currency : dong
(VND)
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Government type : Communist
state
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Elements of History :
The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared
after World War II, but the French continued to rule until
1954 when they were defeated by Communist forces under Ho
Chi MINH, who took control of the North. US economic and military
aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt
to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn
following a cease-fire agreement in 1973.
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