Legend has it that Vietnam's origin lay in the harmonious union of lac Long Quan, King of the Sea, and Au Co, Princess of the Mountains. Real life was not so paradisiacal, as Vietnam's early history--like its recent history--is characterized by a nearly continuous struggle for autonomy. First came an entire millennium of Chinese domination, which was finally thrown off in the 9th century. External control was imposed once again in the 19th century, when Vietnam was occupied by the French.

French rule lasted until WWII, when the country was invaded by Japan. At the war's end the predominantly Communist Viet Minh, which had led the resistance movement against the Japanese, declared the country's independence. The French Indochina War ensued, until France admitted defeat in 1954, and the Geneva Accords left Vietnam divided into a Communist north and an anti-Communist south. By this time the U.S. had replaced the French as the primary sponsor of the anti-Communist government. Tension between north and south mounted over the next few years, until in 1964 full scale war erupted. The conflict lasted for the next eight years, and involved hundreds of thousands of troops from the U.S. and other countries. In 1973 a cease-fire agreement allowed the U.S. the opportunity to withdraw its troops, and in 1975 the southern capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. An extended period of political repression followed, prompting massive emigration from the country. In 1991, with the fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War, many western powers re-established diplomatic and trade relations with Vietnam. The last country to do so, in 1995, was the U.S.

There are four geographic sections in Vietnam, ranging from rugged mountains to marshy fertile flatlands.  Vietnam's "S" shape takes it from China, in the north, the the Gulf of Thailand in the south.  In the north, there are mountains that extend up to 3.143 m at Fan Si Pan, the highest point in Vietnam; the east and southeast consists of the Red River Delta, an alluvial plain; south of this Delta is the Truong Son (Annam Highlands) which is considered to be the backbone of Vietnam.  A plateau (Central Highlands) also occupies this area and can be found between Cambodia and the South China sea.  The Mekong Delta is located in the southernmost portion of Vietnam and makes up a fertile, marshy flatland that goes from the Central Highlands (north of it) south to the mangrove swamps on the Ca Mau peninsula.

The Red River and the Mekong River are navigable in their entirety and are considered to be the two major rivers in Vietnam.  To help prevent flooding in their deltas, a system of dikes and canals has been erected.  This has helped

The weather in the southern part of Vietnam is tropical. It is monsoonal in the north, bringing a hot, rainy season from mid-May to mid-September and a warm, dry season from mid-October to mid-March. Occasional typhoons from May to January bring extensive flooding to the middle regions of Vietnam.
 

The richness of Vietnam's origins is evident throughout its culture. Spiritual life in Vietnam is agrand panoply of belief systems, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Tam Giao (literally 'triple religion'), which is a blend of Taoism, popular Chinese beliefs, and ancient Vietnamese animism. The most important festival of the year is Tet, a week-long event in late January or early February that heralds the new lunar year and the advent of spring. Celebration consists of both raucous festivity (fireworks, drums, gongs) and quiet meditation. In addition to Tet, there are about twenty other traditional and religious festivals each year.

Folk art, which flourished before French colonization, has experienced a resurgence in beautiful woodcuts, village painting, and block printing. Vietnamese lacquer art, another traditional medium, is commonly held to be the most original and sophisticated in the world. Music, dance, and puppetry, including the uniquely Vietnamese water puppetry, are also mainstays of the country's culture.