Back to Vietnam Timeline

Climate and Geographic Factors

- Winter season in northern Vietnam lasts from November to April; from early February to the end of March
- There is a persistent drizzling rain, and March and April sometimes are considered to be a transitional period.
- The summer in northern Vietnam lasts from April or May to October and is characterized by heat, heavy rain, and occasional typhoons. In central
- Southern Vietnam the southwest monsoon winds between June and November bring rains and occasional typhoons to the eastern slopes of the mountains and the lowland plains.
- Vietnam is a mere 8 degrees north of the Equator, whereas the most northern point is almost on the tropic of Cancer.
- It has a tropical, hot and humid, climate, and has only two real seasons - the monsoon season and the dry season.
- The average yearly temperature for this southern region is around 80 or 90 degrees F (27-32 degrees C). Northern Vietnam, along the Red River, has hot, wet summers (80-90 F, 27-32 C)
- The climate in Southern Vietnam is excellent for growing rice
- The mountainous regions of Vietnam, between the two lowland deltas, and forming a northern border between Vietnam and China are generally cooler,,
http://library.thinkquest.org/25734/data/climate/climate.html

Agriculture and Economy

-The Vietnamese government is making out a major program to increase food production.
- Mostly for exports and to the meet to growing needs of humans population and industry livestock.
- Rice is the most important food crop including corn, cassava and sweet potato It was estimated that Vietnam will be about 80 million by the year 2000.
- Juts to feed this population they will need 5 - 26 million mt of rice, 3 million mt of maize, and 1 - 2 million mt of other food crops.
- Technical improvements have already increased yields to the level where Vietnam has become one of the world's largest rice exporters.

  • High-yielding pilot plots have been established with the help of skilled farmers and experienced cooperatives, and field tours and field days have been organized.
  • Training courses for farmers have been held.
  • Leaflets about new technology have been printed for distribution to farmers.
  • Mass media

- The most common domesticated animals in Vietnam are water buffalo, cattle, dogs, cats, pigs, goats, ducks, and chickens.
- Wild game in the central highlands includes elephants and tapirs; rhinoceroses once roamed there, but none have been seen since the early 1940s.
-Also found in the forests are large cats, including tigers, leopards
- Other common wild animals are wild boars, porcupines, jackals, otters, mongooses, hares, skunks, and squirrels, including flying squirrels.
- Vietnam domesticated animals.

http://www.agnet.org/library/bc/46015/
http://www.tuvy.com/Countries/vietnamese/land_of_vietnam.htm

Events and leaders

- The three major events in the Vietnam War are probably the forming and actions of the Rebel Group, the “Vietcong”,
- The retreat of the Americans from the war in 1965 and the probably the introducing of compulsory conscription for 20 year old Australian Men.
- As Vietnam was 80% covered in jungle, they had a lot of cover to hide in.
- They built underground tunnels and bases in the Jungle to be unseen or heard by the enemy. They were completely unseen and hard to find.
- As the Vietcong grew bigger, they had to build more and more bases.
- South Vietnam had a hard time trying to find and kill the enemy so they had to resort to chemicals, thus making the first ever “Chemical War”.
- The retreat of the Americans in the Vietnam War was surprising but with over 67,000 American Deaths; it was understandable.
- This is what President Nixon had to say about the war 20 years after the retreat.
Vietnam Figures

North Vietnam

  • Ho Chi Minh
  • Le Duan
  • Tran Van Tra
  • Le Duc Tho
  • Pham Van Dong
  • General Giap

South Vietnam

  • Bao Dai
  • Duong Van Minh
  • Ngo Dinh Diem
  • Ngo Dinh Nhu
  • Nguyen Cao Ky
  • Nguyen Khanh
  • Nguyen Van Thieu
http://www.vietnam-war.info/figures/bao_dai.php
http://www.socyberty.com/History/Major-Events-in-the-Vietnam-War.37468

Culture, Art and Music
- Vietnam has a strong similarity to the Chinese culture.
- Ceramics are known in Vietnam as is silk weaving, and engraved furniture
- A Known art form is wood block printing where a design or picture is carved into a block of wood, then painted.
- Chinese is seen all over Vietnam. Wooden objects are painted with black and a design, and coated over and over with a clear, glassy liquid
- Dragons and turtles are two very important animals in the Vietnamese culture.
- There are crafted sculptures of those and other important animals, people, and things all over the country.
- There are three main types of Vietnamese music: folk, classical, and choral. Folk music includes children's, work, festival, and funeral songs.
- Know Vietnamese instruments would be bamboo flutes, xylophones, the 16 string zither, double trumpets, consisting of two attached bamboo tubes, skin drums and gongs.
- Poetry is still is extremely common and known in Vietnam.
- The most famous Vietnamese poem is Kim Van Kiew. Even some people who can't read, can recite that poem by heart.
- Folk tales, orally told often involve sacred and mythological animals, and teach a lesson.
- Architecture today in Vietnam is the mixture of Chinese and French colonial manors.
- Some buildings have pointed roofs and curving eaves, like Chinese buildings
- People dress in loose pants or skirts with long sleeve shirts that can easily be rolled up.
- Most people wear sandals or go barefoot.
- Some People wear traditional dress made on looms.
- material has been a repeated pattern and is decorated with beads
http://library.thinkquest.org/25734/data/culture/culture.html

Social-Political
-
Every year on March 8 International Women's Day, the Vietnam Communist Party's government organizes nationwide ceremony honoring the female citizens for their role in the society
- Women in civil labor groups directly supported NVA army combat engineer units - or Chinese Communist engineer units
- After the war, woman's status has not been better. In the countryside, the war swallowed a great number of young men, leaving hundred thousands of young widows.
- 1950s after the Communist government took over Hanoi, it introduced what was called "Doi Song Moi" or "New Way of Life." Under this new way, if a man offered his seat on a bus a woman
- After the Communists took. control of territory north of the 17th Parallel in 1954, women in the North began their new life.
- Communists are fighting but woman nationalists did involve actively in the sacred fight for national independence.
- 20th Century when patriotism came to a high point with uprisings and subversive attempts against the French, more women were sent to school.
- women in civil labor groups directly supported NVA army combat engineer units - or Chinese Communist engineer units.
- The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is run by the Communist party.
- The national assembly is a group of 395 people elected every 5 years.
- Politburo is a group of 15 people that heads the communist party.
- The communist party is the only party and makes all of the decisions.
- members of the national assembly, serves a five year term.
- The prime minister runs the government with the approval of 15 other people.
http://library.thinkquest.org/25734/data/government/gov.html

Weapons and Transportation

Weapons

-Weapons consisted of: F-100 Supersabre jet aircraft, F-101 Voodoo jets,
F-102 Delta Dagger jets, F-104 Starfighter jets,
-F-105 Thunderchiefs,
-F-4 Phantoms, F-8 Crusaders,
-A-1 Skyraiders (propeller driven), A-4 Skyhawks,
A-6 Intruders (medium bombers), A-7 Corsair II's,
-B-57 Canberra bombers, B-52 Stratofortress bombers,
-C-130 Spectre Gunships.
-M-48 Patton tanks,
-M-551 Sheridan tanks, M-41 Walker Bulldog tanks (used only the the South Viet Army), 155mm, 175mm, 8",
-Self Propelled guns;
-105mm, 155mm towed guns (field guns).
-M-42 Dusters (twin barreled 40mm guns),
-106mm and 90mm recoilless rifles, 60mm, 81mm, and
-4.2" mortars
- Small Arms, Infantry:
M-14 rifle, later the M-16 rifle;
M-3 submachingun (grease gun), M-60 machingun, .
50 caliber machingun, .45 pistol.
South Vietnamese Army and marines for usually
armed with the US WWII M-1 carbines.
Until later in the war when they recieved M-16 rifles.

Transportation

- Brown Water Navy (Riverine Forces):
-Swift Boats (Patrol Craft Fast), PBR's (Patrol Boat River),
-Alpha Boats (ASPB-Assault Support Patrol Boats),
-and Monitors (River Battleships).
The Military Sea Transportation Service had the job of bringing war supplies to Vietnam -- 10,000 miles from the Pacific coast
http://www.usmm.org/vietnam.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapons_of_the_Vietnam_War

Cadar's Essay
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