History of Vietnam after 1945 Essay

This research paper's plan provides a summary of everything that will be written in the final product. It comprises of an introduction and abstract of Vietnam's post-1945 history. It contains a succinct explanation of each of the subjects covered in the paper's body. The Vietnam War was influenced by colonial countries' control over Vietnam. China was the country's first colonial force, and in the late 1800s, France took over. A number of nationalist groups were established in Vietnam prior to 1945 to oppose imperial rule. Especially under the rule of the French colonialists, the groups sought to achieve self-governance. A common movement was known as the Viet Ming with a founder Ho Chi Minh (The United States Since 1945 10). Ho tried to ask for help from the United States but this did not work out. They were involved in the Cold War with the USSR and chose to assist the French colonialists instead of trusting Ho. France eventually sought a peace settlement in 1954 after suffering a defeat in Dien Bien Phu. This was the result of a continuous war between the French and Ho’s forces.

Introduction

In the year 1954, a cease-fire was declared by the Geneva Accords. It led to the division of Vietnam into North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was placed under Ho and his followers in the communist movements, while South Vietnam was placed under the emperor who was backed by the French (Prados 24). The division was a temporary one; Vietnam was expected to be reunited after free elections were held. The unification of North and South Vietnam was prevented by the United States. They wanted to make South Vietnam an American Sphere and used their influence to make Ngo Dinh Diem the head of government Saigon. Then he was stimulated so that the elections that were meant to reunite the divided Vietnam would not be held.

Diem kept on opposing the elections and because of this, the Americans gave him money and arms which he used to strengthen his government. The leadership of Diem was opposed by the Vietnamese citizens to an extent of launching of guerilla activities in the year 1958 (Gillon 31). In South Vietnam, a National Liberation movement was launched in the year 1960 to unite the regime leadership and the opposition. The period after 1945 in Vietnam was after war. The research paper looks deeply into what the country experienced as they tried to reconstruct.

Overview

In 1950, Vietnam established diplomatic relations with the United States of America, a result of the French rule which denied Vietnamese citizens their freedom. The United States had their embassy in South Vietnam and did not recognize North Vietnam. However, the embassy was withdrawn in 1975 and all the personnel working there evacuated. This took place as South Vietnam surrendered to the forces from North Vietnam. Currently, the diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam still exist. The United States supports a Vietnam that respects the law and upholds human rights (Marr, 23). The ties extend to the educational and training sector, environment, health, trade and economy, defense and security, disaster and relief among others.

The war between the United States and Vietnam left remnants of explosives that are were heavily contaminated. This implies that the environment is still affected by the contamination. The need arose for the cleaning of the effects left by the remnants of the explosives. The United States chipped in and signed a memorandum with the country to cooperate in doing so. Agent Orange which is a defoliant that is used by the forces in the United States was to be used for the purpose. The memorandum strengthened the relationship between the two countries (Corfield 16). The United States offers assistance to Vietnam when they are faced with disasters. They offer relief where necessary, offer humanitarian assistance and engage in peace keeping strategies in Vietnam. In the year 2016, the United States withdrew a ban that they had placed against Vietnam on the sale of weapons. They however, continued to offer them security.

Vietnam continues to maintain ties with other countries. More than nineteen thousand Vietnamese students study in the United States. The country also engages in trade with other countries. Initially, the economy of the country was village based. The French colonialists introduced agriculture in South Vietnam to improve the economy. In the north, they introduced manufacturing. The colonial rule saw Vietnam develop exports such as coal, rice and manufactured products. Shortly after 1945, the economy of Vietnam was dominated by small scale production. This still continues up to now. The citizens continue to face economic challenges like unemployment, low labor productivity, shortfalls in technology and food shortages.

Demography

Presently, the population of Vietnam is estimated to be 77 million people mostly consisting of entirely the indigenous population (Khanh). The majority people of Vietnam are the (Kinh) who comprise approximately 85 percent of the total population other ethnic groups include Chinese, Khmer, Muong, and Tai. Most of the expatriates live in the urban centers while the majority of the other population estimated at 75 percent live in the rural areas (Bryant 235). The two centers in Vietnamese that are most populous are the Hanoi and the Ho Chi Minh City. The average countries birth rate ranges at around 1.3 percent annually. The rise in population is what has caused the escalation of its population since the late 20th century; over a quarter of the population is estimated to be about 14 years. Concerning the lingual affiliation, The Vietnamese language is the widely spoken language, and this language has some Chinese alliance. These words that are considered the standard form include the languages of the delta, and the languages are almost similar with some slight dialect variation in the tones and the vocabulary.

Vietnamese is the official language that is thought in schools since the mid-20th century; the last 80 years has experienced an improvement in the literacy level, this is a significant achievement as above 90 percent of the population are literate. The 20th century witnessed the countries elite learning other new languages such as the Russian, English, and French. One the most vital component of the Vietnamese language is the national identity. The Vietnamese take pride in their language and nationality. The ethnic composition of Vietnam is composed of about fifty-four national languages; most of this population resides in the Highland the ethnic groups in Vietnam have coexisted peacefully since the 19th century.

Social and cultural aspect

During the period after 1945, the social and cultural aspect of Vietnam experienced dramatic change, it worth to mention that it stood as the most turbulent times in the history of that country (Beresford 56). One of the key aspects that were hugely affected by the change is the education sector, which acted as the fundamental element to drive the country towards achieving its “civilization mission” and also ensuring the French domination in the region. French schools were purposely utilized by the Vietnamese intellects to push for their career mileage, and also they used the schools for the purpose of using the platform to spread the idea of nationalism or to lobby for an important post in the progressive society.

The expansion of French education in the areas of Tonkin led to a mixed response from the locals. The colonialism status forced the scholars in Vietnam into an internal struggle between the urge to modernize and nationalism (Biddington 43). Concerning the social welfare of the Vietnamese, the government has had a strong commitment to the change in the social life and precisely the improvement in the well-being of the Vietnamese through eradication of poverty, proper healthcare and the advancement of the economy.

Besides, the government also provided assistance to the victims of war by giving aids through the various governmental offices, all this aimed at improving the living standards of the Vietnamese. Moreover, the teachings of the Confucius are the foundation of the Vietnamese cultural values; its core values include upholding the cohesiveness of the family, and the social peace (Malarney). The western culture fuels the culture of individual independence and freedom. In Vietnam, the children face challenges on how they will impact the society if they grow up, they are expected to grow old and go through the phases of life. The Vietnamese, however, do not subscribe to generational independence the Confucianism also emphasize the significance of taking care of the elderly and also catering for the vulnerable people in the society. The culture of the Vietnamese define that the old should live with the immediate family until demise and after death, a shrine is erected to extend the honor.

Religion

There are six official religions in Vietnam, and they include Catholics, Protestantism, Buddhism and other conventional languages that became realized during colonialism that is the Hai and the Dai. The dominant tradition in Vietnam is the Mahayana tradition while most of the Vietnamese regard themselves as less dominant (James D). The constitution of Vietnam guarantees the freedom of religion, but there is no full assurance concerning the religious activities that should expressly like to facilitate dissent. The role of the communist party’s Fatherland front is to control all the religions in Vietnam the first religious practice that cuts across all the religions in Vietnam is that they all worship spirits especially the ancestral spirit.

Nearly every home in Vietnam have a special place where they carry out their religious practice there are also other rituals such as the guardian spirit the spirit, locational spirits and much more. However, according to the revolutionaries, the adherence to such religious rituals and beliefs is the reason that the Vietnamese are not empowered, and they cannot shape their destiny. Christianity found its way into Vietnam in the late 16th century, and it was introduced by the Spanish, French and Portuguese missionaries. While the Hao and Cao Dai religion became established by a person known as Le Van Trung, this doctrine emanated from the southern region of Vietnam. There is a close similarity between Animism. Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism and it is recognized as the oldest form of religion.

Environmental Issues

The nature of the Vietnam country is composed of a diverse biological nature, Vietnam is estimated to cover a 1 percent of the total world, and it is the home of about 10 percent of its species. According to the environmental report, its environment is among the most affected in terms of habitat loss and deforestation. Vietnam is ranked lowly in terms of environmental sustainability (F. Purcell). There are major pollution issues that have affected Vietnam these problems range from dead rivers, polluted air and oil leaks. Based on the expatriates survey, Most Asian countries such as India, China, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam are ranked among the dirtiest countries. According to Asian Development Banks (ADP) “The amount of chemical input in Vietnam ranks high, an estimate of above 70 tons of chemical waste are released into ponds and sewer every year”. The Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Environmental Agency is mandated to ensure the protection of the environment. Between 1954 and 1975 during the Indochina war, The United States Of America used Agent Orange which had a devastating effect on the Vietnamese Environment. As a result, the contamination led to emergence of multiple incidences and defects in birth.

Concerning global warming in Vietnam, there are incidences such as the rise of the sea level in the Mekong and Red River Delta, this rise results in flooding. Vietnam is estimated to emit about 11.8 million Mt of carbon (Kui-Nang Mak). Particularly the Mekong Delta is on the verge of a devastating destruction due to the global warming. The efforts by the government of Vietnam to protect the environment were founded in the 1960s. The areas that are under protection are the base for the conflicts between the developers and the conservationist who have the goodwill of the environment. The laws guarding the environment I Vietnam adheres to the international regulation, but they are not implemented strictly. According to experts, the larger conservation goal is overcome by the local development agendas. In the present world, Vietnam is at a dilemma of either valuing the preservation of the environment or not.

Political

Nationalism is a feature that largely defines the history if Vietnam. Vietnam’s culture and history remained intact despite the 1,000-year rule by the Chinese. Starting from 1862, regions including Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos were controlled by the French, up until 1893.in 1945, Japan moved in and, under a resistance movement led by Ho Chi Minh, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was formed. There was divided support between communists who were led by Ho, and the anticommunists who were led by Emperor Bao Dai.

The French were eager to gain control over Vietnam, specifically the South Vietnam, after the World War II. These negotiations proved futile and an attack was launched on the French forces. Led by Bao Dai, the Vietminh; an organization that fought against foreign domination, defeated the French in May 1954 (Lockhart and William 3). The fighting ended after a Geneva Conference was held in July 1954. A split of Vietnam into two nations produced the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Southern Republic of Vietnam. The democratic republic was led by the communists, while the southern Republic was headed by the anticommunists. Ngo Dinh Diem was the first to proclaim himself the Republic of Vietnam President and refused to associate himself with Geneva Accords' provisions. Vietnam was a place that was dominated by conflicts and was politically divided, until 1975.

The United States started supporting the southern regime after the French left Vietnam. Diem’s regime restrained the freedom of the people and this ignited opposition in the late 1950s, which was headed by the National Liberation Front, and Viet Cong, which served as its military arm. Viet Cong was continuously controlled by the North Vietnam as the United States continued to get involved with the country. The United States had made it their task to protect South Vietnam by the mid-1960s, but as the North Vietnam increasingly grew stronger, the United States became overwhelmed. In 1973, there was a peace agreement between the United States and the South Vietnam government and therefore the United States withdrew its troops. Viet Cong conquered the South Vietnam, whose government surrendered in April 1975 (Gainsborough 696).

The restoration of the political unity in Vietnam led to the rise of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with Hanoi as its capital. The political state of the South Vietnam was overturned by the North Vietnam and new leaders were involved in instilling socialist values in Vietnam and made business operations national as well as put farms in a collective form. A new constitution, under the National Assembly, was approved in1980 (Forde 16). The Communist Party was recognized as the only legitimate force that was leading the society. The constitution was later revised and it introduced reforms such as private property ownership rights.

The supreme organ consists of a National Assembly made of 450 members, designated by the Constitution. Election of the president is carried out by the National Assembly, as per the revision of the Constitution in 1992. The president is tasked with nominating the Vice-President, the chief justice, and the Prime Minister (Luong 38). After selection, the National Assembly approves the candidates. The prime minister, alongside the cabinet ministers and the deputies, handle the daily affairs that entail governing the country.

International relations

North Vietnam had China and the Soviet Union as its allies, and it attempted to balance its relations with them between 1954 and 1975, during the Indochina war. The Chinese Cultural Revolution sparked tension in Vietnam. Beijing was increasingly supporting the Communist Party in Cambodia; Khmer Rouge, and this made Vietnam question China's motives and suspicion began to grow (Amineh 10).

Vietnam has gone through significant political development and its leadership has evolved progressively, as indicated by its foreign policy. In 1986, Vietnam held its 6th Party Congress and initiated the renovation policy, whereby its primary focus was to enhance relations with the former Soviet Union and readily upheld it as a major prop in its foreign policy. Politburo, the policymaking committee, made a change to the already set foreign policy in response to the domestic economy liberalization decision in 1986 (Hagerty 25). They adopted the ‘more friends, fewer enemies’ policy and shifted away from their Soviet Union alliance which was unyielding. Vietnam needed to coexist with the United States, China and ASEAN peacefully.

Vietnam consolidated its relations with Laos and Cambodia, during its 7th Party Congress held in 1991, a shift of focus which sped up its normalization with China. An 8th Party Congress was held five years later, affirming that it aimed to maintain strong relations with its neighbors. In 2001, at the 9th Party Congress, the Vietnam government made an announcement of the “independent and self-reliant diversification and multi-lateralization of international relations" policy. The transition from the Soviet Union policy to the current policy in Vietnam showed success and truth in the leadership and integrating Vietnam as opposed to the communist doctrine (Dayley and Clark 65).

A 10th Party Congress impacted the foreign policy further gaining more support. The foreign minister expressed confidence in the foreign policy's consistency. He stated that Vietnam would focus on positive developments, international integration, and overseas relation building. This policy’s mission was to maintain peace and stability in Vietnam. Thus, Vietnam had to be in good terms with its neighbors. Laos and Cambodia are vital for the stability of Vietnam, even though they are small countries. Vu Khoan, the Deputy Prime Minister insisted on Vietnam prioritizing its efforts, and stated that neighbors were more of a higher value than distant relatives.

China and the United States are large countries in relation to Vietnam, and this means that Vietnam has to calculate its balance carefully with these two countries. Vietnam and the United States have a lot of room for progress. This ties Vietnam’s national economic interests with the foreign policy. Vietnam has joined various international organizations to work towards its integration in the global economy. This has seen it expand its trade with Western Europe countries and also North America. Vietnam joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1995, expanding its influence until it chaired the association in 2010. An 11th Party Congress held in 2011 saw Communist Party leaders adopting another foreign policy, which was more engaged and was geared towards attaining a government-involved foreign policy approach, including policy making alongside the National Defense Ministry (Ganesan and Ramses 12)

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is worthy to mention that the cultural development of Vietnamese drew its influence from the external party mainly the Chinese their culture is majorly seen as the Confucianism which majorly pushed for education and also supported the hierarchical structure of the authority where power is centralized to ensure effective control. The economy and the political stability of the nation improved over the years, its foreign policies have evolved progressively, and the country has realized rapid political development over the period after 1945. The Vietnamese culture stood firm even during the rule by the foreigners, and it is credited as the primary driver for the prosperity of the country most institution in Vietnam is underdeveloped, like the banking and the insurances systems are not sophisticated to the modern standards. We can also note that culture goes hand in hand with the economic development in the Vietnamese society; this paper identifies how culture transforms from one generation to the others. The role of the culture here is that it defines the blueprints and the rules of the society

Bibliography

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Outline

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Instructor

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Date

History of Vietnam after 1945

Thesis statement: The period after 1945 in Vietnam was after war. This research paper looks deeply into what the country experienced as they tried to reconstruct.

Overview

In 1950, Vietnam established diplomatic relations with the United States of America.

In the year 1954, a cease-fire was declared by the Geneva Accords. It led to the division of Vietnam into North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was placed under Ho and his followers in the communist movements while South Vietnam was placed and an emperor who was backed by the French.

Vietnam continues to maintain ties with other countries. More than nineteen thousand Vietnamese students study in the United States. The country also engages in trade with other countries

Demography

Presently, the population of Vietnam is estimated to be 77 million people mostly consisting of entirely the indigenous population (Khanh). The majority people of Vietnam are the (Kinh) who comprise approximately 85 percent of the total population other ethnic groups include Chinese, Khmer, Muong, and Tai.

Vietnamese is the official language that is thought in schools since the mid-20th century; the last 80 years has experienced an improvement in the literacy level, this is a significant achievement as above 90 percent of the population are literate.

Social and cultural aspect

During the period after 1945, the social and cultural aspect of Vietnam experienced dramatic change, it worth to mention that it stood as the most turbulent times in the history of that country (Beresford 52-56). One of the key aspects that were hugely affected by the change is the education sector, which acted as the fundamental element to drive the country towards achieving its “civilization mission” and also ensuring the French domination in the region.

Concerning the social welfare of the Vietnamese, the government has had a strong commitment to the change in the social life and precisely the improvement in the well-being of the Vietnamese through eradication of poverty, proper healthcare and the advancement of the economy.

Teachings of the Confucius are the foundation of the Vietnamese cultural values; its core values include upholding the cohesiveness of the family, and the social peace (Malarney). The western culture fuels the culture of individual independence and freedom.

Religion

There are six official religions in Vietnam, and they include Catholics, Protestantism, Buddhism and other conventional languages that became realized during colonialism that is the Hai and the Dai. The dominant tradition in Vietnam is the Mahayana tradition while most of the Vietnamese regard themselves as less dominant.

Nearly every home in Vietnam have a special place where they carry out their religious practice there are also other rituals such as the guardian spirit the spirit, locational spirits and much more.

Environmental issues

Vietnam’s environment is among the most affected in terms of habitat loss and deforestation. Vietnam is ranked lowly in terms of environmental sustainability.

Concerning global warming in Vietnam, there are incidences such as the rise of the sea level in the Mekong and Red River Delta, this rise results in flooding. Vietnam is estimated to emit about 11.8 million Mt of carbon.

Political

Nationalism is a feature that largely defines the history if Vietnam. Vietnam’s culture and history remained intact despite the 1,000-year rule by the Chinese. Starting from 1862, regions including Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos were controlled by the French, up until 1893.in 1945, Japan moved in and, under a resistance movement led by Ho Chi Minh, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was formed.

The French were eager to gain control over Vietnam, specifically the South Vietnam, after the World War II. These negotiations proved futile and an attack was launched on the French forces.

The United States started supporting the southern regime after the French left Vietnam.

The restoration of the political unity in Vietnam led to the rise of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with Hanoi as its capital.

International relations

North Vietnam had China and the Soviet Union as its allies, and it attempted to balance its relations with them between 1954 and 1975, during the Indochina war.

In 1986, Vietnam held its 6th Party Congress and initiated the renovation policy, whereby its primary focus was to enhance relations with the former Soviet Union and readily upheld it as a major prop in its foreign policy.

Vietnam consolidated its relations with Laos and Cambodia, during its 7th Party Congress held in 1991, a shift of focus which sped up its normalization with China. An 8th Party Congress was held five years later, affirming that it aimed to maintain strong relations with its neighbors.

Vietnam has joined various international organizations to work towards its integration in the global economy. This has seen it expand its trade with Western Europe countries and also North America.