Vietnam

American  

[vee-et-nahm, -nam, vyet-, vee-it-] / viˌɛtˈnɑm, -ˈnæm, ˌvjɛt-, ˌvi ɪt- /

Or Viet Nam

noun

1. Official Name Socialist Republic of Vietnam.  a country in Southeast Asia, comprising the former states of Annam, Tonkin, and Cochinchina: formerly part of French Indochina; divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam during the Vietnam War but now reunified. 126,104 sq. mi. (326,609 sq. km). Hanoi.

2. Vietnam War.

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Vietnam British  

/ ˌvjɛtˈnæm /

noun

1. Official name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam.  a republic in SE Asia: an ancient empire, conquered by France in the 19th century; occupied by Japan (1940–45) when the Communist-led Vietminh began resistance operations that were continued against restored French rule after 1945. In 1954 the country was divided along the 17th parallel, establishing North Vietnam (under the Vietminh) and South Vietnam (under French control), the latter becoming the independent Republic of Vietnam in 1955. From 1959 the country was dominated by war between the Communist Vietcong, supported by North Vietnam, and the South Vietnamese government; increasing numbers of US forces were brought to the aid of the South Vietnamese army until a peace agreement (1973) led to the withdrawal of US troops; further fighting led to the eventual defeat of the South Vietnamese government in March 1975 and in 1976 an elected National Assembly proclaimed the reunification of the country. Official language: Vietnamese. Religion: Buddhist majority. Currency: dong. Capital: Hanoi. Pop: 92 477 857 (2013 est). Area: 331 041 sq km (127 816 sq miles)

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Vietnam Cultural  

1. Republic in Southeast Asia, bordered by Cambodia and Laos to the west, China to the north, and the South China Sea (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) to the east and south.

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The Geneva Conference of 1954 divided Vietnam into North Vietnam, controlled by communists, and South Vietnam, controlled by noncommunists.

In the Vietnam War of 1954–1975, South Vietnam, which was aided by the United States, fought communist insurgents, who were aided by North Vietnam. The war ended when the communists overran the south in 1975. The country was reunified in 1976.

American involvement in the Vietnam War was strongly protested in the United States.

Between 1978 and 1979, Vietnam invaded Cambodia and installed a puppet government.

Vietnam was under the control of France from the second half of the nineteenth century until World War II, when it was occupied by the Japanese. The country became an autonomous state in 1946. France's attempts to reassert control resulted in the French Indochina War (1946–1954), in which the French were defeated.

Great numbers of Vietnamese refugees, known as boat people, fled the country in the aftermath of the war.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Vietnam

The researchers analyzed skeletal remains from archaeological sites in northern and southern Vietnam dating to approximately 4,000 to 3,200 years ago.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Gigi Bannister told TMZ, which first reported the actor’s death, that her late husband was a Vietnam War vet and was exposed to Agent Orange during his service.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Their last two presidents, Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson, had left office under the clouds of the Iran hostage crisis, in the case of the former, and Vietnam with the latter.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

Yet international sales were up, including big gains in Vietnam and India.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

South Vietnam had an enormous military, but the forces were spread out and ineffective.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin