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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Discover More

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

Cuba's communist president has cited China and Vietnam as models for a historic shift towards a market economy that was hurriedly pushed through last week to try to end a severe crisis.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

That the ’70s American psyche, brutalized by Watergate and Vietnam, found solace in Castaneda’s sophistry isn’t surprising.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

China is rapidly building up its navy and is increasingly assertive in pressing its maritime claims with neighbors including Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026

Robusta, the cheaper and more bitter bean often used in instant coffee and espresso blends, was especially squeezed by poor weather in Vietnam.

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

There was just one thing left to do in Vietnam.

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