VIETNAM

Wherever you are on the planet, the world is an amazing place to live on

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Ocean Vietnam 2015, the beautiful Miss Dang Thu Thao

 

 

 

Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With an estimated 90.3 million inhabitants as of 2012, it is the world's 13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous Asian country. The name Vietnam translates as "Southern Viet" (synonymous with the much more ancient term Nam Viet), and was first officially adopted in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long and again in 1945 with the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh. The country is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east. Its capital city has been Hanoi since the reunification of North and South Vietnam in 1976.

The Vietnamese became independent from Imperial China in 938 AD, following the resounding Vietnamese victory in the Battle of Bạch Đằng River. Successive Vietnamese royal dynasties flourished as the nation expanded geographically and politically into Southeast Asia, until the Indochina Peninsula was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. Following a Japanese occupation in the 1940s, the Vietnamese fought French rule in the First Indochina War, eventually expelling the French in 1954. Thereafter, Vietnam was divided politically into two rival states, North and South Vietnam. Conflict between the two sides intensified, in what is known as the Vietnam War, with the North and the Vietcong fighting South Vietnam heavily backed by the US. The war ended with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975.

Vietnam was then unified under a Communist government but remained impoverished and politically isolated. In 1986, the government initiated a series of economic and political reforms which began Vietnam's path towards integration into the world economy. By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with most nations. Since 2000, Vietnam's economic growth rate has been among the highest in the world, and in 2011 it had the highest Global Growth Generators Index among 11 major economies. Its successful economic reforms resulted in its joining the World Trade Organization in 2007. However, the country still experiences high levels of income inequality, disparities in access to healthcare, and a lack of gender equality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GEOGRAPHY

 

As a coastal country, Vietnam has many major sea ports, including Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Gai, Qui Nhơn, Vũng Tàu and Nha Trang. Further inland, the country's extensive network of rivers play a key role in rural transportation, with over 17,700 kilometres (11,000 mi) of navigable waterways carrying ferries, barges and water taxis.

In addition, the Mekong Delta and Red River Delta are vital to Vietnam's social and economic welfare – most of the country's population lives along or near these river deltas, and the major cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are situated near the Mekong and Red River deltas, respectively. Further out in the South China Sea, Vietnam currently controls the majority of the disputed Spratly Islands, which are the source of longstanding disagreements with China and other nearby nations.

 

Vietnam is located on the eastern Indochina Peninsula between the latitudes 8° and 24°N, and the longitudes 102° and 110°E. It covers a total area of approximately 331,210 km2 (127,881 sq mi), making it almost the size of Germany. The combined length of the country's land boundaries is 4,639 km (2,883 mi), and its coastline is 3,444 km (2,140 mi) long. Vietnam's land is mostly hilly and densely forested, with level land covering no more than 20%. Mountains account for 40% of the country's land area, and tropical forests cover around 42%.

The northern part of the country consists mostly of highlands and the Red River Delta. Phan Xi Păng, located in Lào Cai Province, is the highest mountain in Vietnam, standing 3,143 m (10,312 ft) high. Southern Vietnam is divided into coastal lowlands, the mountains of the Annamite Range, and extensive forests. Comprising five relatively flat plateaus of basalt soil, the highlands account for 16% of the country's arable land and 22% of its total forested land. The soil in much of southern Vietnam is relatively poor in nutrients.

The Red River Delta, a flat, roughly triangular region covering 15,000 km2 (5,792 sq mi), is smaller but more intensely developed and more densely populated than the Mekong River Delta. Once an inlet of the Gulf of Tonkin, it has been filled in over the millennia by riverine alluvial deposits. The delta, covering about 40,000 km2 (15,444 sq mi), is a low-level plain no more than 3 meters (9.8 ft) above sea level at any point. It is criss-crossed by a maze of rivers and canals, which carry so much sediment that the delta advances 60 to 80 meters (196.9 to 262.5 ft) into the sea every year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

 

Vietnamese scholars developed many academic fields during the dynastic era, most notably social sciences and the humanities. The country boasts a millennium-deep legacy of analytical histories, such as the Đại Việt sử kư toàn thư of Ngô Sĩ Liên. Vietnamese monks led by the abdicated Emperor Trần Nhân Tông developed the Trúc Lâm Zen branch of philosophy in the 13th century. Arithmetics and geometry have been widely taught in Vietnam since the 15th century, using the textbook Đại thành toán pháp by Lương Thế Vinh as a basis. Lương Thế Vinh introduced Vietnam to the notion of zero, while Mạc Hiển Tích used the term số ẩn (en: "unknown/secret/hidden number") to refer to negative numbers. Vietnamese scholars furthermore produced numerous encyclopedias, such as Lê Quư Đôn's Vân đài loại ngữ.

In recent times, Vietnamese scientists have made many significant contributions in various fields of study, most notably in mathematics. Hoàng Tụy pioneered the applied mathematics field of global optimization in the 20th century, while Ngô Bảo Châu won the 2010 Fields Medal for his proof of fundamental lemma in the theory of automorphic forms. Vietnam is currently working to develop an indigenous space program, and plans to construct the US$600 million Vietnam Space Center by 2018. Vietnam has also made significant advances in the development of robots, such as the TOPIO humanoid model. In 2010, Vietnam's total state spending on science and technology equaled around 0.45% of its GDP.

 

MILITARY

 

The Vietnam People's Armed Forces consists of the Vietnam People's Army, the Vietnam People's Public Security and the Vietnam Civil Defense Force. The Vietnam People's Army (VPA) is the official name for the active military services of Vietnam, and is subdivided into the Vietnam People's Ground Forces, the Vietnam People's Navy, the Vietnam People's Air Force, the Vietnam Border Defense Force and the Vietnam Marine Police. The VPA has an active manpower of around 450,000, but its total strength, including paramilitary forces, may be as high as 5,000,000. In 2011, Vietnam's military expenditure totaled approximately US$2.48 billion, equivalent to around 2.5% of its 2010 GDP.

 

 

 

Miss Ocean 2016 beauty contest from the Cleaner Oceans Club

 

 

PAGEANT WITH A PURPOSE - Beauty competitions gain media attention for contestants and the objects of the pageant. The object of the Miss Ocean contest it to draw attention to: 1. Climate Change, 2. Ocean Pollution, and 3. Equal rights for all citizens of planet earth. Click on the picture above to read the (draft) rules. You can also have your say on how the competition should be formatted to truly achieve the stated objects.

 

 

 

 

 

WORLD GEOGRAPHY

 

 

 

Adelaide

Aden - Yemen

Afghanistan

Africa

Alaska

Albania

Algeria

Amazon Rainforest

Amsterdam

Antarctic - Scott

Arctic North Pole

Argentina

Asia

Athens

Atlantis - Plato's Lost City

Australia

Austria

Aztecs - Mexico

Baghdad

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Beachy Head, England

Belgium

Benin

Berlin

Bermuda

Black Rock Desert

Bohemia

Bolivia

Bonneville Utah History

Bonneville, Utah, USA

Brazil

Brighton - West Pier

British Columbia

Buckingham Palace

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burma

California

Canada

Canary Islands

Cape Horn

Cape Verde

Cape York - Au

Caribbean

Cayman Islands

Central Africa

Chichester Harbour

Chile

China

Columbo - Sri Lanka

Columbia

Corfu

Cowes, Isle of Wight

Croatia

Crooked Island, Bahamas

Cuba

Cyprus

Czechoslovakia

Darwin - Australia

Daytona Beach

Denmark

Eastbounre Pier, England

Earthquakes

Ecuador

Egypt

Eindhoven

Estonia

Equator

Europe

Falkland Islands

Falmouth, Cornwall

Fiji

Finland

Florida

France

Galapagos Islands

Geography Links

Geography Mountains

Geography Records

Geography Resources

Geography Statistics

 

 

Germany

Ghana

Gibraltar - Links

Greece

Greenland

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Hawaii

Holland the Nertherlands

Hollywood, California, LA

Hong Kong

Hungary

Hurricanes

Iceland

India

Indonesia Links

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Isle of Man

Isle of Wight - The Needles

Israel

Italy

Ivory Coast

Jakarta - Java

Jamaica

Japan

Johannesburg

Jordan

Kent, England

Kenya

Korea South Republic

Korea North

Kuwait

Kyoto

Lanzarote, Gran Canaria

Las Vegas

Lebanon

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Life on Earth

Lithuania

London - Big Ben

London Eye

London Houses Parliament

London - Buckingham Palace

London - Old Bailey

London - Overview

London - The City

London - Tower Bridge

London - Trafalgar Square

Luxembourg

Madame Tussauds

Malaysia

Mali

Malta

Marshal Islands

Mauritania

Maya Empire - Central America

Melbourne, Australia

Middle East

Mexico

Monaco

Morocco

Mountains

Mumbai

Naples- Italy

National Geographic

Nepal

New York

New Zealand

Niger

Nigeria

North Africa

Norway

Nova Scotia

Oceans and Seas

Oman

Pakistan

Palermo - Sicily

Palestine

Palma - Malorca

 

 

Panama Canal - Links

Paris

Pendine Sands

Peru

Philippines

Pisa, Leaning Tower

Planet Earth

Poland

Port Moresby - PNG

Port Said - Egypt

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Qatar

Quebec

Rio de Janeiro

Romania

Rome

Russia

Salt Lake City

Samoa

Saudi Arabia

Scandanavia

Scotland

Senegal

Siera Leone

Singapore

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South America

Southampton

Spain - Espana

Sri Lanka - Links

Stonehenge

Sudan

Suez Canal

Sundancer Holiday Resort

Sussex, England Index

Sweden

Switzerland

Sydney, Australia

Syria

Tahiti - Polynesia - Links

Tahitian - Men & Women Customs

Taiwan

Thailand

The Gambia

Togo

Tokyo, Japan

Tonga - Polynesia

Toronto

Trinidad - Lesser Antilles

Trinidad and Tobago

Tsunami

Tunbridge Wells, England

Tunisia

Turkey

Tuvalu Islands

UAE - United Arab Emirates

UK Statistics

Ukraine

United Kingdom

United Kingdom - Gov

USA

Uruguay

Vanuatu Islands

Vatican City

Venezuela

Venice

Vienna

Vietnam

Volcanoes

Volendam

Wales

Washington D.C.

WAYN Where Are You Now

Wealden iron industry

Wendover

West Africa

World Peace Supporters

Yemen

Yugoslavia

Zurich

 

 

 

 

 

Solar Cola drinkers care about planet earth

 

.. Thirst for Life

 

Planet Earth Solar Cola can 330 mil

 

(330ml Planet Earth can)

 

 

 

 

LINKS

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Chinese_Taipei

https://www.facebook.com/MissTaiwan.org

http://www.misstaiwaneseamericanpageant.org/

http://wikitravel.org/en/Taiwan
http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/
http://www.taiwan.gov.tw/
http://www.theguardian.com/world/taiwan
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/04/taiwan-plane-crash-lands-in-river

http://www.misstaiwan.org/

 

 

 

This website is Copyright © 1999 & 2024  Max Energy Ltd.   The bird logos and name Solar Navigator are trademarks. All rights reserved.  All other trademarks are hereby acknowledged.       Max Energy Limited is an educational charity working hard for world peace.