Background Information

Vietnam is formally know as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It is located in Southeastern Asia. The population as of July 2010 was around 89 million people which makes it the 13th most populous country in the world and is around the size of New Mexico. They are a socialist government but have adopted many communist values since 2000. This government runs a tight rule. Women's rights are existent and education is dieing. After much struggle the US and Vietnam have now created a good relationship and have created consulates and embassy's in each others country's. The economy is still developing but has gradually been improving. Vietnam is the leading agricultural exporter in Southwest Asia.

There are some current environmental issues going on in Vietnam because of all the industry that is being created the forests are becoming depleted. They also have terrible typhoons. With most developing countries they are abusing their water supply and potable water.

All the information you have learned here is explained in much more detail in later blogs.

Here is an interesting comparison of Vietnam to other Asian country's:
http://devdata.worldbank.org/AAG/vnm_aag.pdf