Vietnam

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Vietnam
The country of Vietnam is located in Southeast Asia. It borders China (in the north), and Laos and Cambodia (in the west), and the Pacific Ocean (in the east). The capital is Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is the country’s largest city. The majority of the population is concentrated in the North in the Red River Delta, and also in the Mekong River Delta in the South. The mountainous terrain in central Vietnam is not as easily habitable and is therefore less populated. Most of the people in Vietnam are Kinh, which means ethnic Vietnamese. They farm the land in small villages, with rice as the main crop. However manufacturing is a major economic activity as well.

The Last Emperor
 Bao Dai, Vietnamese for “keeper of greatness”, was born on October 22, 1913. He was educated in France and crowned Emperor of Vietnam in 1926. Although he was Emperor, the French controlled the government and Vietnam was part of French-occupied Indochina. Over the years, resistance of the Vietnamese grew against the French and various nationalist groups and political parties, against the French occupation, appeared. In 1940 France allowed Japan to occupy North Vietnam for military purposes. Bao Dai was forced to rule under France and Japan until March 1945, when the Japanese threw out the French officials. The Vietnamese population saw that the Japanese government was as much of a threat to their independence as the French. The Japanese surrendered in 1945 to the Vietminh, a communist group established in 1941, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. The Vietminh convinced Bao Dai to accept the position of “supreme advisor” in the newly independent government in Hanoi, which ended the rule by emperor. Bao Dai left after a year in this position. He returned briefly in 1954, but was again removed from power and lived the remainder of his life in Paris. He died in Paris in 1997.

Symbolism of the Lotus Flower
The lotus flower is a central symbol in many eastern cultures. Its beauty and resilience are just two reasons why so many people hold it in high regard. The lotus is an aquatic plant native to southern Asia and Australia. It has large leaves, fragrant flowers in a variety of colors, and a perforated seedpod. In Vietnam the lotus symbolizes beauty, purity, and serenity. It is one of the four noble plants: plum tree, chrysanthemum, bamboo and lotus, which represent the four seasons. The lotus flower is large, with sturdy waxy petals, and emits a sweet and intense perfume. It has a short life of only four days. The fruit of the lotus forms slowly and later detaches and sticks in the mud so the seed can take root. The lotus is extremely adaptable to many environments. It grows wild all over Vietnam and is also cultivated, especially around pagodas and temples. The lotus cleans the water that it inhabits and is often associated with the Confucian attributes of faithfulness to self regardless of surroundings, or staying true when surrounded by corruption. Many Vietnamese people share these attributes.

Vietnam