Throughout history, the Vietnamese have fiercely battled for independence-in civil conflicts as well as international wars. Over the course if history, Vietnam has been alternately ruled by the Chinese, French, and briefly by the Japanese. The occupying forces plundered the valuable natural resources of the country and forced many Vietnamese into poverty with a low rages and an extremely depressed economy.

From the early 1960s through the mid-1970s, the Vietnam War was waged as forces in northern Vietnam battled southern Vietnam and its allies, including the United States. Countless Vietnamese were killed, injured, or left homeless, and, conservatively, at least a million people were compelled to flee the country.

The Vietnamese have enjoyed a period of relative peace since the early 1980s, but only recently has there been a concerted effort by the government to begin building successful nationwide economical reform in the country-through the creation of competitive, export-driven industries. Although there is still poverty today throughout the nation, the tragedies of starvation and warfare are becoming memories of the past. And, whereas unemployment is still an issue to contend with, the reach of education is spreading and literacy rates are above 90% nationwide. Government still maintains a rigid control of many aspects of life, but more and more people are finding themselves able and encouraged to own businesses, work their own farms, and travel abroad.