Vietnam+History

History


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For centuries Vietnam was mainly a rural nation. Most people earned their living off the land. They grew crops and raised animals to feed their families. In 1975, the government of the united Vietnam was in charge of business and industry. Production slowed, Government officials were not always good business leaders. Many products were poorly made, food was scarce, and income dropped. By 1986, it was obvious that change was needed. Doi Moi has not been an immediate success, but it began the slow, gradual process of returning business and industry back to the citizens. (Willis, 2002)

Vietnam is home to a wide assortment of plants and animals. There are thousands of types of plants, and 770 bird species fill the air (Willis 2002) At least 275 types of mammals are found in the country, along with 180 reptiles, 80 amphibians, and about 2,5000 species of fish. Since not all the country has been explored by biologist, there may yet be even more to be discovered. Along with the wealth of plants and animals in Vietnam comes the harsh reality that many of them are endangered. (Willis, 2002)

Part of the environment problem is that during the Vietnam War, the U.S military sprayed Agent Orange over approximately one fifth of Vietnam’s land. This spray is a defoliant, a chemical compound containing the poison dioxin, that was used to kill leaves and strip trees bare. Entire forests dried up and died, many eventually were burned. Thousands of farmer’s crops were damaged, leaving the local people hungry. Millions of wild and domesticated animals died as well due to the Agent Orange toxins. (Cole, 1989)

Dioxin remains in the environment for a long time, and Vietnam’s natural areas still have not recovered completely. Due to bombings and scrapping of the earth to build military bases, Vietnam’s terrain still has thousands of large gaping holes in its terrain, the soil around them is so compacted from the blasts that little can grow there. (Cole, 1989)