Background:
France occupied all of Vietnam by 1884. Independence was declared
after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when
they were defeated by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH, who took
control of the North. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam
grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but
US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in
1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South.
Economic reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult
as aging Communist Party leaders have only grudgingly initiated
reforms necessary for a free market.