Southeast Asia

Question 1

What does the Vietnamese economy currently rely on most?

Answer 1

Heavy exports (FDI), electronics, international supply chains

Question 2

What makes Vietnamese economy most vulnerable? (3)

Answer 2

Over reliance on FDI/exporting (money doesn’t stay in Vietnam).
When labor costs go up, FDI will move to Cambodia, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. Birth rates peaked because reaching a modest GDP per capita

Question 3

Where does Vietnamese economic potential lie? (3)

Answer 3

Focus on a domestic startup ecosystem
the strategic coastline
knowledge-based workforce

Question 4

Khmer Rouge

Answer 4

kuh MARE rouge: members of the brutal communist regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975-1979

Question 5

State Department human rights violations in Vietnam

Answer 5

killing, torture, arrest, censorship

Question 6

When did France begin to interfere with Vietnam?

Answer 6

1858-1887 France began conquering Vietnam as part of French Indochina

Question 7

What happened when Vietnam defeated French forces?

Answer 7

1954: Vietnam defeated French forces after WWII, then was divided into northern and southern halves (Geneva Accords of 1954)

Question 8

Second Indochina War

Answer 8

(1955-1975): fighting erupts, North supporting communist rebels in the South. US provided to the South significant economic and military assistance, including large numbers of US military forces, then withdraws

Question 9

What happened when North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam?

Answer 9

1975 Communist North Vietnam conquers anti-communist South and economy stagnates. The country experienced little economic growth for over a decade because of its diplomatic isolation, leadership policies, and the persecution and mass exodus of citizens, many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants.

Question 10

What was doi moi?

Answer 10

1986 introduces more market-based economy (“doi moi” (renovation) policy) = strong growth, particularly in agricultural and industrial production, construction, exports, foreign investment, and tourism

Question 11

Gulf of Thailand

Answer 11

inlet ringed by southern Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam

Question 12

Gulf of Tonkin

Answer 12

contested gulf ringed by Vietnam on the south and China (Hainan) in the north

Question 13

South China Sea

Answer 13

bordered by China, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam

Question 14

What countries is Vietnam bordered by to its west?

Answer 14

North: Laos, South: Cambodia

Question 15

Vietnamese terrain

Answer 15

low, flat deltas in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Question 16

Main Vietnamese cities

Answer 16

north: Hanoi (capital, 5mill), south: Ho Chi Minh (largest city, 9mill)

Question 17

Vietnamese natural hazards

Answer 17

occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

Question 18

Vietnamese population

Answer 18

106 million

Question 19

Vietnamese religion

Answer 19

none 86%, Catholic 6%, Buddhist 6%

Question 20

What kind of government does Vietnam have?

Answer 20

communist party-led state

Question 21

Vietnamese chief of state

Answer 21

President To LAM, since 22 May 2024

Question 22

Vietnamese Flag

Answer 22

red background with one yellow star in the center

Question 23

most powerful position in Vietnam

Answer 23

general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam

Question 24

forced to resign after anti-corruption crackdown

Answer 24

President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc

Question 25

How is the Vietnamese president elected?

Answer 25

The president is elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term, and is responsible for appointing the prime minister, who is confirmed by the legislature. However, all selections for top executive posts are predetermined in practice by the CPV’s Politburo and Central Committee.

Question 26

VFF

Answer 26

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF), responsible for vetting all candidates for the National Assembly, is ostensibly an alliance of organizations representing the people, but in practice acts as an arm of the CPV.

Question 27

Vietnam GDP per capita

Answer 27

$13,700 (2023)

Question 28

Vietnam main export partners

Answer 28

US 29%, China 15%, South Korea 6%, Japan 6%, Hong Kong 3% (2022)V

Question 29

Vietnam main import partners

Answer 29

China 38%, South Korea 17%, Japan 5%, Taiwan 4%, Thailand 4% (2022)

Question 30

impolite body language in Vietnam

Answer 30

Standing with your hands on your hips or crossing your arms on your chest

Question 31

Vietnam’s security doctrine

Answer 31

Vietnam’s security doctrine: “Four Nos” (no alliances, no siding with one country against another, no foreign bases, and no using force in international relations);

Question 32

Chinese-Vietnamese national relations

Answer 32

despite longstanding tensions with Beijing over maritime boundaries in the South China Sea, Vietnam puts a priority on stable relations with China, given its proximity, size, and status as Vietnam’s largest trading partner