Vietnam -- Looking to the Future.

To Vietnamese teens, the Vietnam War is "ancient history." They are optimistic about the future.

Ha Lan Anh, 15, knows all about the Vietnam War. Except that Anh and her friends call it the "American War." They know that 3 million Vietnamese and 58,000 Americans died fighting in the war, which finally ended in 1975.

In 1965, the U.S. sent its armed forces to stop Communist North Vietnam from conquering the non-Communist South. But two years after the U.S. pulled out in 1973, Communist forces defeated the South.

To Anh and her friends, that war is ancient history. "We are a generation after the war," says Anh, who lives in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital. "We know about the past, but what we need to do is look to the future."

What does the future hold for young people like Anh? Since 1975, all of Vietnam has been under strict Communist rule. The Communist Party controls the government and the economy, and owns most businesses. It also restricts the media from reporting anything critical of the government.

Change has been slow in coming. In the late 1980s, the government began reforms called doi moi, which means "renovation" in Vietnamese. The aim of these reforms was to open Vietnam to international trade and tourism.

Now, Vietnam is opening relations with other countries--even with its former enemy, the U.S. Last November, President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. President to visit Vietnam since the war ended.

Students like Ha Lan Anh lined the streets to cheer Clinton. They saw his visit as the beginning of a new era of reconciliation between Vietnam and the U.S.

Two Different Cities

Vietnam occupies the east coast of the Indochinese peninsula (map, p. 9). The Vietnamese sometimes describe their country as two rice baskets hanging from each end of a carrying pole.

One rice basket is the Red River, Delta in the north. The other is the Mekong River Delta in the south. In between is a narrow strip of land along the coast. Most Vietnamese live in the river deltas or near the coast.

Vietnam has two major cities--Hanoi, the capital, and Ho Chi Minh City (Hoh chee mihn), which was called Saigon before North Vietnamese forces took control in 1975.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are in the same country, but that's where the similarity ends. "Hanoi is an old city and is more quiet than Ho Chi Minh City," says Vu Phean Nga, 16, whose family runs a vegetarian restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. "Ho Chi Minh City is very modern and noisy."

The government is located in Hanoi, so it tends to be more subdued than the flashier Ho Chi Minh City. Mustard yellow government buildings and tall trees line some Hanoi streets, and cyclos, or bicycle taxis, roll gently along the streets.

Many buildings were built by the French, who ruled Vietnam as a colony from 1859 to 1954. Other vestiges of French culture can be found on most street corners: freshly baked French bread and dark-roasted coffee.

But no food is more common in Vietnam than pho, a noodle soup served with chicken or beef. Steaming bowls of pho are served everywhere, from stalls in crowded markets to fancy restaurants.

Ho Chi Minh City is the bustling commercial hub of Vietnam. Sidewalk vendors sell everything from shoes and floor tiles to TV sets and kitchen sinks. At night, neon signs flicker, and pop music pulses from speakers at outdoor cafes.

The residents of Ho Chi Minh City often refer to their city by its old name, Saigon. Thousands of people crowd the streets on motor scooters, which give off so much pollution that some people wear face masks.

The city is named after Ho Chi Mink, the Communist leader who first led the struggle to kick France out of Vietnam, then to conquer the south. He died in 1969, but lives on as a symbol of Vietnamese nationalism. It's hard to avoid images of "Uncle Ho" in Vietnam: His bearded face adorns restaurant walls, Vietnamese money called dong, and statues in public parks.

Vietnamese kids study Ho's teachings in groups similar to the Boy or Girl Scouts called Pioneering Teenagers. The group teaches them to love Vietnam, study hard, work together, be strongly disciplined, keep good personal hygiene, and be honest, modest, and brave.

Confucian Values

The teachings of another leader--Confucius, an ancient Chinese philosopher--are also important in Vietnamese society.

China ruled Vietnam for more than 1,000 years (111 B.C. to A.D. 939). Many Vietnamese followed the teachings of Confucius. Confucian values include loyalty to family and friends, bravery when facing rivals, and good behavior.

Ho Trung Hieu, 11, even has a Confucian name. Hieu means "dutiful," and Trung means "loyal." Hieu's values reflect his name. "When I grow up I want to earn a lot of money to take care of my father and grandmother," Hieu says.

Confucianism is still part of Vietnam's culture. In addition to having a sizable Chinese population, Vietnam derives its language from Chinese.

Young Voices of Vietnam

About 34 percent of Vietnam's 77 million inhabitants are under the age of 25. Students in Vietnam study very hard--too hard, some say. "Every day I go to school in the afternoon from noon to 5 p.m.," says Vu Phean Nga. "In the mornings, I have lessons, and in the evening I do my homework." When she's not studying, Nga helps run her family's restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

Like many Vietnamese girls, Nga wears either a uniform or the traditional ao dai (ow d'eye) to school. Women and girls throughout Vietnam wear long sleeve, full-length silken dresses--for work, school, and formal occasions. Sometimes they also wear conical straw hats and gloves to protect themselves from the sun.

Most Vietnamese families are small. To control population growth, the government has imposed a limit of two children per family. Families that have more than two children can be punished with salary cuts.

Young Vietnamese see change coming--slowly. Gradually, the restrictive policies of the older generations who fought the war are beginning to fall away.

"I think a lot of people in other countries think we're living in a developing country, and that life is tough," says Anh. "But we're really optimistic and life is good and we have opportunities. We like to study and we like to have fun, just like in other places."

VIETNAM

Vietnam is a tropical country is Southeast Asia, located on the In Indochinese peninsula. Most Vietnamese are farmers who live on the coastal plain and the river deltas. The U.S. fought in the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1973, trying to prevent a Communist takeover of South Vietnam. But Communists won control in 1975.

FACTS TO KNOW

AREA: 128,066 square miles, about the size of New Mexico.

POPULATION: 78,700,000; 76% rural.

GOVERNMENT: Communist one-party state, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.

ECONOMY: Based on agriculture. The government owns most means of production, although some private enterprise is allowed. About 70% of workers are farmers. Rice is the chief farm product.

PER CAPITA GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP): $1,770. (U.S. per capita GDP is $31,500.)

LIFE EXPECTANCY: Males: 63 years; females 69 years.

LITERACY RATE: Males: 95%; females 91%.

                                 Word Match
__1. media          A. quiet
__2. reconciliation B. require
__3. subdued        C. the press
__4. nationalism    D. making up
__5. impose         E. love of country

ANSWERS

1. C

2. D

3. A

4. E

5. B

1. Why do Americans refer to the Vietnam War and Vietnamese to the American War?

2. How would the opening of Vietnam to international trade and tourism affect the lives of teens?

Questions

1. What is the capital of Vietnam?

2. Vietnam is part of which continent?

3. What countries have a land border with Vietnam?

4. Vietnam is about the same size as which U.S. state?

5. What city is located closest to 16[degree]N, 108[degree]E?

6. What river forms part of the western boundary of Laos and empties into the South China Sea?

7. What city on the map is closest to the former boundary between North and South Vietnam?

8. How wide is Vietnam at the 16[degree] latitude line?

9. National Highway One connects which two large cities?

10. In which direction would you travel to go from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh city?

ANSWERS

1. Hanoi

2. Asia

3. China, Laos, Cambodia

4. New Mexico

5. Da Nang

6. Mekong

7. Dong Ha

8. about 50 miles

9. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

10. southwest