Vietnam is a Tier V nation located in Southeast Asia 
.
The nation is notoriously one of the strongest countries in the Southeast Asian region, only on par with 
Indonesia, as Vietnam is one the few countries in the game that begins with the Socialist ideology, the terrain and biomes are covered in hills and jungles, and boasts a large population pool.
Background
The following is taken from Wikipedia which is licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0. You can view the article it was taken from here.
Vietnam or Viet Nam (commonly abbreviated VN; Vietnamese: Việt Nam, [viət̚˧˨ʔ naːm˧˧], officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country in Southeast Asia . It is located at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of 331,212 square kilometres (127,882 sq mi) and population of 99 million, making it the world's fifteenth-most populous country. Vietnam borders 
China to the north, and 
Laos and 
Cambodia to the west. It shares maritime borders with 
Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand, and the 
Philippines, Indonesia, and 
Malaysia through the South China Sea. Its capital is Hanoi and its largest city is Ho Chi Minh City (commonly referred to by its former name, Saigon).
|
Vietnam was inhabited by the Paleolithic age, with states established in the first millennium BC on the Red River Delta in modern-day northern Vietnam. The Han dynasty annexed Northern and Central Vietnam under Chinese rule from 111 BC, until the first dynasty emerged in 939. Successive monarchical dynasties absorbed Chinese influences through Confucianism and Buddhism, and expanded southward to the Mekong Delta, conquering Champa. The Nguyễn—the last imperial dynasty—surrendered to France in 1883. Following the August Revolution, the nationalist coalition Viet Minh under the leadership of communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence of Vietnam in 1945. Vietnam went through prolonged warfare in the 20th century. After World War II, France returned to reclaim colonial power in the First Indochina War, from which Vietnam emerged victorious in 1954. As a result of the treaties signed between the Viet Minh and France, Vietnam was also separated into two parts. The Vietnam War began shortly after, between the communist North, supported by the Soviet Union and China, and the anti-communist South, supported by the United States. Upon the North Vietnamese victory in 1975, Vietnam reunified as a unitary socialist state under the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in 1976. An ineffective planned economy, a trade embargo by the West, and wars with Cambodia and China crippled the country further. In 1986, the CPV initiated economic and political reforms similar to the Chinese economic reform, transforming the country to a market-oriented economy. The reforms facilitated Vietnamese reintegration into the global economy and politics. A developing country with a lower-middle-income economy, Vietnam is nonetheless one of the fastest-growing economies of the 21st century, with a GDP predicted to rival developed nations by 2050. Vietnam has high levels of corruption and censorship and a poor human rights record; the country ranks among the lowest in international measurements of civil liberties, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion and ethnic minorities. It is part of international and intergovernmental institutions including the ASEAN, the APEC, the CPTPP, the Non-Aligned Movement, the OIF, and the WTO. It has assumed a seat on the United Nations Security Council twice. |
History
The history of Vietnam can be traced back to around 4000 years ago. Pre-historic Vietnam was home to some of the world's earliest civilizations and societies—making them one of the world's first people who practiced agriculture. The Red River valley formed a natural geographic and economic unit, bounded to the north and west by mountains and Jungles, to the east by the sea and to the south by the Red River Delta. The need to have a single authority to prevent floods of the Red River, to cooperate in constructing hydraulic systems, trade exchange, and to fight invaders, led to the creation of the first Vietnamese states approximately at 2879 BC.
Vietnam's peculiar geography made it a difficult country to attack, which is why Vietnam under the Hùng kings was for so long an independent state. Once Vietnam did succumb to foreign rule, however, it proved unable to escape from it, and for 1,000 years, Vietnam was governed by a series of Chinese dynasties: the Western Han, Xin, Eastern Han, Eastern Wu, Western Jin, Eastern Jin, Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang, Sui, Tang, Wu Zhou, and Southern Han. During these 1,000 years there were many uprisings against Chinese domination, and at certain periods Vietnam was independently governed under the Triệus, Trưng Sisters, Early Lýs, Khúcs and Dương Đình Nghệ, although their reigns were temporary.
During the Chinese domination of northern Vietnam, several civilizations flourished in what is today central and south Vietnam, particularly the Funanese and Cham. The founders and rulers of these governments, however, were not native to Vietnam. From the 10th century onwards, the Vietnamese, emerging in their heartland of the Red River Delta, began to conquer these civilizations.
When Ngô Quyền (King of Vietnam, 938–944) restored sovereign power in the country, the next millennium was advanced by the accomplishments of successive local dynasties: Ngôs, Đinhs, Early Lês, Lýs, Trầns, Hồs, Later Trầns, Later Lês, Mạcs, Trịnhs, Nguyễns, Tây Sơns and again Nguyễns. At various points during the imperial dynasties, Vietnam was ravaged and divided by civil wars and witnessed interventions by the Song, Yuan, Cham, Ming, Siamese, Qing, and French.
The Ming Empire conquered the Red River valley for a while before native Vietnamese regained control, establishing Đại Việt/Nguyễn Dynasty that became increasing prosperous and rich until the French Empire plundered and reduced Vietnam to a dependent French colony for nearly a century, followed by a 3-year occupation by the Japanese Empire. The Vietnamese people were enraged and were delightful for full independence and sovereignty for their country that existed as a concept for 4 millenia. Political upheaval and Communist insurrection led by Hồ Chí Minh's Việt Minh guerilla forces put an abrupt end to the puppet monarchy led by Bảo Đại and French imperial interests after World War II which was overthrown from power, and the country was proclaimed a republic, called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
This, was still not the end of the road for peace and independence for the Vietnamese fatherland. After the French were ousted out of Indochina, Laos, Cambodia were granted full independence. However, Vietnam was split under 2 spheres: the communist North (Democratic Republic of Vietnam), and the more "democratic" and capitalistic South (Republic of Vietnam) according to the Geneva Accords signed in 1955.
The Vietnam War itself will not spark until 1964, that marked the entry of the United States into the war, formally booming into a full conflict. The North and the South were at war against together. 2 Vietnams with different perspectives and viewpoints claiming and fighting for the position and title as the true Vietnam. The NLF (National Liberation Front) or more famously known as the Việt Cộng was a pro-communist paramilitary group directly funded and assisted by the North Vietnamese in order to one day overthrow and decapitate the Saigon government. For 9 years before the actual war, The Viet Cong had fought against the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) with guerilla warfare and sneaking into the jungle to cause utter instability within South Vietnam. With the entry of the USA, the Vietnamese had reached a breaking point. Fighting against one with another, and treating the other as the enemy.
In 1965, Ngô Đình Diệm, the president of South Vietnam, was found dead inside a van weeks after the coup which speculatatory fault lies mostly on the CIA. After word came of his eventual assassination, the government was flung into political chaos which a military junta soon rose to power, and declared themselves the de-facto head of states of South Vietnam.
The Tet offensive went in full spring during the 1968 which although wasn't that successful, it damaged the South's capabilities and war effort. This, as well as the addition of the riddance of corruption, unpopular and incumbent government of the Republic of Vietnam paved way to the inevitable reunification of the Vietnamese homeland, under communist hands.
With Operation Linebacker and Rolling Thunder being absolute headaches for the USA, The U.S Army , along with the U.S led coalition formally pulled out of the combat zone in 1973, leaving the South to defend itself. The US pledged weapons and funding, but it was too little, too late. In only about 2 years from 1973 to 1975, Large swaths of land were captured by the joint forces of the NVA and NLF/VC. The South, was left on her own to fight for her own sake. And the North, seized the opportunity to strike her southern enemy without hesitation. The cities Huế and Dà Nãng were the first to fall without any opposition as the ARVN, along with the country itself, slowly crumbling as some units completely disband at their own will. Some even defected and joined the communists.
With the tide of war slowly turning in favor of the North, South Vietnam saw itself forcibly getting cornered in a difficult position. They were in no position to negotiate. With frequent attacks launched by the NLF and the NVA's massive southern offensive, both the I (1st) and II (2nd) Corps affiliated with the ARVN were either encircled, capitulated or completely destroyed in a matter of weeks. The yellow flag with red stripes were slowly replaced with the red flag with the golden star (half-red half-blue for the VC).
The South spent its last remaining operational units In contrast to the now weakened and pessimistic South, the strengthened and hopeful North were greeted with flowers and kisses from the people, as if they'd rather welcome the enemy more than their own troops. The soon-to-be-triumphant North will finally defeat the capitalist South and reunite Vietnam under her rule.
And on April 30th, 1975, it finally happened. Tank numbers 390 and 843 that were affiliated to the North Vietnamese side crashed into the gates of the Presidential Palace (now known as the Independence Palace) in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, Infantry stormed the palace grounds and captured the entire South Vietnamese Government inside the complex. They took down and threw the Republic's flag to the ground and replaced it with the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese flags; the decree of surrender was announced and signed; Formally marking the end of the bloody 20-year conflict.
The former officials of the GROV and people who are suspected to be South Vietnamese supporters and were sent to re-education camps. Hearing about this many people tried to flee Vietnam by boat or by plane.
Vietnam was reunified in 1975 but not fully until 1976. There was a provisional government that led the southern portion of Vietnam as a temporary replacement of the Saigon government, made mostly out of former VC officers and officials. The provisional government only lasted a year and in a referendum, [unsurprisingly for a communist country], +95% of the populous voted in favor to join the North. Therefore in July 2, 1976, The provisional government joined the rest of the main Northern government; fully reunifying Vietnam under a single banner. the Scarlet Red Banner with a centralized Golden Star.
Vietnam is still not done yet. In 1975, on April 17th, The Khmer Republic fell, the Lon Nol government was ousted and was replaced with Democratic Kampuchea, or the Khmer Rouge. A former ally now turning against Vietnam, led by Cambodian irredentism and nationalism. The Kampuchean Revolutionary Army (KRA), landed and attacked the Vietnamese island of Phú Quốc in May. Vietnam and Kampuchea exchanged public relations with one another to highlight the strong ties with them. However, Kampuchea feared of Vietnamese expansionism and never took any of the visits at heart. Therefore in 30 April 1977, they launched another major military assault on the Vietnamese homeland. Shocked and appalled, Vietnam had no other choice other than to launch a retaliatory strike at the end 1977 to force the Kampuchean government to negotiate terms. Although Vietnam sent troops and occupied the Cambodian border provinces for a while, the CPK (Communist Party of Kampuchea) was unwilling to negotiate seriously.
Therefore in 1978, after continuous small assaults from the KRA and the perceiving of Kampuchea as pro-Chinese and hostile towards Vietnam, the Vietnamese leaders finally reached a gave Kampuchea a harsh beating that flung them out of the world map.
On 25 December, 1978, The Vietnamese 5th, 7th and 9th Military Districts that bordered modern-day Cambodia were fully mobilized for a final armed assault. Together they numbered around 150,000 troops in total. Over the course of just 2 weeks, the Kampuchean Revolutionary Army was overrun by the more modern and well-equipped People's Army of Vietnam.
As Phnom Penh [The Cambodian capital] which would see it's fall to Vietnamese hands in the 7th of January in 1979, some members of the CPK defected to the Vietnamese side; Which eventually laid the foundations of a new pro-Vietnamese government established in the 8th (one day later) called the People's Republic of Kampuchea.
Excesses of the Pol Pot-led CPK which oversaw the killings of 1.5-2 million Cambodians [A quarter of the population at the time, which was at 6~8 million] came to an end. The Khmer Rouge existed until prior into the 1990s, but was reduced significantly to a few small spots near the Thai border and the small village of Anlong Veng along with other nationalist and monarchist Cambodian groups that aimed to fight against the pro-Vietnamese government.
The Dổi Mới policy which started in 1990 was crucial for Vietnam's rebounding and emergence as a future superstar and economic powerhouse. [WIP]
Base Statistics
Economy
Vietnam's economy is the third strongest in Southeast Asia after Philippines and Indonesia, and the ninth strongest economy in all of Asia, behind other richer competitors such as 
South Korea and China. It starts with a net income of $1,584,223, $1,133,855 from the taxes off its population of 25,274,160 people and the other $450,368 comes from resources.
Resources
Vietnam does not have many resources. Though it does produce some 
Tungsten in decent amounts, which is required in order to make 
Motor Parts, it also has a noticeably large 
Titanium reserve, allowing it to run 
Steel factories only needing to buy 
Iron.
Military
Vietnam has a home guard of 130,000 infantry stationed in Ho Chi Minh City, and starts with a base manpower capacity of 505,484. It gains 2,546 manpower when it first starts out. The home guard expends $260,000.
| Base Manpower Capacity of Vietnam per Conscription Law | |
|---|---|
| The following columns below present the manpower capacity from lowest (Disarmed) to highest (Required). RP stands for "Recruitable Population". | |
| Disarmed [1% RP] |
|
| Volunteer [2% RP] |
|
| Limited [5% RP] |
|
| Extensive [10% RP] |
|
| Required [25% RP] |
|
Geography
Terrain
Vietnam is Hilly above Ho Chi Minh City and below former South Vietnam. In real life, the hills represent the Central Highlands and the Annamite range that runs from the North-Central region to the Central Highland region. It also has hills in Northern Vietnam that might as well represent the Trường and Hoàng Liên Sơn mountain ranges that lie in the Northwest and the hills to the Northeast.
Overall the bumpiness of the hills affects the motorization speed of ground units, which make them -30% slower, but can be easily overcome by researching the mobility branches.
Biome
Jungle terrain spreads across all of Vietnam, with the exception of the western area of the Northwest region.
Jungles can be exploited to repel incoming enemies, via entrenchment, however, the use of 'Jungle Specialization' on trained units may grant the inbound forces a higher leverage.
Borders
Vietnam has land borders with the Chinese provinces of 
Yunnan and 
Guangxi to the north, as well as the other two nations in the Indochina sub-region to the west, that being Laos and Cambodia.
It also shares maritime borders with the islandic Chinese province of 
Hainan, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, 
Brunei, and Indonesia.
Cities
Vietnam has 60 cities in total. The set capital city is Hanoi when the largest city is Ho Chi Minh City. Other major cities include, but are not limited to: Hai Phong, Da Nang and Cần Thơ.
Threats
Vietnam is generally safe from most threats, and is usually not [considered] a target. However, certain nations may want to take over Vietnam. These nations are:
- China is the most dangerous threat, as it shares borders with Vietnam, strongest nation in Asia, and ranked in second place globally, behind the
United States. China may expand deep into Southeast Asia for the opportunity to access more land. 
India, most likely trying to get around the Himalayas, may expand into Southeast Asia for more space to attack China.
Japan requires Vietnam (as well as Indochina in general) to form the 
Empire of Japan.- Indonesia, or any country in the Southeast Asia in general, may invade Vietnam to form the
Federation of Southeast Asian States, and rarely, 
Alam Melayu. 
France may conquer Indochina to form the 
French Empire.- Whenever it would be underestimation or negligence, Chinese provinces ( Guangxi, Yunnan,
Guangdong, etc.) may take advantage of this and expand into your land.
Strategies
National Tips
You are one of the five countries that start as Socialist/Communist. Use this to your advantage. Besides invading Laos and Cambodia, you should also buy raw materials and build factories, then sell your mass-produced Made in Vietnam products to AI countries.
Your biggest threat is China. Convince China that you're a fellow socialist/communist, gain their trust and ally them ASAP. If China wants to invade you, try getting powerful allies (most recommended, the United States and Russia) or if all else fails, start researching anti-tank and high-capacity weapons. China will most likely already have tanks so you have to find a way to destroy them with infantry. It is also highly recommended to train your troops for the jungle because you will use the jungle to your advantage, just like recent history when the Viet Cong used jungle tactics against the U.S Army and ARVN. Also build artillery near your Chinese border. China will most likely be trying to form the 
Qing Dynasty and go for 
Taiwan and 
Mongolia. If you're looking to invade China, prepare some Tanks and Infantry, upgrade them using Technology, and train them.
China is a big country, so your stability will probably get low during the war. To combat that, you should most likely form the 
Nguyen dynasty by annexing Cambodia and Laos. If anyone is playing Taiwan and Mongolia, form an alliance with them. This is most likely to get you involved in a war against China, AKA an excuse to annex it. Prepare Submarines just in case China tries to secure the water with their navy.
Nguyen dynasty, proceed to invade in the following order: Thailand > 
Burma > Malaysia + 
Singapore + Brunei > Philippines > Indonesia
Anti-China Strategy
You can exploit your jungle biome along with the Northern and Central hills to a much greater advantage than many otherwise think. However Hanoi (Hà Nội), your capital is at the north of Vietnam meaning it can be easy for China to steal your capital. First, here are a list of things to do in early game if you worry of a Chinese invasion. Here is what to do early game.
- Research Political Power Gain but also save research points for 1 factory output. Move your capital to Ho Chi Minh City and put military doctrine on massed attack.
- Only build factories in the south to guarantee they won't be taken instantly.
- Make navy ships at the southern point as well (Mekong Delta) because if China does an early game invasion you want to be able to construct your naval ships. Make another navy force at the Gulf of Tonkin to make sure to catch the Chinese military offguard. Remember, you want them to suffer heavy losses.
Offensive operations
Although it's funnier to see Chinese troops run into your fully trained entrenched tanks you can go for the offensive. Now you want the war to end quickly because if China gets their stuff together it can end in a crushing defeat for you. So your key to survival and final victory is just 2 words. Take Beijing. You need to supply your invading tanks with attackers and artillery you can bring with.
If you somehow have enough money train all of your units and the 5 million you spent on artillery won't be wasted. And the Tanks in the front doing the fights will also help. Remember to not have these units at the border but at an area close to have Chinese attrition effect their troops. And the multiple millions you spent on aircraft should not go to waste either. Have fighters ready to take out opposing aircraft in the skies and scorch all cities possible.
Have attackers that will instantly go after Chinese troops and be absolutely sure not when you declare war but BEFORE you even justify. If China figures out what your trying to do before you're ready they will absolutely wreck and steamroll you so now let's get to the fun part.
The Conquest of Beijing
Move in instantly to Beijing and check the location of where he is spamming the troops to fight you in Southeast Asia but he might not notice you next to Beijing. If he spams in Shanxi, split up your tanks and attack. This will give you a chance to get some land because without doing this part the strategy might as well be on the [How to Liberate China Faster Article! (no link)]. Before he can spam near Beijing to recapture it, scorch Beijing to teach China a lesson, split up your tanks and launch a major final offensive in the Chinese heartland. Now research Tank Mobility to try and get as much land as you can, watch China slowly crumble and you should be good to go!
If China is allied to Russia, the Russian side will most likely want to negotiate terms with you because of what you did to China as Vietnam, and will try to avoid the same fate that China suffered under your wrath; If they resist or is defending China, Invade them as well. Take Moscow as soon as possible. Make sure to train, specialize and prepare your troops for the harsh, dry, cold and deadly Russian winter, by training them with the Winter Specialization course in Advanced Training (right click).
"- May the Buddhist Kingdoms of the New Nguyen Dynasty shine bright and give hope to all of its people!"
" Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc "Independence – Liberty – Happiness (Vietnam's national motto)"
Technology, Economy, and Military
Suppose China threatens you because of trade or because most China players are only beginners (more commonly called newbies or noobs). Well the strategy is that because you have most likely gotten some Political Power try and go Communism.
Always go for the Tank research branch and research Anti-Tank. Try to build an aircraft carrier and remember to guard it with destroyers and submarines. Now you need to place artillery not right on the border but close enough to weaken the Chinese human waves of millions. Make sure to research and increase Support Range (Artillery, Anti-Aircraft) as it could change the tide of war significantly.
Building 4 electronic factories could make around 200-300 electronics or 20-35 million income. So create as much artillery as you can until your economy reaches 25 million income. Then make as much of a navy until your economic balance is at 15 million. Then make as much Tanks until your economy gets to 5 million. Now make a few more Tanks (3-5k) and begin moving right next or directly towards to Beijing.
Because a AC/Destroyer/Submarine combine can't be killed if bunched up together, no other navy could fight it and so now, if you manage to get a stable income of 5 million or more spend at least half on planes. You can buy Aircraft Parts or make them by building Aircraft Manufactories, that is up to you. If you notice many troops protecting Beijing your Aircraft carrier will obliterate them once the war starts, so don't worry about having to send over a 100 divisions directly to the reinforced Beijing.
Now let's review the summary of what you did in this paragraph:
- You have formed an army, a navy, and an air force
- You have put a few hundred artillery pieces incase of a sudden Chinese invasion.
- You have researched useful things like Tank Firepower and Anti-Tank, Support range, and plane endurance.
- You have a force ready to take Beijing at a moment's notice.
- You have built at least 2 naval stacks with the 10 million income flowing in every 5 days to spend on navy.
- You have cancelled/embargoed all trade with China so that your influx of consumer products does not come to a screeching halt as soon as the war starts.
- You can ask for more allies and funds; guarantee ally support if [urgently] needed and vice versa
Trivia
- Vietnam is one of the few nations with a different starter ideology (Socialism), this can be helping by slight boost for economic and expansion.
