For more information see the Vietnam profile.

Vietnam is a long, narrow land occupying the eastern coastline of Indochina. Most Vietnamese live in the coastal plains and farm rice or catch fish for a living. The economy is dependent on agriculture and is tightly controlled by the Communist government.

After a bloody war Vietnam became independent from France in 1954. The nation quickly split into two states: a Communist North and a more democratic South. In 1957 the North Vietnamese Communists invaded South Vietnam, and the two sides fought for the next 18 years, until a Communist victory in 1975.

Although laws guarantee religious freedom, in practice all religious groups are severely persecuted. Christians make up a rapidly growing 10% of the population.