country on the E coast of the Indochinese Peninsula: ruled by the French from mid-19th cent. until 1945; partitioned into two republics (
&
) in 1954; war between the two republics (see
Vietnam War) ended with the defeat of South Vietnam & reunification of the two republics (1976) as the
: 127,246 sq mi (329,566 sq km); pop. 64,412,000; cap. Hanoi