Vietnam definition
A country of southeast Asia in eastern Indochina on the South China Sea. It comprises the historical regions of Tonkin, Annam, and Cochin China, much of which was under Chinese control from the 3rd century bc to the 15th century ad. Portuguese traders arrived in 1535, and the area came under French influence in the mid-19th century as part of French Indochina. After the fall of the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, it was partitioned into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The Vietnam War (1959–1975) grew out of the attempt by Communist Vietcong guerrillas backed by North Vietnam to overthrow the US-supported regime in the south. The South Vietnamese government collapsed in 1975, and the country was reunited in 1976. Hanoi is the capital and Ho Chi Minh City the largest city.
Vietnam is defined as a southeast Asian country on the South China Sea.
An example of Vietnam is the country east of Cambodia.
noun
Country on the E coast of the Indochinese Peninsula: ruled by the French from mid-19th cent. until 1945; partitioned into two republics (North Vietnam & South Vietnam) 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 Socialist Republic of Vietnam: 127,244 sq mi (329,560 sq km); cap. Hanoi.
proper name
A country in Southeast Asia, on the east coast of the Indochina Peninsula, officially named Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
pronoun
The Vietnam War.
pronoun
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A long war which a dominating foreign occupier of a place (the site of the war) cannot win.
Another Vietnam.
The Soviet Union's Vietnam (the 1979-89 occupation of Afghanistan)
noun
Alternative Forms
Alternative Form of vietnam -
viet-nam
Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
vietnam
Plural:
vietnamsOrigin of vietnam
- The name Vietnam or Việt Nam (IPA(key): /vjə̀tnam/) is a variation of "Nam Việt" (南越; pinyin: Nányuè; literally Southern Việt), a name that can be traced back to the Trieu dynasty of the 2nd century BC. The word Việt originated as a shortened form of Bách Việt (百越; pinyin: Bǎiyuè), a word applied to a group of peoples then living in southern China and Vietnam.
From Wiktionary