Vietnam definition
An example of Vietnam is the country east of Cambodia.
Another Vietnam.
The Soviet Union's Vietnam (the 1979-89 occupation of Afghanistan)
Alternative Forms
Other Word Forms
Noun
Origin 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