Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, it is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea, referred to as East Sea to the east. Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world.

Vietnam became independent from China in AD 938. Successive dynasties flourished along with geographic and political expansion deeper into southeast Asia, until it was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century, leaving a nation divided politically into two countries. Fighting between the two sides continued during the Vietnam war, ending with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975. Emerging from this prolonged military engagement, the war-ravaged nation was politically isolated. In 1986, the government instituted economic and political reforms and began a path towards international reintegration. By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with most nations. Its economic growth has been among the highest in the world in the past decade.