[vEet'näm]
Pronunciation Key
Vietnam , officially Socialist Republic of Vietnam, republic (July 2001 est. pop.
79,939,014), 128,400 sq mi (332,642 sq km), Southeast Asia. Occupying
the eastern coastline of the Southeast Asian peninsula, Vietnam is bounded
by China on the north, by Laos and Cambodia on the west, and by the Gulf
of Tonkin and the South China Sea on the east and south. The capital is
Hanoi and the largest city is Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.