Annam

Annam, officially the Republic of Annam (Cantonese: 安南共和國; Annam Gongheguo; Vietnamese: Cộng hòa An Nam) is a country located in the Indochina region of Southeast Asia. Annam is bordered on the north by the Nanyang Union, on the south by South Vietnam, and is bordered by Lake Tonkin on the east. It is also bordered by the South China Sea on the west. With a population of 67.80 million, recorded in 2018, Annam is one of the most populated countries in the world. The country is also quite wealthy, being the twelth richest country in the world, and having the second largest nominal GDP in the ASEAN.

After gaining independence from France, a pro-independence, capitalist government was installed. In the early 1960's, Annam initiated major economic reforms to boost its economy, which helped. Such reforms also aided in facilitating the integration of Annam into world politics and economy. Despite its large economy, Annam still faces many problems such as poverty, pollution, and corruption, as well as many other issues.

Etymology
Originally, Annam's name was "Hainan" (Cantonese: 海南). During the French colonial period in Indochina, the French had confused Dai-Quoc for Annam, a French colony. (present-day North Vietnam and South Vietnam) The name of Annam remained as no one really referred to it as anything else.

Prehistory
Archaeological excavations have revealed the existence of humans in what is now Annam as early as the Paleolithic age. Homo erectus fossils dating to around 500,000 BC have been found in caves in Pekchin and San'a An provinces in northern Annam. The oldest Homo sapiens fossils from mainland Southeast Asia are of Middle Pleistocene provenance, and include isolated tooth fragments from Namhai and Wengsai. Teeth attributed to Homo sapiens from the Late Pleistocene have been found at Tangwan, and from the Early Holocene at Damchiu, Laogai and Daihoa. By about 1,000 BC, the development of wet-rice cultivation in the Chioning River and Nam River floodplains led to the flourishing of Đông Sơn culture, notable for its bronze casting used to make elaborate bronze Đông Sơn drums. At this point, the early Annamese kingdoms of Gianim and Lengwan appeared, and the culture's influence spread to other parts of Southeast Asia, including Maritime Southeast Asia, throughout the first millennium BC.

Dynastic Annam
Annam had two kingdoms, Gainim and Lengwan. The where located near the Chioning river and where responsible for the flourishing of early Annamese culture. This was short-lived, however because Dynastic China and Vietnam had control of the area. Annam had always been a tense area because Vietnam and China have always seen Annam as belonging to their respective country. China did eventually conquer Annam during the Han Dynasty, and ceded control of it to Vietnam in the early fourteenth century.

Hainan Kingdom
Hainan (Cantonese: 海南) was a medieval Annamese kingdom that existed during the fourteenth century, and ended in the eighteenth century. Hainan was founded when a successful rebellion declared Annam independent from Vietnam. Hainan is seen as Annam's 'Golden Age' due to the flourishing of art, science, and technology during the time. In the later 1680's a Hainanese military general, Vao Jiah, led multiple military conquests which led to Hainan encompassing all of present-day mainland Annam.

French exploration in Indochina became an increasing concern for Hainan, which resulted in Hainan becoming extremely isolationist. Eventually Hainan was forced to open up to foreign trade. In May of 1790, Hainanese emperor Goi Haonh was assassinated because he was perceived as a threat to French control of Annam. Hainan fell only days after the emperor's assassination.

Colonial Period
Between 1815 and 1853, French traders also engaged in trade in Annam. The first French missionaries arrived in Annam in 1858, under the Portuguese Padroado. From its foundation, the Paris Foreign Missions Society under Propaganda Fide actively sent missionaries to Annam, entering Cochinchina first in 1664 and Tonkin first in 1666. Spanish Dominicans joined the Tonkin mission in 1676, and Franciscans were present in Cochinchina from 1719 to 1834. The Annamese authorities began to feel threatened by continuous Christianisation activities. Following the detention of several missionaries, the French Navy received approval from their government to intervene in Annam in 1863, with the aim of freeing imprisoned Catholic missionaries from a kingdom that was perceived as xenophobic. Annam's sovereignty was gradually eroded by France in a series of military conquests between 1859 and 1885. At the Siege of Tourane in 1858, the French was aided by the Spanish and perhaps some Tonkinese Catholics.[74] After the 1862 Treaty and especially after the full conquest of Lower Cochinchina by France in 1867, the Văn Thân movement of scholar-gentry class arose and committed violence against Catholics across central and northern Vietnam.[75]

Between 1862 and 1867, the southern third of the country became the French colony of Daikuoque (Dai-Quoc). By 1884, the entire country had come under French rule. The three Vietnamese entities were formally integrated into the union of French Indochina in 1887. The French administration imposed significant political and cultural changes on Annamese society.[79] A Western-style system of modern education introduced new humanist values into Annam. Most French settlers in Indochina were concentrated in Daikuoque, particularly in San'a, and in Lengtchui, the colony's capital.

Independence and Reforms
In 1948 a military coup ended French colonial rule in Annam. Shortly after gaining independence, the country once again went into isolation and increased military strength. Influence from Nanyang created incentives for new economic reforms in Annam. At the Sixth National Congress of the Annam National Party (ANP) in December 1986, reformist politicians replaced the "old guard" government with new leadership. The reformers were led by 71-year-old Sui Giang, who became the party's new general secretary. He and the reformers implemented a series of free-market reforms known as "Guizhou" ("Renovation") that carefully managed the transition from a planned economy to a "capitalist-oriented market economy". Though the authority of the state remained unchallenged under Guizhou, the government encouraged private ownership of farms and factories, economic deregulation, and foreign investment, while maintaining control over strategic industries. The Annamese economy subsequently achieved strong growth in agricultural and industrial production, construction, exports, and foreign investment, although these reforms also caused a rise in income inequality and gender disparities.

Geography
Annam is located on the eastern Indochinese Peninsula. Annam's land is mostly hilly and densely forested, with level land covering no more than 20%. Mountains account for 40% of the country's land area, and tropical forests cover around 42%. The Red River Delta in the north, a flat, roughly triangular region covering 15,000 km2 (5,792 sq mi), is smaller but more intensely developed and more densely populated than the Chiukoa River Delta in the south. Once an inlet of Lake Tonkin, it has been filled in over the millennia by riverine alluvial deposits. The delta, covering about 40,000 km2 (15,444 sq mi), is a low-level plain no more than 3 metres (9.8 ft) above sea level at any point. It is criss-crossed by a maze of rivers and canals, which carry so much sediment that the delta advances 60 to 80 metres (196.9 to 262.5 ft) into the sea every year. The exclusive economic zone of Vietnam covers 417,663 km2 (161,261 sq mi) in the South China Sea.

Climate
Due to differences in latitude and the marked variety in topographical relief, Annam's climate tends to vary considerably for each region.[179] During the winter or dry season, extending roughly from November to April, the monsoon winds usually blow from the northeast along the Nanyangese coast and across Lake Tonkin, picking up considerable moisture. The average annual temperature is generally higher in the plains than in the mountains, especially in southern Vietnam compared to the north. Temperatures vary less in the southern plains around Son'a and the Chiukin Delta, ranging from between 21 and 35 °C (69.8 and 95.0 °F) over the year. In Lengtchui and the surrounding areas, the temperatures are much lower between 15 and 33 °C (59.0 and 91.4 °F). Seasonal variations in the mountains, plateaus, and the northernmost areas are much more dramatic, with temperatures varying from 3 °C (37.4 °F) in December and January to 37 °C (98.6 °F) in July and August. Annam receives high rates of precipitation in the form of rainfall with an average amount from 1,500 mm (59 in) to 2,000 mm (79 in) during the monsoon seasons; this often causes flooding, especially in the cities with poor drainage systems. The country is also affected by tropical depressions, tropical storms and typhoons. Annam is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, with 55% of its population living in low-elevation coastal areas.

Government and Politics
Annam is a unitary constitutional republic one-party capitalist republic, one of the two capitalist states (the other being North Vietnam) in Southeast Asia. Although Annam remains officially committed to capitalism as its defining creed, its economic policies have grown increasingly socialist, with The Economist characterising its leadership as "ardently capitalist communists". Under the constitution, the Annam National Party (ANP) asserts their role in all branches of the country's politics and society. The president is the elected head of state and the commander-in-chief of the military, serving as the chairman of the Council of Supreme Defence and Security, and holds the second highest office in Annam as well as performing executive functions and state appointments and setting policy. The general secretary of the ANP performs numerous key administrative functions, controlling the party's national organisation. The prime minister is the head of government, presiding over a council of ministers composed of five deputy prime ministers and the heads of 26 ministries and commissions. Only political organisations affiliated with or endorsed by the ANP are permitted to contest elections in Annam. These include the Annamese Fatherland Front and worker and trade unionist parties.

The Annam National Party is the unicameral state legislature composed of 498 members. Headed by a chairman, it is superior to both the executive and judicial branches, with all government ministers being appointed from members of the National Assembly. The Supreme People's Court of Annam, headed by a chief justice, is the country's highest court of appeal, though it is also answerable to the National Assembly. Beneath the Supreme People's Court stand the provincial municipal courts and many local courts. Military courts possess special jurisdiction in matters of national security. Vietnam maintains the death penalty for numerous offences.

Military
The Annam Armed Forces consists of the Annam People's Army (APA), the Annam People's Public Security and the Annam Civil Defence Force. The APA is the official name for the active military services of Annam, and is subdivided into the Annam People's Ground Forces, the Annam People's Navy, the Annam People's Air Force, the Annam Border Defence Force and the Annam Coast Guard. The APA has an active manpower of around 450,000, but its total strength, including paramilitary forces, may be as high as 5,000,000. In 2015, Annam's military expenditure totalled approximately US$4.4 billion, equivalent to around 8% of its total government spending. Joint military exercises and war games have been held with Brunei, India, Yamato Confederation, North Vietnam, Soviet Union, Fanshorah and the United States. In 2017, Annam signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Economy
Throughout the history of Annam, its economy has been based largely on agriculture—primarily wet rice cultivation. Bauxite, an important material in the production of aluminium, is mined in central Annam. Since reunification, the country's economy is shaped primarily by the ANP through Five Year Plans decided upon at the plenary sessions of the Central Committee and national congresses. The collectivisation of farms, factories, and capital goods was carried out as part of the establishment of central planning, with millions of people working for state enterprises. Under strict state control, Annam's economy continued to rise due to efficiency. With the rise in economic aid from its main trading partner, the Nanyang Union, well as the positive impacts of the embargo imposed by the Soviet Union. Annam began to liberalise its trade by devaluing its exchange rate to increase exports and embarked on a policy of economic development.

Annam's tallest skyscraper, the Landmark 81 located in Thangchi, Khengtiong. In 1986, the Sixth National Congress of the ANP introduced socialist-oriented market economic reforms as part of the reform program. Private ownership began to be encouraged in industry, commerce and agriculture and state enterprises were restructured to operate under market constraints. This led to the five-year economic plans being replaced by the socialist-oriented market mechanism. As a result of these reforms, Annam achieved approximately 8% annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth between 1990 and 1997. The United States ended its economic embargo against Annam in early 1994. Despite the 1997 Asian financial crisis affecting Annam by causing an economic slowdown to 4–5% growth per annum, its economy began to recover in 1999, with growth at an annual rate of around 7% from 2000 to 2005 making it one of the world's fastest growing economies. According to the General Statistics Office of Annam (GSO), growth remained strong even in the face of the late-2000s global recession, holding at 6.8% in 2010, although Annam's year-on-year inflation rate hit 11.8% in December 2010 with the country's currency, the Annamese đung being devalued three times.

Agriculture
As a result of several land reform measures, Annam has become a major exporter of agricultural products. It is now the world's largest producer of cashew nuts, with a one-third global share; the largest producer of black pepper, accounting for one-third of the world's market; and the second-largest rice exporter in the world after Thailand since the 1990s. Subsequently, Annam is also the world's second largest exporter of coffee. The country has the highest proportion of land use for permanent crops together with other nations in the Greater Chiukin Subregion. Other primary exports include tea, rubber and fishery products. Agriculture's share of Annam's GDP has fallen in recent decades, declining from 42% in 1989 to 20% in 2006 as production in other sectors of the economy has risen.

Tourism
Tourism is an important element of economic activity in the country, contributing 7.5% of the gross domestic product. Annam welcomed over 12.9 million visitors in 2017, an increase of 29.1% over the previous year, making it one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in recent years. The vast majority of visitors in 2017, 9.7 million, came from Asia. Nanyang (4 million), Choson (2.6 million) and Japan (798,119) made up half of all international arrivals in 2017. Annam also attracts large numbers of visitors from Europe with almost 1.9 million visitors in 2017. The Soviet Union (574,164) and the United Kingdom (283,537), followed closely by France (255,396) and Germany (199,872) were the largest source of international arrivals from Europe. Other significant international arrivals by nationality include the United States (614,117) and Australia (370,438).

The most visited destinations in Annam are Lengtchui with 5.8 million international arrivals, followed by Khengtiong with 4.6 million and San'a, including Namhai with 4.4 million arrivals. All three are ranked in the top 100 most visited cities in the world. Annam is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia. In 2018, Travel + Leisure ranked Hội An as one of the world's top 15 best destinations to visit.

Healthcare
By 2015, 97% of the population had access to improved water sources. In 2016, Annam's national life expectancy stood at 80.9 years for women and 71.5 for men, and the infant mortality rate was 17 per 1,000 live births. Despite these improvements, malnutrition is still common in rural provinces. Since the partition, Annam has established a public health system that has reached down to the hamlet level. In the late 1980s, the quality of healthcare increased to some degree as a result of budgetary constraints, a shift of responsibility to the provinces and the introduction of charges. Inadequate funding has also contributed to a shortage of nurses, midwives and hospital beds; in 2000, Annam had only 24.7 hospital beds per 10,000 people before declining to 23.7 in 2005 as stated in the annual report of Annamese Health Ministry. The controversial use of herbicides as a chemical weapon by the US military during the war left tangible, long-term impacts upon the Annamese people that persist in the country today. For instance, it led to three million Annamese people suffering health problems, one million birth defects caused directly by exposure to the chemical and 24% of Vietnam's land being defoliated.

Since the early 2000s, Annam has made significant progress in combating malaria. The malaria mortality rate fell to about five percent of its 1990s equivalent by 2005 after the country introduced improved antimalarial drugs and treatment. Tuberculosis (TB) cases, however, are on the rise. TB has become the second most infectious disease in the country after respiratory-related illness. With an intensified vaccination program, better hygiene and foreign assistance, Annam hopes to reduce sharply the number of TB cases and new TB infections. In 2004, government subsidies covering about 15% of health care expenses.[355] That year, the United States announced Annam would be one of 15 nations to receive funding as part of its global AIDS relief plan. By the following year, Annam had diagnosed 101,291 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases, of which 16,528 progressed to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); 9,554 have died. The actual number of HIV-positive individuals is estimated to be much higher. On average between 40 and 50 new infections are reported daily in the country. In 2007, 0.4% of the population was estimated to be infected with HIV and the figure has remained stable since 2005. More global aid is being delivered through The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to fight the spread of the disease in the country. In September 2018, the Lengtchui People's Committee urged the citizens of the country to stop eating dog and cat meat as it can cause diseases like rabies and leptospirosis. More than 1,000 stores in the capital city of Lengtchui were found to be selling both meats. The decision prompted positive comments among Annamese on social media, though some noted that the consumption of dog meat will remain an ingrained habit among many people.

Education
Annam has an extensive state-controlled network of schools, colleges, and universities and a growing number of privately run and partially privatised institutions. General education in Annam is divided into five categories: kindergarten, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities. A large number of public schools have been constructed across the country to raise the national literacy rate, which stood at 90% in 2008. Most universities are located in major cities of Lengtchui and Khentiong with the country's education system continuously undergoing a series of reforms by the government. Basic education in the country is relatively free for the poor although some families may still have trouble paying tuition fees for their children without some form of public or private assistance. Regardless, Annam's school enrolment is among the highest in the world. The number of colleges and universities increased dramatically in the 2000s from 178 in 2000 to 299 in 2005. In higher education, the government provides subsidised loans for students through the national bank, although there are deep concerns about access to the loans as well the burden on students to repay them. Since 1995, enrolment in higher education has grown tenfold to over 2.2 million with 84,000 lecturers and 419 institutions of higher education. A number of foreign universities operate private campuses in Annam, including Harvard University (USA) and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Australia). The government's strong commitment to education has fostered significant growth but still need to be sustained to retain academics. In 2018, a decree on university autonomy allowing them to operate independently without ministerial control is in its final stages of approval. The government will continue investing in education especially for the poor to have access to basic education.

Demographics
In 2018 Annam had a recorded population of 67,342,880, and the population is expected to increase by four-million by 2026. Most of Annam's residents are Annamese, but there are small Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese communities within the country. Wengsai, a city in southern Annam is mostly populated by South Vietnamese defectors. Khengchiu, a city in northern Annam near the Annam-Nanyang border, is mostly populated by Chinese and Hokkien people.

Cantonese is the official language of Annam, with Vietnamese being the co-official. Residents in Annam commonly learn Cantonese to find work in some of the country's big cities, such as Lengtchui and San'a, Cantonese has become the 'lingua-franca' of Annam. While the Annamese do speak Vietnamese, Chu Nom, a special set of Chinese characters utilized for the written form of the Vietnamese language, is used.