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Vietnam ARCH
Vietnam ARCH
Another religion which has a deep imprint on the way of life of the
Vietnamese is Taoism. Taoism was introduced into Vietnam during the
Chinese domination period. By the time Vietnam recovered its
independence, it had become one of the main religious faiths of the
Vietnamese people. Under the succeeding dynasties, Taoism became a
source of inspiration for poets and writers. From the end of the Tran
dynasty, Taoism began to turn to mysticism and polytheism. It was this
mystic aspect of Taoism that appealed to the common people of
Vietnam.
Christianity
Although a main religion of the world, Christianity does not play a major
role in the culture of Vietnam. It was introduced into Vietnam rather late, in
the second half of the sixteenth century, by Portuguese, Spanish and
French European missionaries. The first missionary, Ignatio, came to
Vietnam in 1533. In the first half of the seventeenth century, the Jesuits
came to Vietnam and founded in Hoi-An the Cochinchina's mission. In
1626, Alexandre de Rhodes was chosen to head the Jesuit mission in
North Vietnam. He published a catechism book in Latin and Vietnamese
in 1650 and the first Vietnamese, Portuguese and Latin dictionary in 1651
in Rome. Christianity began to develop rapidly.
Christianity
There are two religious sects, Cao Dai and HoaHao, which
have recently been established in Vietnam. They have been confined to the rural
sectors of the Southern Delta region. Their influence on Vietnamese culture has
been insignificant.
Caodaism is a synthesis of different beliefs, including the teaching of
Buddha, Jesus, Confucius, Lao-Tse, Victor Hugo, and so on. It was founded
in 1919 by Le Van Trung who established a priestly hierarchy modeled
along Roman Catholic lines. The seat of Caodaism is in TayNinh, about 60
miles from Saigon. The adherents to Caodaism have been estimated at
about one million.
HoaHao is a reformed Buddhist sect of the Theravada variety. It was
founded in 1939 by Huynh Phu So, who later was killed by the communists.
This religious sect is concentrated in the Mekong Delta with a membership
estimated at about two million.
Vietnam: Geology
Vietnam Architecture
Vietnam: Geology
Mining
Vietnam's mineral resources, apart
from offshore oil and gas, include phosphate, coal, bauxite, base and
precious metals, and a variety of industrial minerals. More than
5,000 mineral occurrences have been identified. Five broadly-
defined metallogenic epochs have been recognized and, in general,
the younger the setting the more abundant the deposits. Only a few
are hosted by Precambrian rocks, principally iron, gold and graphite.
The early to mid-Palaeozoic contains small deposits of iron
ore, lead–zinc and large deposits of potash. Larger deposits of iron
ore, limonite, gold, nickel–copper and bauxite were formed during
the early Carboniferous/late Triassic
Geothermal energy
In the territory of Vietnam, more than 300
natural geothermal sources have been recorded and six geothermal regions
have been defined: Northwest, Northeast, Bac Bo plan, North central part,
South central part, and Southern plain. Vietnam has a remarkable potential
for geothermal resources. Especially, Northwestern Vietnam is the most
prospective region for geothermal exploration and development. Dr. Doan
Van Tuyen from the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Vietnamese
Academy of Science and Technology commented, "Compared with the rest
of the world, Vietnam has medium potential for geothermal energy
development. However, geothermal energy resources are available not just
in one place, but throughout the country. Therefore, most localities can
make use of this type of energy."
Volcanic activity
Vietnam has 6 volcanoes, Bas ĐồngNai, Cu-Lao Re
Group, Haut ĐồngNai, Toroeng Prong, Veteran and Ile des Cendres
which had the most recent eruption in 1923.
Geological parks
The Dong Van Highlands, encompassing total area of
more than 574 square kilometers in HàGiang Province's QuảnBạ, Yên
Minh, ĐồngVăn and MèoVạc districts, could eventually be recognized as
a UNESCO Global Geological Park.
UNESCO Vietnam has sent an application based on a
recent study which concluded that limestone can be found in 11 layers
on 80 percent of the surface of the plateau. Two of the layers are
sediment dating from 400 to 600 million years ago. It will be only the
second geological park in Southeast Asia after Langkawi Geological
Park in Malaysia and the 54th in the world.
Vietnam: Period of Development
Vietnam Architecture
Vietnam: Period of Development