Vietnam was colonized and ruled by the French for almost a century until the 1950s. The French rule came to an end when the communists took over the northern part of the country in 1954.
The country was soon split into North and South Vietnam with communists ruling the North. They wanted to gain control over the South as well. The anti-communists in the South rose against the communist guerrillas when they tried to take over the government. The conflict later turned to a twenty-year-long war. During the war, the North was supported by Russia and China while the South was backed by the US. The fighting got worse and in the end, the North won defeating the US troops. After the US troops left, Vietnam became one again in 1976.
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