On
this date in 1973, the Paris Peace Accords arranged a ceasefire to
take place on midnight, officially ending American involvement in the
Vietnam War. This 20-year war was devastating to the people—not
just the armies, but the Vietnamese civilians—and the environment
of Vietnam, as napalm and defoliants burned and destroyed plant life.
How
has Vietnam recovered from the war?
Well,
it is considered a success story because the economy continues to
grow each year. Vietnam exports oil and agricultural products.
Tourists visit and spend money in the country. New forests are being
planted. Still, there is a lot of poverty in Vietnam, and there is
disagreement about planting exotic trees (that is, trees that usually
grow elsewhere) that are good for the lumber industry, or planting
native trees and trying to return to the natural pre-war forest.
Vietnam
has its beauties, especially along the coast, as you can see in this
and this other slide show.
Find
out more about Vietnam at the Kids National Geographic site. Or check
out the links Mr. Donn has gathered here.
Also
on this date:
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