history laos="history laos" u.s. history questions?
please help me i am doing virtual school and on a study guide. What was the major Viet Cong attack on South Vietnam and American bases?A. Viet Cong Offensive B. Tet Offensive C. Gulf of Tonkin Offensive D. Saigon Offensive What was the supply route running from North Vietnam, through Laos, and into South Vietnam? A. Hidden trail B. Forbidden Trail C. Ho Chi Minh trail D. Laos trail
Where did American troops massacred an entire village? A. My Tai B. Saigon C. My Lai D. My Me
Where and how to meet minorities in Southeast Asia
But how do you ensure that while visiting, you don't cause unintended damage or offence? You can show your respect for a culture by being educated about its ways, beliefs and taboos. Here are a few general guidelines:
1. Always ask permission before taking photos of tribespeople.
2. Don't touch totems at village entrances or sacred items hanging from trees.
3. Avoid cultivating a tradition of begging, especially among children.
4. Avoid public nudity and don't undress near an open window.
5. Don't flirt with members of the opposite sex.
6. Don't drink or do drugs with the villagers.
7. Smile at villagers even if they stare.
8. Ask your guide how to say ‘hello'.
9. Avoid public displays of affection, which might be viewed as offensive to the spirit world.
10. Don't interact with the villagers' livestock; avoid interacting with jungle animals, which might be viewed as visiting spirits.
11. Don't step on the threshold of a house, prop your feet up against the fire or wear your shoes inside.
Where to meet Southeast Asia's minority cultures
If you want to meet minority cultures, you'll often have to get away from popular tourist centres; how far you'll have to go depends very much on the country and how popular it is with visitors.
The trekking industry in Thailand is very developed and a minority visit can be a disappointment for some, but much depends on the operator organising the trip. Northern Vietnam and the Xishuangbannà region of Yúnnán have emerged as popular places to experience minority cultures. Laos is really taking off as a destination to meet minority groups, partly due to its ethnically diverse population and in part due to the relatively small numbers of visitors venturing off the beaten path.
Cambodia and the Central Highlands of Vietnam provide a home to some minority groups in the northeast, but as they dress like lowland Khmer or Vietnamese, they have been less exposed to mass tourism than elsewhere. As for the effects of trekking on the host tribes, many agree that individuals within the village might financially benefit when the trekking companies purchase supplies and lodging, but the overall pluses and minuses are considered to be minimal compared to other larger institutional forces.
Lonely Planet has a suggestion of the top 5 spots for a genuine interaction with a minority culture in Southeast Asia:
1. Cambodia: Ratanakiri 2. Laos: Muang Sing 3. Thailand: Chiang Rai 4. Vietnam: Sapa 5. Yúnnán: Xishuangbannà
But there are many other important minority groups in the region, some rendered stateless by the conflicts of the past, others recent migrants to the region, including the many hill tribes.
Cham
The Cham people originally occupied the kingdom of Champa in southcentral Vietnam and their beautiful brick towers dot the landscape from Danang to Phan Rang. Victims of a historical squeeze between Cambodia and Vietnam, their territory was eventually annexed by the expansionist Vietnamese. Originally Hindu, they converted to Islam in the 16th and 17th centuries and many migrated south to Cambodia. Today there are small numbers of Cham in Vietnam and as many as half a million in Cambodia, all of whom continue to practise a flexible form of Islam. Over the centuries, there has been considerable intermarriage between Cham and Malay traders.
Hmong
The Hmong are one of the largest hill tribes in the Mekong region, spread through much of northern Laos, northern Vietnam, Thailand and Yúnnán.Hmong groups are usually classified by their colourful clothing, including Black Hmong, White Hmong, Red Hmong and so on. The brightest group is the Flower Hmong of northwest Vietnam, living in villages around Bac Ha. The Hmong are known for their embroidered indigo-dyed clothing and their ornate silver jewellery. There may be as many as one million Hmong in the Mekong region, half of them living in the mountains of Vietnam.
Jarai
The Jarai are the most populous minority in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, northeast Cambodia and southern Laos. Villages are often named for a nearby river, stream or tribal chief, and a nha-Rong (communal house) is usually found in the centre. Jarai women typically propose marriage to the men through a matchmaker, who delivers the prospective groom a copper bracelet. Animistic beliefs and rituals still abound, and the Jarai pay respect to their ancestors and nature through a host or yang (genie). The Jarai construct elaborate cemeteries for their dead, which include carved effigies of the deceased. These totems can be found in the forests around villages, but sadly many are being snapped up by culturally insensitive collectors.
Dzao
The Dzao (also known as Yao or Dao) are one of the largest and most colourful ethnic groups in Vietnam and are also found in Laos, Thailand and Yúnnán. The Dzao practise ancestor worship of spirits, or ban ho (no relation to Uncle Ho), and hold elaborate rituals with sacrifices of pigs and chickens. The Dzao are famous for their elaborate dress. Women's clothing typically features intricate weaving and silver-coloured beads and coins – the wealth of a woman is said to be in the weight of the coins she carries. Their long flowing hair, shaved above the forehead, is tied up into a large red or embroidered turban, a sort of skinhead-meets-silk combination.
Source : lonelyplanet
About the Author
ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) offers a wide selection of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar adventure tours, including hiking and trekking, biking, motorcycling, overland touring and family travel packages.
Hmong protest being forced back to Laos -23 June 08
In the long years of its evolution, Taoism had profound influence politically, economically, culturally and ideologically in ancient Chinese society and it is still functioning today.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Taoling went and settled on Singing Crane Mountain (Mount Heming). He claimed that he had been imparted the "Mighty Commonwealth of the Orthodox Oneness (Zhengyi Meng Wei) by Supreme Master Lao Zi and he began producing and circulating books advocating Tao. His teachings centered on the summoning of deities, magic incantation and subduing of ghosts, as well as breathing exercises.
During the Wei Kingdom Period (220-265 DC), Celestial Master Taoism which was created by Zhang Taoling was suppressed and it declined. However, as Zhang Lu and his disciples moved north from Hanzhong, Celestial Master Taoism began to be revived in the regions where Supreme Peace Taoism had once been practiced. It then spread throughout of the country.
During the Western Jin period (265-316 AD) and the Eastern Jin (317-420 AD), some powerful families and scholars started to believe in Taoism. Taoism, which had started from the grass roots level, now penetrated the upper class and eventually became an integral part of the spiritual life of the ruling class.
As more and more scholars turned to Taoism, the Taoist educational level was thus enhanced. As a result, a vast body of Taoist scriptures was created to challenge Buddhism from India.
As the Taoist scriptures spread, three new Taoist sects came into being-namely, the High Purity (Shangqing), the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao) and the Three August Ones (Sanhuang ) sects.
In 589 AD, the Sui Dynasty (581--618) unified China. Different schools of Taoism then began a process of integration. The Maoshan School, which had evolved from the High Purity sect, became the dominant school in the south of the country and began to spread to the north. As both Buddhism and Taoism were practiced during the Sui Dynasty, Taoism developed rapidly, which paved the way for this religion to reach its zenith during the Tang Dynasty (618--907 AD).
Li Yuan, founder of the Tang Dynasty, made much use of public belief in Taoism in the struggle to overthrow the Sui Dynasty. When he assumed the throne, he announced that Lao Zi, the founder of Taoism was his ancestor (Lao Zi's family name being Li and his given name Er). Except for Wu Zetian (the only Empress in Chinese history), all the Tang Emperors venerated Taoism.
The most influential development of Taoism during the Five Dynasty period (907-960AD) on later Taoism was the rise of the so-called inner alchemy created by Zhongli Quan and Lu Dongbin..
More schools of Taoism came into being during the period of the Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties (960-1368 AD). Taoism entered a new phase of development.
During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD), the Maoshan school was still in a dominant position, and its lineage was very clear. The main new schools that appeared in this period were the Heavenly Heart (Tianxin) and Divine Heaven (Shenxiao) sects.
During the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279AD), Taoism was dominated by the sects collectively known as the Talisman of the Three Mountains (Mount Longhu, Maoshan and Gezao).
Furthermore, new sects, such as Shenxiao, Donghua and Qingwei were also active during this period.
Apart from a variety of old and new Talisman sects, there were also the Pure Brightness sect and the Southern Line Golden Elixir sect during the Southern Song Dynasty.
The Supreme Oneness (Taiyi), Great Tao (DaTao) and Complete Perfection (Quanzhen) doctrines ultimately became the Main forms of Taoism during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 AD). The Supreme Oneness doctrine lasted for about 200 years and eventually, by the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it had been incorporated into the Orthodox Oneness (Zhengyi) tradition. The Great Tao doctrine declined toward the end of the Yuan and was also incorporated into the Orthodox Oneness tradition. In the Yuan Dynasty, the Complete Perfection and Orthodox Oneness traditions became the two major Taoist schools.
After the founding of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Ming emperor, adopted a policy to both make use of and control religion in order to safeguard his rule as the country's sole dominant power. As a result, Taoism began to decline.
Comparatively speaking, the Ming rulers favored the Orthodox Oneness tradition more than the Complete Perfection tradition. The former enjoyed a higher political status than the later. Zhu Yuanzhang believed that the sole purpose of the meditation practiced by the Complete Perfection sect was the meditation itself whereas the Orthodox Oneness tradition upheld human relationship and stressed social customs, which had played an important role in social stability. For this reason, he supported the Orthodox Oneness tradition.
The rulers of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) believed in Tibetan Buddhism. They had little knowledge of Taoism and therefore did not support nor even restrict the development of Taoism. The early Qing emperors followed Ming rulers and adopted a policy of protecting Taoism because of the need to win over the Han Chinese. But from Qianlong's reign onwards, Qing rulers began to impose strict control over Taoism, leading to its decreased political influence and stagnant organizational development.
During the century between the first Opium War (1840-1842) and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, China underwent a period of political chaos and the Chinese people suffered greatly from war and lived in great poverty.
Taoist structures in renowned mountains fell into disrepair and many Taoists left their temples. As a result, Taoism became more closely tied to ordinary people's daily lives. Early during the Republic of China, in order to become established in modern society, Taoists tried to imitate the practice in Western countries by forming a national organization to protect their own interests. In 1912, a nationwide organization known as the Central Taoist Association was established in the White Cloud Temple in Beijing, with the Complete Perfection tradition as its backbone. At the same time, Zhang Yuanxu, the 62nd Celestial Master, set up the Taoist Federation of the Republic of China in Shanghai, with the Orthodox Oneness tradition as its backbone. Both organizations were rather loosely organized and no activities of great significance were recorded.
After China adopted its reform and opening-up policy in 1979, Chinese Taoists resumed the Complete Perfection tradition's initiation ceremony and the Orthodox Oneness tradition's talisman transmission rules.
Large-scale religious activities were also held, such as the Great Ritual Offering of All-Embracing Heaven. China's Taoist community has established the China Taoist College and the Shanghai Taoist College to train large number of young and middle-aged priests; established academic institutions such as the China Taoist Culture Research Institute and convened several forums on Taoist culture; founded journals such as Chinese Taoism, Shanghai Taoism, Shaanxi Taoism and Fujian Taoism and published a number of books on Taoism.
Some 1,500 Taoist monasteries have been approved by governments at the county level and above for Taoists to carry out religious activities.
There are about 20,000 resident Taoists of the Complete Perfection tradition and tens of thousands of Taoist priests of the Orthodox Oneness tradition in addition to countless numbers of Taoist followers throughout the whole country. The ancient religion has now entered the 21st century with a brand-new look.
The Cambodia country is situated on the In do Chinese Peninsula in South East Asia;the Peoples Republic Kampuchea changes its name to the original one Cambodia in May, 1989.If you studied the history of Cambodia,you will know that this is the greatest place on the earth. The boarders of this country are Thailand in west, Vietnam in east, and Laos in north.The Khmer rouge ruled this country between 1970s and 1980s.Sometimes it is called as Khmer Republic.
Before the Khmer rouge rule, the reign of terror used in this country.However,in Khmer rouge ruling this terror was happened in the country.The bizarre policies, the group implemented and managed to murder the twenty percent of the people in the country.At that time,the neighbor country Vietnam helped Khmer people and these Khmer people are sent to a small Island in the north.
From the past decade,the tourism in this country is growing rapidly.There are so many tourist spots around the country is beautiful.Especially,the wild life in Cambodia and the national parks are the nature is gift to this country. Cambodia is one of the safest and a peaceful country as you might think gives its recent history.The people in this country are very cooperative and respectable people.There are so many major cities around the country.The people in these cities are living happily.For every festive gathering irrespective gender everybody will participate in the national festivals.
One of the ancient cities in the country is Angkor.This city has fascinated westerners since its rediscover in the mid nineteenth century.A great deal is now known about the brilliant Khmer civilization that flourished among the monsoon forests and rice paddies of mainland Southeast Asia,thanks to the pioneering work of French scholars and the application of modern archaeological techniques such as remote sensing from the space shuttle.
The Angkor and Khmer civilization presents the complete picture of Khmer cultural history from Stone Age civilization to the establishment of the French protectorate in mid of the eighteenth century.If you want to plan a vacation in this country,that could be the best decision for your life.
About the Author
Leo Jackh is famous Archeologist.to know more information about Khmer empire,Khmer culture,Khmer history,Khmer tradition,Cambodia Eco-tourism,pre-historic period,historic period,Tangible Culture,Discovery in the Prehistoric Period.please visit our website.. http://www.smartcambodia.com
Fans of the Call of Duty franchise certainly won't find themselves disappointed by Treyarch and Activision's seventh release of the CoD franchise. Released for the X-Box 360, PC, Nintendo Wii and DS, and Playstation 3, Black Ops is a first-person shooter that plays out during the Cold War, giving you the choice from a broad assortment of weapons, including exciting new additions with even more amazing ammunition Black Ops outdid its forerunner, Modern Warfare 2 in it's opening week – selling nearly a million copies more!
There are many new exciting locations for you to fight through, including Cuba, Russia, and Laos, and is as much a revolutionary progression forwards from Modern Warfare 2 as Modern Warfare was for Call of Duty 2. Though the controls are all familiar to those who have played the CoD franchise for years, there is a lot more stealth involved in Black Ops than any game in the series to date.
But the real meat and potatoes of any Call of Duty game, and especially the more recent ones, is of course, Multiplayer – and the hallmark of any great multiplayer game is it's ability to make multiple hours disappear when you pick up the control; often without your notice. The new zombie multiplayer mode is as much fun and engaging as it is slightly silly.
It's obvious that this portrayal of the Cold War is only a fictional mock-up, but it is certainly entertaining. The gigantic explosions, story arcs and twists, and the ‘missions' all point to a colorful re-imagining of what things might have been like if the Cold War had played out like an explosive action movie. It's easy to separate the fact from the fantasy, but that doesn't change the fact that there are certain lines and scenes that are gripping and meant to evoke a visceral emotional reaction, especially the scenes of torture.
Black Ops is both a cinematic and gaming success, artfully rendered and though out, with the masterfully thought out storyline that only a big name studio and a lot of investment behind you can create. The storyline may be a bit faster paced than previous Call of Duty games, but this doesn't detract from the game; instead of a single goal that you work towards for an extended amount of time, you may find yourself flowing from goal to goal without much time to pause and wonder in between – a certainly thrilling experience for me that I highly recommend for all first-person shooter fans!
laos hmong_5="laos hmong" What are your thoughts on the current Hmong situation?
I am Mien/Mienh/Yao/iu-Mien, My boyfriend & some of my closest friends are Hmong. What do you think of the current issue about the Hmong people and Gen. Vang Pao? I don't think his actions are justified but i do believe in what he is trying to do. The Mien people fought in the same war but the Laos gov hate the Hmong more. Please NO HATE replies here!
I'm Hmong. I do not support General Vang Pao for what he was trying to do, but I support his wanting to free his people from refugee camps. I support him wanting the killing of the Hmong people to stop.
Sure, this is America, and we should enjoy the 'melting pot', but it was American CIA that promised safety to the Hmong people for their help in the Vietnam War, which they were not able to deliver. The Hmong were mislead by the American gov't to join forces with the Americans. How could America believe so much in bringing all their American soldiers home, when they left their brothers/allies who fought with them side by side in the Vietnam War to die in refugee camps scattered across Laos. For those who do not know, we lost more Hmong people in the Vietnam War than Americans did.
Sure, I live in America now. Born and raised. My father fought in the war, he was brought here to America in 1979 along with my mother and my oldest sister. I have my American ways and my Hmong traditional ways. I realize that not all Hmong people can be brought into America from the refugee camps, but for the many Hmong people still hiding in the mountains, afraid of being murdered, raped, and decapitated for helping out the Americans, I think the Americans can do SOMETHING in helping them.
When you're in history class, your teacher talks about the Vietnam War, but not ONCE are the Hmong ever mentioned for helping the Americans. I still get the, "What's a Hmong?" question from people. For America being educated, they sure don't know a lot about Hmong people. I love being an American, and although I am disappointed in America in the way that they can not/will not do anything, but I will never forget that I am Hmong as well. I pray that the Hmong survive in those refugee camps, and I cry for all my brothers and sisters who grieve and yearn for help.
The Vietnam War was started in 1959 in an attempt to stop the spread of communism to neighboring countries. The country had split at the 17th parallel in 1954 when the French had attempted to takeover the country but was defeated at Dien Bien Phu. The split wasn't supposed to last, but an election was never held to reunite the North and South. The ruler in the North, Ho Chi Minh, did not agree with the anti-communist government in the South and started to support southern groups who rebelled against them, who became known as the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong did their best to fight the Southern Government but eventually North Vietnam infiltrated and the fighting became a full-fledged war. The United States had signed the Truman Doctrine in which they agreed to help in the assistance of any government who was trying to resist being taken over by communism and to stop the spreading of communism to neighboring countries. This was known as the domino theory.
They became involved in the early 1960's and starting deploying troops in 1965. While most people think a large number of these soldiers were drafted, 2/3 of them actually volunteered. Richard Nixon signed the Nixon doctrine after an attack in 1968 to withdraw troops in a process called Vietnamization. All U.S. troops were withdrawn by 1973 when the Paris Peace Accords were signed, although they continued to give economic aid to South Vietnam until North Vietnam ended the war in 1975 with the capture of Saigon.
There was a variety of weapons used in the Vietnam War including 40 different rifle types, 22 machine guns, grenades, rocket propelled grenades, artillery, armored vehicles, and chemical weapons. Some of the more popular tpyes of rifles were the M14, M16, and SKS carbine. the M3A1 "Grease Gun", and M60 were some of the machine guns. The AC130, AC119G, and Ac47 were some of the gunships that were used. There were also attack helicopters, fighters, bombers, tanks, jeeps, and naval patrol craft used.
The fatalities of the Vietnam War were astronomical. Over 3 million Vietnamese soldiers were killed, over 1.5 million soldiers from Laos and Cambodia were lost, and over 58,000 from the United States. Over 900,000 of the survivors of the war had to deal with wounds, amputations, and post traumatic stress disorder.
The Vietnam War has been publicly portrayed in a number of prominent films. Tax Driver, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket and Platoon are just some of those.
About the Author
Anthony is a history buff from Silver Spring, MD. If you're looking to get some more information and purchase vietnam veteran gifts, check out his site at http://www.priorservice.com.
Vietnam-war era cluster bombs cripple breadwinners in Laos
