Circle the area on this map
A. Hanoi has been the capital of Vietnam since North Vietnam and South Vietnam were reunited in 1976. At that time Saigon, the former capital of South Vietnam, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the late revolutionary leader of North Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam’s most populous city with 8.4 million people. Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea.
D. Chinese emperors once forced rulers of its neighbors Korea and Vietnam to submit to China’s superiority. Japanese forces controlled both countries in World War II, and both were divided after the war. The United States backed South Korea and South Vietnam in wars against Communist rulers in North Korea and North Vietnam.
B. Vietnam has improved security ties with the U.S. as a hedge against former ally China, whose disputes with the Vietnamese have turned bloody over the years. Since a U.S. trade embargo ended in 1994, Vietnam has grown into one of the world’s fastest growing economies while a hostile North Korea has suffered from extreme poverty and famine.
C. The United States wants North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. During his first meeting with Trump, Kim made a vague commitment to work toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. But, U.S. intelligence officials recently warned Congress that Kim is unlikely to give up the weapons he considers essential to the survival of his autocratic regime.