# Vietnam

Pronunciation: US say "vee-et-NAHM" /viˌɛtˈnɑm/; UK say "vee-uht-NAHM" /(ˈ)viːətˈnɑːm/

## Proper noun

1. A country in Southeast Asia, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with its capital at Hanoi.
   - Simple: A country in Southeast Asia. Its capital city is Hanoi.
   - _Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, draws visitors to its centuries-old quarter._
   - _Vietnam's economy has grown rapidly since the country opened its markets in the late 1980s._
2. The war fought in Vietnam from the mid-1950s to 1975, in which the United States supported South Vietnam against the communist North. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: The war that the United States fought in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s.
   - _Public opinion turned sharply against Vietnam after the Tet Offensive._
   - _She lost two cousins to Vietnam before the draft ended._

## Noun

3. A long, drawn-out war or conflict in which a dominant foreign occupying power proves unable to secure victory.
   - Simple: A long war that a strong country fighting in another land cannot win.
   - _Commentators warned that the occupation was becoming another Vietnam._
   - _Military advisers feared the campaign would turn into a Vietnam for the coalition._
4. A place that is extremely dangerous, especially one plagued by violence. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A very dangerous place, especially one with a lot of fighting or violence.
   - _The whole block became a Vietnam once the rival crews started shooting._
   - _Friday nights, the emergency room is a Vietnam: gunshot wounds, stabbings, the works._
5. A situation in which one cannot win, no matter what course of action one takes. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A situation where you cannot win, no matter what you do.
   - _The lawsuit turned into a Vietnam, draining both sides no matter who gained ground._
   - _Negotiating with that landlord is a Vietnam: give in and you lose, push back and you lose more._

## Origin

Borrowed from the Vietnamese Việt Nam. Its extended senses derive from the Vietnam War.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/vietnam (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).