Vietnam stands at a crossroads. Located in the geographical center of southeast Asia, Vietnam is a complex mixture of the ancient and the modern. A Soviet-style legacy con-trasts with an emerging Western-style market economy. Vietnam is faced with pressing political, social and economic challenges, and yet it is full of hope and potential. Here is a first look at Vietnam in the twenty-first century, a nation undergoing rapid change and opening up to the world.

Dr. Mark Ashwill paints a broad picture of Vietnam , past and present, and explores today's defining issues. Issues. Readers come to understand how a two-thousand-year history of foreign invasion, occupation and war has deeply influenced the Vietnamese character. The Chinese, French and U.S. Americans have all left their imprint. Yet the struggle against oppression has infused the Vietnamese with a fierce spirit of nationalism and caution in their dealings with foreigners. Building relationships and as a prelude to doing busi-ness are critical to Vietnamese, whether at home or abroad.

Vietnam Today reveals the most prominent characteristics of the Vietnamese: their energy and drive, the dominance of group over individual and the paramount importance of main-taining harmony. In doing so, Ashwill and his Vietnamese contributor shed light on many sources of misunderstanding between Vietnamese and Western professionals. But for those who are prepared to take the time to get to know the people, to move at their pave, and to learn about their culture and history, Vietnam can be land of promise and opportunity.

Mark A. Ashwill is director of the World Languages Program, Fulbright adviser, and adjunct professor at SUNY Buffalo. He is also founder and executive director of the U.S.-Indochina Educational Foundation, Inc. (USIEF). In 2003 Dr. Ashwill became the first U.S. citizen to be awarded a Fulbright Senior Specialists Grant to Vietnam .

Thai Ngoc Diep assisted in researching Vietnam Today. She Received her undergraduate degree in Vietnam and a master's degree from SUNY Buffalo. She has worked for the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council and Ericsson in Vietnam .