Vietnam is a land whose features change dramatically within short distances-from mountains and high plateaus to coastal plains and inland swamps. To the south, the large delta formed by the Mekong and Lesser river systems inches forward yearly into the South China Sea. Th is delta, while hardly typical of all Vietnam, is one of the most fertile rice-producing regions of Southeast Asia. Its importance lies not only in the substantial contribution this area can, and will, provide, but it is also the area of most recent settlement by the Vietnamese. Th e study of its institutions reveals much about the prospects for social and economic change.
