Vietnam is a country built by wars so much that wars are in the Vietnamese's blood. The Vietnamese have always fought for freedom and independence. They live for their nuoc like in "Song vi nuoc, chet vi nuoc" (Live by water, die by water). Nuoc by definition means water, but ultimately, it has come to represent the "homeland, the country, the nation." The fratricidal war between North (communist) and South (nationalist) Vietnam represents a fight over the nature of the Vietnamese society. They fought over whether the country should become a western democratic society or a totalitarian communist country.