Singapore
Stamford Raffles founded colonial Singapore in 1819 as a trading post of the British East India Company. After the company's collapse in 1858, the islands were ceded to the British Raj as a crown colony. During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by Japan. It gained independence from the UK in 1963 by federating with other former British territories to form Malaysia, but separated two years later over ideological differences, becoming a sovereign nation in 1965. After early years of turbulence and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation developed rapidly as an Asian Tiger economy, based on external trade and its workforce.
Names of Singapore
Vietnamese either uses the word "Singapore" or "Xin Ga Po" for the country (and "Cộng hòa Singapore" or "Cộng hòa Xin Ga Po" for "Republic of Singapore") but has traditionally used versions taken from the "hán tự" 新加坡, namely "Tân Gia Pha" or "Tân Gia Ba" (and "Tân Gia Ba Cộng hòa quốc" for "Republic of Singapore" [新加坡共和國]). It has also used such "hán tự"-derived names other for historical names including "Chiêu Nam" for "Shōnan" (昭南) and "Hạ Châu".