VN-VN : History of Vietnam: a Summary

History is…

…a collective diary recording a nation’s important events

…a mirror reflecting on our ancestors

…a light shining upon our grandparents, those bold forefathers and mothers who secured a place under the sun for us, their grandchildren.

Let’s explore the history of the Lạc Việt people to find our roots and know ourselves.

A river flowing for more than 4,000 years

The Vietnamese people proudly claim that theirs is a civilization going back 4,000 years. Indeed, literature suggests that Vietnam’s first ruler, King Hùng, came to power around the year 2879 B.C. Not yet known as Vietnam, the nation was referred to as Văn Lang some time after Hùng reigned, certainly by 258 B.C. 
It is unfortunate that China dominated the country for thousands of years: in the process, the invader destroyed countless historical relics (a pattern of action China continues today). Therefore much of Vietnam’s ancient history remains shrouded in obscurity.

A story written in blood, sweat, and tears

The Vietnamese trace their origins to the Lạc Việt of the Red River Delta. Emerging from a group of tribes called the Bách Việt, the Lạc Việt and subsequently the Vietnamese nation suffered under the domination of its giant neighbor China for 1,030 years. Yet step by step, Vietnam gained independence and even succeeded in expanding its territory.

Rebellions, documented as far back as 40 A.D., tended to be poorly organized or merely symbolic. The two Trưng sisters reigned as queens for only three years. Bà Triệu, the Vietnamese “Joan of Arc,” resisted Chinese occupation for six months before her death in 248. Lý Nam Đế founded the Tiền Lý dynasty, which lasted fifty-eight years (544-602). Following this were the unsuccessful revolts of Mai Hắc Đế (722) and Bố Cái Đại Vương (791). Khúc Thừa Dụ achieved self-governance for seventeen years (906-923), Dương Đình Nghệ for six (931-937).

In 938, Ngô Quyền defeated the Chinese army at the battle of the Bạch Đằng River, beginning a significant era of self-rule.

Of course, Đại Việt (as Vietnam was called at the time) still had to pay tribute to the Chinese emperor and often had to fight back Chinese incursions:
- Trần Hưng Đạo twice chased the Nguyên/Mongolian army under Kublai Khan out of the country, the second time also at the Bạch Đằng River;
- Lê Lợi fought for ten years after Hồ Quí Ly left the country in the hands of the Ming dynasty;
- Quang Trung (Nguyễn Huệ) overcame the Thanh army and entered the city of Thăng Long for Tết in 1789. After this, China did not “dare” invade Vietnam again until 1979.

One hundred years of French colonization

From the mid 18^th century and a hundred years onward, Western Europe and North America experienced the Industrial Revolution, an era of booming development. Vietnam, in contrast, remained conservative, trapped in Confucianism, its society divided into four classes: Sĩ, Nông, Công, and Thương (Scholar, Peasant, Artisan and Merchant). By forbidding foreigners to trade and choosing to persecute Christian missionaries, Vietnam gave France a convenient excuse to intervene militarily... and Vietnam, by limiting its people’s knowledge, weakened its own chances for resistance. 

In 1858 the French navy landed in Đà Nẵng and started an era of French colonial rule that lasted until 1954.

Three hundred years of civil war

During periods without foreign invasions, the country often endured the torment of civil wars.

Twelve Warlord’s War (966-968) Twelve powerful warlords battled, keeping the country divided until one warlord’s adopted son, Đinh Tiên Hoàng, unified the factions and declared himself emperor.

North South Civil War (1528-1802) meant 274 years of misery for the Vietnamese people.

-       North Court-South Court (1528-1592): one country, two kings: Mạc of the North Court and Lê of the South Court

-       North-South (1627-1775): one king (Lê), two lords (Trịnh in the North and Nguyễn in the South).

-       Tay Son Uprising (1771-1778) Nguyễn Huệ eventually defeated both Trịnh and Nguyễn and ascended the throne (1778-1802). He, in turn, was toppled by Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (Gia Long).

War of Ideology: The Democratic Republic of Vietnam – The Republic of Việtnam (1955-1975)
In 1954 the French went down to defeat at Dien Bien Phu. A ceasefire was declared, and three parties met to sign the Geneva Treaty: the French, the north (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and the south (temporarily called the State of Vietnam). Vietnam was divided into two countries at the 17th parallel. The Social Republic of Vietnam was led by Ho Chi Minh, the south by Nationalists. After two years and a complete withdrawal of French troops, both regions were to hold elections to unify the country. During the withdrawal, nearly one million Northerners fled to the South.

In 1955, Ngô Đình Diệm won the referendum allowing him to become first Head of State, then President of the First Republic of Vietnam. War exploded between the two ideals: Freedom versus Communism. The South was supported by the US and Allied forces, the Communist North by China and the Soviet Union.

Following the 1973 Paris agreement, US troops withdrew from Vietnam.

On April 30, 1975, Saigon fell. President Dương Văn Minh announced his unconditional surrender.

For the four million Vietnamese exiles, the history of Vietnam ends there.

The March South

The March South is the term describing Vietnam’s territorial expansion—a tripling of its original landmass--over roughly 700 years.

Around the year 1000, the territory of Đại Việt included the Red River Delta and deltas of the north central coast. The Gianh River marked the country’s southernmost boundary. Expansion was blocked eastward by the sea, westward by the Trường Sơn Mountains (also known as the Annamite Range), and northward by China’s military might. However, a growing population demanded more land—specifically flat, well-irrigated fields suitable for rice farming.
The most part of expansion happened during the civil war when the  south based Nguyễn lords had to expand their territories.

The Vietnamese gradually moved south along the narrow coastal plains, conquering or assimilating other peoples along the way. The Đại Việt people assimilated Champa (a collection of polities extending along Vietnam’s current central and southern coasts), invaded Chân Lạp (part of Cambodia) and put the Central Highland territory on the national map. 
By approximately 1760, Vietnam had achieved its present-day borders.

Vietnamese Dynasties	Official  Country Name
Hồng Bàng (2879-258 B.C.) dynasty - King Hùng	Văn Lang
Thục (An Dương Vương) (258-207 B.C.)	Âu Lạc
Triệu (207-111 B.C.)	Nam Việt
Trưng Vương (40-43 A.D.)
Lý Nam Đế (Lý Bí or Lý Bôn) - Tiền Lý dynasty (544-602)	Vạn Xuân
Ngô Quyền – Ngô dynasty  (939-965)
Đinh Tiên Hoàng – Đinh dynasty  (968-980)	Đại Cồ Việt
Lê Đại Hành - Tiền Lê dynasty  (980-1009)
Lý Thái Tổ - Lý dynasty  (1010-1225)	Đại Việt
Trần Thái Tông - Trần dynasty  (1225-1400)
Hồ Quí Ly and son (1400-1407)	Đại Ngu
Hậu Trần dynasty  (1407-1413)
Lê Thái Tổ (Lê Lợi) - Hậu Lê dynasty  (1385-1527)	Đại Việt
Mạc Đăng Dung - Mạc dynasty  (1527-1592)
Lê dynasty restored (1533-1788)
Nguyễn Nhạc - Tây Sơn dynasty  (1778-1802)
Nguyễn dynasty  (1802-1945) :
-       Gia Long (Nguyễn Phúc Ánh) (1804-1839)	Việt-Nam
-       Minh Mạng (1839-1983)	Đại Nam
-       Bảo Đại (last emperor)	Vietnam

A heroic history

Originating in southern China, our ancestors, the Lạc Việt, slowly grew into a strong people who fought off foreign invaders and expanded their territory. Vietnam is an undaunted nation that caused countries as big as China to falter and as powerful as France to retreat.

The Vietnamese people have endured more than a thousand years of domination without being assimilated. The influence of China is not small, but we retain unique characteristics of language, culture and the arts.

Let us wish our people will always keep the pride of being "the sons and daughters of the dragon and the fairy” from the legendary time of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ.

Translated by C.N. and Kitty Phạm

from Sơ-lược lịch-sử Việt-Nam

Read also:
- The Nation and the People of Vietnam
http://phu-tran.blogspot.com/2017/04/quoc-gia-viet-nam-va-dan-toc-viet.html

- All about Vietnamese names
http://phu-tran.blogspot.com/2017/03/all-about-vietnamese-names.html

- Let’s celebrate Vietnamese Tet 

http://phu-tran.blogspot.com/2017/01/lets-celebrate-vietnamesetet.html