• General• The name of Vietnam through the Ages• French colonization and the struggle for Independence• The American Arrival and Vietnam's Reunification• Vietnam today• History of Vietnam through Dynasties
Vietnam has a long history of more than four thousands years since the Hong Bang Dynasty and Au Lac nation-state (2879-258 B.C). And the history of Vietnam is one based on heroic struggles to win the nation’s independence and then successive periods of re-building to ensure a stable nation state. From the end of the 3rd century BC to the early 10th century, Vietnam was under the rule of successive Chinese dynasties, who considered the country a vassal state under the name Jiao Zhi, or Giao Chi (later called Tonkin).
By the time the Chinese had conquered Jiao Zhi; two other kingdoms had sprung up south of it. The Mekong Delta and part of southern Cambodia were known as Funan (Phu Nam), the pre-Angkor Cambodian Kingdom. The Kingdom between Funan in the south and Jiao Zhi in the north was called Champa. During the sixth and seventh centuries, the southern kingdom of Funan was conquered by the Chenla (Chan Lap) or Khmer people, and become part of their powerful empire. Meanwhile in 679 A.D, Jiao Zhi's name was again changed by the Chinese - this time to An Nam or Pacified South.
An Nam became an independent kingdom in 938 A.D when the Chinese were defeated by the great Vietnamese general Ngo Quyen, who later became the first Vietnamese ruler of the country named Dai Co Viet.
For the next 900 years Dai Co Viet grew into an empire, ruled by powerful dynasties, such as the Ly and Tran families. Dai Co Viet had powerful armies, and held its own through ongoing conflicts with Champa in the south, and attacks by Mongolian and Chinese armies from the north. However in 1407 it was yet again taken over by China, and only in 1427 were the Chinese defeated by the Le Dynasty. The country was renamed Dai Viet. The Lê dynasty ruled for 350 years, years full of conflicts and civil wars. Various families tried to gain control. Key families were the Trinh in the north, the Nguyen in the south, and, ultimately, the Tay Son in central Dai Viet.
The three Tay Son brothers were successful in overcoming the Trinh Lords, and removing the Lê family from the throne in 1778. For about 25 years, the Tay Son family ruled the northern and central regions of Dai Viet, and the Nguyen family ruled the south. In 1802, however, Nguyen Anh, who was supported by the French, defeated the Tay Son family, and became King of a once-again unified country, which he named Viet Nam. The Nguyen family continued to rule, though sometimes in name only, until 1945.
The name of Vietnam through the Ages
During the period of Chinese domination, Vietnam was called An Nam (or Pacified South). When Vietnam became independent, it was called Dai Co Viet, then Dai Viet. In 1802, Gia Long named the country Viet Nam. During the French colonization, Vietnam was divided into 3 regions: Tonkin (Bac Ky or North Vietnam), An Nam (Trung Ky or Central Vietnam) and Cochin China (Nam Ky or South Vietnam).French colonization and the struggle for Independence
The first French who arrived in Vietnam were Catholic missionaries in the mid-17th century whose aim of disseminating Christianity threatened the Dai Viet rulers. The missionaries also became part of the political struggle and this led to their persecution in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Driven by the desire to protect the missionaries and to gain control in the area, the French began to attack Vietnam in 1858 under the orders of Napoleon III of France, heralding the beginning of the colonial occupation in Vietnam. However, it was not until 1887 that the French really took an active role after conquering Vietnam completely. They allowed Vietnam's emperors to continue to reign, although not actually rule. They main duty was to be a “figurehead”. Vietnam became part of French Indochina, along with Cambodia and Laos. The French divided Vietnam into three distinct regions; Tonkin in the north, An Nam in the center, and Cochin China in the south.
During the Second World War, Vietnam was controlled by the Japanese, Hitler’s allies. However, in September 1945, one month after the end of WWII in Europe, the Japanese were defeated, and the Viet Minh led by the Communist Ho Chi Minh gained control of the country’s main regions. The ‘figurehead’ emperor stepped down and Ho Chi Minh became the nation’s new ruler, and declared the Democratic Republic of Vietnam an independent nation.
This victory was short-lived. British and Chinese troops arrived the next month to accept the Japanese surrender and uphold French claim on the region. The French forces reclaimed Cochin in the south, but Viet Minh resistance continued in the south and the DRV controlled the north. By the end of 1946, hostilities escalated and the war began. To counter the efforts of the Viet Minh, the French declared the State of Vietnam in 1949, with Bao Dai as nominal Chief of State. This government was supported by Vietnamese nationalists who opposed communism, as well as by France and its allies. The DRV, which held power in the north and also claimed to be the legitimate government of the whole nation, was supported by communist countries. The First Indochina War continued until 1954, when the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu. After this decisive battle, French colonial rule in Vietnam ended.
The American Arrival and Vietnam's Reunification
Just before the war ended, a conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland to find a way to maintain peace in the region. The State of Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos represented the war torn regions, and emissaries from France, the U.S.S.R., the U.K. and the U.S. attended. Conference delegates agreed to a temporary division of Vietnam into two separate countries at the 17 parallel, North and South Vietnam, to be followed in 1956 with elections to re-unite the country. The north of Vietnam, to be known as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV), was governed by Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese Workers Party. The South was headed by the Bao Dai government, which had been supported by the French since 1945. However, right after the French withdrew from Vietnam; the United States replaced France and supported Ngo Dinh Diem as Prime Minister under Bao Dai. With American support, Ngo Dinh Diem won the general election in 1955 and became the President of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN). After that, the war between the North and the South escalated with U.S. military involvement.However, under the pressure of American public opinion against the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, as well as the negative effects of the Vietnam War on the U.S. economy, the Nixon government agreed to sign the “Paris Peace Agreement” that included a cease-fire and withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam in 1972. This agreement recognized the “independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Vietnam.” By April 30, 1975, Vietnam was finally reunited under the Communists and in 1976 the country was renamed the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) as it is called today. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
The post-war period was hard for Vietnam. Its economy and industrial base were seriously damaged. The war had killed more than 3 million Vietnamese, and wounded twice that many. Vast numbers of people were homeless. However, the country has gradually recovered from the ravages of war.
Because of the failure of earlier economic policies to stimulate growth after reunification, and following the election of the progressive new leader, Nguyen Van Linh (General Secretary) in 1986, the Vietnamese government approved a comprehensive economic reform called " Doi Moi" (Renovation) that introduced market reforms and dramatically improved Vietnam's business climate. People were allowed to form private businesses and sell agricultural produce. A nation that had been a net importer of rice quickly became one of the top three exporters in the world as agriculture became privatized. Foreign investments in Vietnamese business were encouraged as joint ventures. In response to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and its economic support, Vietnam began to liberalize its trade policies and encourage foreign trade. All these efforts helped to integrate Vietnam into the world community.
Vietnam became one of the fastest growing economies in the world with the averaged Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate at 9% per year from 1990 to 1997 and 6.5% from 1998-2003. In 2004, GDP grew 7.7%. In July 1995, full diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam were established. That same year, Vietnam was accepted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In 1998, it joined the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and also hosted the ASEAN summit. A bilateral trade agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam was signed in July 2000. And in 2006 Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization.
History of Vietnam through Dynasties
- 257 BC: Hung or Lac dynasty
- 257-207 BC: Thuc dynasty:
- 207-110 BC:Trieu dynasty
- 110 BC-541 AD: Chinese Domination
- 541-547 / 548-570 / 571-602: Ly Nam De, Trieu Viet Vuong, Posterior Ly Nam De
- 603-967: Chinese Domination
- 968-980: Dinh Dynasty
- 980-1009: Anterior Le Dynasty
- 1009-1225: Ly Dynasty
- 1400-1406: Ho Dynasty
- 1407-1417: Posterior Tran Dynasty
- 1418-1527: Posterior Le Dynasty
- 1527-1600: Mac Dynasty
- 1600-1789 / 1558-1775: Le King Trinh Lords, Nguyen Lords
- 1778-1802: Tay Son Dynasty
- 1802-1831: Gia Long
- 1832-1945: Minh Mang
- 1945-1976 / 1955-1975: Democratic Republic of Vietnam/Republic of Vietnam
- 1976-Present: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
