History

Paleolithic Age

Human civilization started in Vietnam a very long time ago. In fact, archaeologists have found vestiges of Homo Erectus in the caves of Lang Son and Nghe An Provinces. During the Pre-Paleolithic Age (between 10,000 to 23,000 years ago; also known as the Son Vi Era), the population in Vietnam was rather large and widespread. The people living at that time were referred to as Homo Sapiens and were a more civilized society as they

Neolithic Age

During this period, groups of people with different cultural attributes mixed together. People at that time used sophisticated trimmed stone axes, produced stone rings, and designed pottery goods.

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age society was able to produce bronze tools, arms, and jewellery. They could harvest crops and raise several kinds of domestic animals such as buffaloes, oxen, and pigs. There existed three different cultural groups during that period: the Pre-Dong Son who lived in the Ma River, the Ca River and the Red River Delta Area; the Pre-Sa Huynh who inhabited the southern areas of central Vietnam; and the third group who inhabited the Dong Nai River. The Pre-Dong Son society existed at the same time as the early Hung Vuong Dynasty.

Iron Age

The various subgroups of the Pre-Dong Son culture was eventually unified in the northern areas of Central Vietnam and became the Dong Son culture. This group of people existed in the Early Iron Age as they were capable of producing several kinds of iron tools during this period. This unique culture was characterized by sophisticated products which included beautifully designed bronze drums.

The Formation of Vietnam

Van Lang-Au Lac Nations

During the Dong Son period, only one state had formed. The unified culture prevailing in this region stretched from the Sino-Vietnamese Border to the northern banks of the Gianh River. The nation of the ancient Viet people existed as the Van Lang Nation and was then ruled by the Hung Kings.

A few centuries later, An Duong Vuong founded the Au Lac Nation in the third century BC. Records of this nation can be found in the annals written by the Chinese historian, Xi Ma Tin. Remains of the Co Loa Citadel, which was built during the An Duong Vuong period, can still be seen today.

Champa Nation

In south-central Vietnam, the Pre-Sa Huynh culture evolved during the Iron Age. At that time, people were buried in tombs which contained many tools made of iron together with jewellery made of agate and jasper. The people of this group lived between Thua Thien and the Dong Nai River Delta. The Sa Huynh culture was founded by the ancestors of the Cham, who founded the Champa Kingdom.

The Au Lac Nation was conquered by Zhao Juo, the King of Nan Yue in 179 BC, and Nan Yue was then conquered by the Han Empire. As a result, Au Lac was dominated by the Han Dynasty starting in 111 BC and was divided into various districts. After this, Vietnam stayed under Chinese cultural hegemony for eleven centuries. During this period, a series of rebellions were organized to gain independence. The rebellions generally lasted a short time, however. During the domination of the Sui and Tang Empires, the Mai Thuc Loan Rebellion(722), Phung Hung Rebellion(766-791) and Ngo Quyen Rebellion against Nam Han in 938 occurred. The final rebellion in Bach Dang River ended more than 1,000 years of Chinese domination and the independence of the country was granted.

Introduction

A new page in Vietnamese history was turned at the beginning of the 10th century when the Ngo (939 - 965), Dinh (968 - 980), and Pre-Le (980-1009) Dynasties strived to consolidate the country, maintain unification, and protect their independence. The victory of the resistance against the Sung invasion led by Le Hoan in 981 was an eloquent proof of that statement.

The Independent Dynasties of Vietnam

Ngo Dynasty Dinh Dynasty Early Le Dynasty Ly Dynasty Tran Dynasty Ho Dynasty Post Tran Dynasty Chinese Rule Later Le Dynasty Trinh Lords of the North Nguyen Lords of the South Tay Son Dynasty Nguyen Dynasty

939-65 968-80 980-1009 1009-1225 1226-1400 1400-1407 1407-1413 1414-1427 1428-1788 1539-1787 1558-1778 1788-1802 1802-1945

• Ly and Tran Dynasties

Vietnam became a powerful nation during the 11th century to the 14th century at the time of the Ly (1009 - 1225) and Tran (1226- 1400) Dynasties. Agriculture developed as people began building dikes and ploughing virgin soils. Villages specializing in producing pottery, bronze, or iron items were formed. Merchandise boats from China and other Southeastern Asian countries came to trade at Hoi Thong and Van Don Ports.

During the Ly and Tran Dynasties, Buddhism prevailed and had great impact on literature and arts. At the same time, Confucianism started to quickly develop. Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) was built at the end of the 11th century and was used to worship Confucius. Confucianism examinations were held regularly during the Tran Dynasty. The Nom script was widely used in literary works as the first documents about the country's history was being compiled. The country's independence was maintained thanks to the resistance against the Sung (1075-1077) led by Ly Thuong Kiet. It was also maintained even against the repeated assaults of the Mongolians though the leadership of the Tran Kings and Tran Hung Dao in 1258, 1285, and 1288.

• Ho Dynasty

The Ho Dynasty (1400-1407) carried out reforms to overcome the crisis which began late in the Tran Dynasty. Ho Quy Ly imposed policies to reduce feudal tenure and issued paper notes instead of coins. His policies, however, did not bring about many improvements as the people did not support him. King Ho could not organize resistance against the Ming invasion and the country was conquered by the Ming Empire.

• Le Dynasty (1428 - 1788)

A movement led by Le Loi to secure independence for the nation spread over the country. The resistance in Lam Son, in the province of Thanh Hoa, lasted 10 years. Supported and assisted by the people and strong leaders, Nguyen Trai was triumphant. "Binh Ngo Dai Cao" by Nguyen Trai was deemed to become an Independence Manifesto.

In the 15th century, agriculture, industry, and trade developed as the societystabilized. Confucianism became the orthodox ideology. Looking for talents through examination was regular and a law known as the Hong Duc law was issued. It clearly described the perspective of Vietnam's political, social, and economical status at that time. The Le Dynasty, however, started deteriorating and the society reached chaos during the 16th century. Mac Dang Dung overthrew King Le and established the Mac Dynasty in 1527. The Trinh clan mobilized a resistance against Mac Dynasty and conquered Thang Long.

• Tay Son Dynasty

Brothers Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Lu, and Nguyen Hue led the Tay Son Revolution in 1771 and overthrew the Nguyen Dynasty. The Thai forces were then defeated by the Tay Son army in the Rach Gam-Xoai Mut front in 1785. The Tay Son army then marched to Dang Ngoai and overthrew the Trinh Dynasty. Le Chieu Thong, the last king of the Le Dynasty, fled to China, and asked the Qin Dynasty for assistance. Nguyen Hue took the throne in Phu Xuan, now called Hue, in 1788. He led an army and marched north to defeat the Qin troops of 290,000 men in Thang Long on the first lunar month of 1789.

Quang Trung Nguyen Hue, founder of the Tay Son Dynasty, implemented progressive policies on land and education reform but he passed away in 1792. Nguyen Anh, supported by the French, returned to the Mekong River Delta to the fight Tay Son army. Tay Son was defeated in 1802 and Nguyen Anh conquered Phu Xuan.

• Nguyen Dynasty

Nguyen Anh Gia Long took the throne in 1802 and founded the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). Gia Long and Minh Mang, the first kings of the Nguyen Dynasty, unified the country and set up a healthy state. With regards to the internal policies, the Nguyen Kings cleared land for cultivation and encouraged irrigation. With regards to the external policies, Minh Mang and the Thieu Tri Kings sent merchant ships to trade with France, England, Indonesia, and India.

The Nguyen Kings during their rule ordered books on national history and geography to be written and printed. Several important books which had great impacts on the national culture thus came into being. Confucianism became the basis of the Nguyen Dynasty's conservative ideology. The Nguyen Dynasty imposed a closed-door policy and dispelled diplomatic missioners who wanted to set up relations with Vietnam.

The French government sanctioned the decision to conquer Vietnam in 1857. Due to the resistance by Vietnamese patriots, however, it took the French 30 years to establish their domination over the country.

In 1887, in compliance with the French King's decree, Indochina was established. Indochina consisted of the north, center, and south of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. At that time, French social and economic policies were expedited on a small scale, and a policy on the exploitation of colonies on a larger scale was only imposed at the beginning of the 20th century. French economic and social activities boosted the country in many ways. The French concentrated investments in the mining industry as well as several other industries. A number of large plantations appeared, apart from rice, as economical crops such as tea, coffee, and rubber were developed. Agricultural products were being considered commodities. Changes in the economy resulted in a division between Vietnamese bourgeoisie and Vietnamese working class.

The education system was also modified. Three levels of general education were determined, the infant, primary, and secondary education. The old examination system was abolished in 1915, and schools for training administrative officers in the French style were officially launched in 1917.

The Governor General of Indochina promulgated a decree to restructure the mechanism of village organization in 1904. In fact, this brought a strong resistance to the French. They wanted to create a new class of French style landlords to replace the old ones. The French colonialists imposed an austere policy for the working class, especially for tillers. High taxes were imposed on farmers. The French colonialists practiced a policy of obscurantism.

Vietnamese patriots of different ideologies struggled for the liberalization of the country. One movement was the Dong Du which was led by Phan Boi Chau. Those who followed the policy of raising intellectual standards included Phan Chu Trinh and the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Group. Nguyen Thai Hoc and his fellows were sentenced to death as a result of these protests. Nguyen Ai Quoc (or Ho Chi Minh) founded Vietnam's Communist Party (or the Indochinese Communist Party) in 1930. These communists have been leaders since their formation.

Geography | Climate | Topography | Population | Culture | Religions