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A famous Vietnamese legend tells that the Vietnamese people of various tribes were born outside the womb following the marriage of Lạc Long Quân (Dragon Chief) and Âu CÆ¡ (the Fairy). However, most Vietnamese historians consider the Dong Son civilization that covered much of Southeast Asia to be the beginning of Vietnam's history. In 208 BCE a Qin general named Triệu Äà established a state called Nam Việt which encompassed southern China and the Red River Delta. The historical significance of the original Nam Việt remains controversial because some historians consider it a Chinese occupation while others believe it was an independent era. For most of the period from 111 BCE to the early 10th century CE, Vietnam was under the rule of successive Chinese dynasties. During this period, Buddhism became a dominant influence in the religious and cultural life of the people. Sporadic independence movements were attempted, but were quickly suppressed by Chinese forces.In 939 CE the Vietnamese defeated Chinese forces at the Bạch Äằng River and gained independence after 10 centuries under Chinese control. They gained complete autonomy a century later. During the rule of the Trần Dynasty, Dai Viet defeated three Mongol attempts of invasion by the Yuan Dynasty. Three times with massive troops as well as careful preparation for their attacks but three times in the row the Mongols were totally swept out of Dai Viet. Incidentally, the final battle in which Vietnamese general Tran Hung Dao defeated most of Mongolian forces was held again at Bạch Äằng River like his ancestors nearly 300 years ago. Feudalism in Vietnam reached its zenith in the Lê Dynasty of the 15th century, especially during the reign of Emperor Le Thanh Tong. Between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Vietnamese expanded southward in a process known as nam tiến (southward expansion). They eventually conquered the kingdom of Champa and much of the Khmer
Battle of Bach Dang river. Silk painting by Năng Hiển.
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Battle of Bach Dang river. Silk painting by Năng Hiển.
Vietnam's independence ended in the mid-19th century CE, when the country was colonized by the French Empire. The French administration enacted significant political and cultural changes to Vietnamese society. A Western-style system of modern education was developed, and Christianity was introduced in Vietnamese society. Developing a plantation economy to promote the exports of tobacco, indigo, tea and coffee, the French largely ignored increasing calls for self-government and civil rights. A nationalist political movement soon emerged, and its young leader Ho Chi Minh led its call for independence to the League of Nations. Yet the French maintained dominant control of their colonies until World War II, when the Japanese invasion of Indochina triggered by the war in the Pacific. The natural resources of Vietnam were exploited for the purposes of Japan's military campaigns into Burma, the Malay Peninsula and India. In the final years of the war, a forceful nationalist insurgency emerged under Ho Chi Minh, committed to independence and communism. Following the defeat of Japan, nationalist forces fought French colonial forces in the First Indochina War that lasted from 1945 to 1954. The French suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and shortly afterwards withdrew from the country. The world community divided the country at the 17th parallel into North Vietnam and South Vietnam during the Geneva Accords. This division was meant to be temporary, pending democratic elections and reunification.The Communist-held north was opposed by the United States for its proximity to the Soviet Union and Communist China. Disagreements soon emerged over the organizing of elections and reunification, and the U.S. began increasing its contribution of military advisers even as Soviet-supplied arms and munitions strengthened communist forces.
The controversial attack on U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin triggered a U.S. military assault on North Vietnamese military installations and the deployment of more than 500,000 troops into South Vietnam. U.S. forces were soon embroiled in a vicious guerrilla war with the Viet Cong, the South Vietnamese communist militia. North Vietnamese forces unsuccessfully attempted to overrun the South during the 1968 Tet Offensive and the war soon spread into neighboring Laos and Cambodia. With casualties mounting, the U.S. began transferring combat roles to the South Vietnamese military in a process known as Vietnamization. The effort had mixed results, but with US support the South Vietnamese were able to hold their own. The Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973 formally recognized the sovereignty of both sides. Under the terms of the accords all American combat troops were withdrawn by March 29, 1973. Limited fighting continued, but all major fighting ended until the North once again invaded in strength and overpowered the South on April 30, 1975. South Vietnam briefly became the Republic of South Vietnam, a puppet state under military occupation by North Vietnam, before being officially reunified with the North under Communist rule as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on July 2, 1976. More than 30 years of war had devastated the economy, urban and rural infrastructure across the nation. Millions of people were killed, and as many as 50,000 U.S. soldiers were killed in the warfare. Widespread undetonated mines and bombs remain a serious problem for people in the rural areas. Between one and two million people fled the communist regime by sea, becoming famously known as boat people.
Upon taking control, the Vietnamese communists banned other political parties, arrested suspects believed to have collaborated with the U.S. and embarked on a mass campaign of collectivization of farms and factories. Reconstruction of the war-ravaged country was slow and serious humanitarian and economic problems confronted the communist regime. In 1978, the Vietnamese Army invaded Cambodia to remove their erstwhile allies, the Khmer Rouge from power. This action worsened relations with China, which launched a brief incursion into northern Vietnam in 1979. This conflict caused Vietnam to rely even more heavily on Soviet economic and military aid.
With the decline of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, Vietnam's economic woes intensified. In a historic shift in 1986, the Communist Party of Vietnam implemented free-market reforms known as Äổi Má»›i (Renovation). With the authority of the state remaining unchallenged, private ownership of farms and companies, deregulation and foreign investment were encouraged. The economy of Vietnam has achieved rapid growth in agricultural and industrial production, construction and housing, exports and foreign investment. Vietnam's economic development has been significantly aided by investment from the expatriate Vietnamese community living in the U.S. and European nations. Vietnam normalized relations with the U.S. in 1995, and is an important member state of the Association of South East Asian Nations. The power of the Communist Party over all organs of government remains firm, even though there have been increasing calls for political freedoms from a nascent pro-democracy movement. |
Novice
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Ms. Tran,
Leaving the country in my high school year, I cannot claim to be an expert on Vietnam history, though I do learn and remember a thing or two about my native land. For a quick lesson about it though, I highly recommend these sites:
* a quick summary to read in 15-30 minutes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vietnam. This basically goes all the way back and covers a big part of Vietnam history, though many periods are just briefly covered in unjust few sentences. But for someone to "see the forest", this is a good read. You should definitely start here.
* For more about the Vietnam war from World War II to 1970's, you can proceed to read http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/history/ and http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index.html.
* For more about the modern Vietnam, with bits and pieces about is culture/history/people, you can find bonus reading material @ http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/vietnam.
Enjoy! |
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