The history of Vietnam is one of domination by powerful countries and frequent wars to repel the occupying forces. Vietnam was a vassal state of China for over a thousand years which accounts for the adoption of Confucian philosophies, Chinese writing and administrative systems prior to the twentieth century. Through warfare, local lords regained territory in some regions and formed ruling dynasties such as the Nguyen of the Central region of Vietnam. The Champa kings, who were Hindus, also controlled Central and southern Vietnam for several centuries until they were pushed further south and west into present day Cambodia. The Chams built extensive religious complexes across the central valleys and plains including the area called My Son.
In 1877, France became the colonial master of Vietnam. With that, frequent warfare erupted as Vietnamese with differing political ideas fought each other and the French for independence. France was defeated at a defining battle in 1954 in northwestern Vietnam and soon relinquished political control. With the dominance of the Communists in the north and no agreement on a governing ideology with politicians from the south, an international convention was held in Geneva in July 1954 to decide Vietnam’s future. The agreement was to divide or partition the country at the 17th parallel into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh became the leader of the Communist government of North Vietnam while Emperor Bao Dai of the Nguyen dynasty became head of the government of South Vietnam. The plan was to hold a plebiscite in 1956 to unite the country but that did not take place. Civil war erupted between North and South and the United States of America soon allied itself with South Vietnam. By late 1964, American armed forces were sent to fight alongside their South Vietnamese counterparts to repel the Communists of North Vietnam. The communist governments in China and the Soviet Union (bigger version of present day Russia) provided support to North Vietnam as it battles its countrymen and also Americans. North Vietnam overcame the forces of South Vietnam and the Vietnam War ended in 1975. A year later, North and South Vietnam were reunified and became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with Hanoi in the north as the capital city for the entire country. The big city of Saigon in the south officially became known as Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnam as we know it today is a fast-developing country with population of nearly 99 million (United Nations estimate, 2022), marking it as the 16th most populous country in the world. Its population is relatively youthful with the median age at 31. Education is a strong cultural value which gives rise to high literacy rates among the people. It is mandatory for children to attend nine years of schooling. Vietnamese is the official language with English becoming the predominant language of commerce. With its colonial history, French, Chinese and Russian are still used by some citizens.
Woman selling fruit (mangoes and oranges) from her bicycle on the streets of Hanoi.
The Forbidden City in Hue. This was the Imperial Capital of the Nguyễn dynasty. Construction began in 1803.
Woman selling chilis in the Bac Ha Market in northern Vietnam.
Vietnamese Farmers preparing the rice fields - Tam Coc district in Northern Vietnam.
Hmong woman selling herbs in Bac Ha market (Norther Vietnam). Woman is giving a “thumps up.”
The line that divided Northern and Southern Vietnam. Now a place for local tourists to get their photos taken.