2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: A Brief History Of Vietnam (I) - The North

The country that we now call Vietnam has a long history; somewhat surprisingly, the country as we now know it assumed its more or less final form in the 19th Century.

Humans have lived in the area for a very long time, at least back to the Paleolithic era.  Traditional Vietnamese history traces back to at least 2879 B.C., when the Hồng Bàng kingdom of Hung was established and existed until the year 258 B.C., when it was conquered by the neighboring kingdom of Âu Việt, which was then merged together and formed the kingdon of  Âu Lạc. which existed until 179 B.C. when it consolidated into the Chinese kingdom of Nanye  - which was then incorporated into the empire of China in 111 B.C.  Although there would be occasional revolutions where the Northern Vietnamese had temporary independence, but China ruled (more or less) until the 10th Century A.D.  During this period of time, Chinese culture was deeply impactful on the Đại Việt  (as Northern Vietnamese called themselves).  Confucianism became deeply rooted as did Chinese cultural practices.

(Vietnam, 3rd Century B.C.E. - Source)

(Expansion of Han China, including the conquest of the Nanyue kingdom - Source)

In 939 A.D, independence from China was achieved by Ngô Quyền, a lord of the Đại Việt.  His independence was more successful than his dynasty, which lasted less that 20 years.  The Lý dynasty finally established control by the mid 1050's A.D.; they would rule until 1225 A.D.  It was under the Lý dynasty that Buddhism would come to be established in Đại Việt

(Expansion of the  Lý dynasty - Source)

The Lý dynasty was replaced by the Tran dynasty, which ruled from 1225 A.D. to 1400 A.D. and holds the rather unique distinction of defeating two invasions of the Mongols (Yuan Dynasty).

The Tran dynasty also continued their march South - but we will get to the South tomorrow, where something different was happening.

(Tran Conquests through 1337 - Source)

(Southeast Asia, 13th Century - Source)