2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: Saigon (I)

Our first day of arrival in Vietnam was in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.  A number of people referred to it as Saigon; this seemed to (unofficially) not be a big deal

Breakfast.  The small glass container held yogurt. This form of yogurt was pretty universal during our time in Vietnam:

 

Items at a convenience store:

Celebrating 50 years of reunification:

Looking down towards the French colonial City Hall, built between A.D. 1898 and 1909:

The Saigon Opera House, built between A.D. 1898 and 1902:

Saigon has its share of modern architecture as well:

A close up of City Hall:

As part of our first day, we took a Hop On - Hop Off tour bus:

The Saigon River:

A statue to Trần Hưng Đạo, Prince of the Trần Dynasty, who defeated two Mongo (Yuan Dynasty) invasions:

2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: A Brief History Of Vietnam (IV) – Modern Vietnam

 French Indochina (A.D. 1887-1954) saw direct French involvement in the governance of Vietnam.

(Source)

The region as a whole was ruled by a Governor-General, with various sub-administrations.  The French exercised direct control over Cochinchina, while the Nguyễn Dynasty in theory controlled the Tonkin and Annam regions (but under the "beneficial" eye of the French).  The Imperial capital was in Hue; the French administered from Hanoi and Saigon.

The region was designated a "Colony of Exploitation" with local taxes and monopolies (salt, opium, rice alcohol).  Over time, the colony diversified into different raw materials (tea, rice, coffee, zinc, pepper coal and rubber) and industries.  The rubber industry in particular became important in the 20th Century A.D. with the advent of the motorized car.

Independence movements started as soon as 1885 with the Cần Vương movement (through A.D. 1895).  A series of movements continued after that, fueled partially by World War I and the over 100,000 were conscripted from the overall colony, where they became exposed to Western thought and political discussion.  One of these movements included a man, Nguyễn Ái Quốc, who history later knows as Hồ Chí Minh.

In A.D. 1940, the Vichy Regime granted Imperial Japan's request for access for the region.  From A.D. 1940-1945 Japan access to the region and its raw materials.  In March A.D. 1945 the Japanese overthrew the French colonial administration and created the very short lived Empire of Vietnam (March - August A.D. 1945).  On 02 September A.D. 1945 the last Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated.

Vietnam Post 1954

I feel woefully inadequate to comment on post WW II Vietnam in any detail, partially because events that happened in my lifetime have indirectly impacted me and directly impacted others.  My commentary be purely based on events.

A.D. 1945: French return and take direct control of French Indochina.  Forces of the Viet Minh (Communits organization under Hồ Chí Minh) begin the First Indochina war.

A.D. 1954:  Battle of Dien Bien Phu.  The Democratic Republic Vietnam (Northern Vietnam) and the Republic of Vietnam are established.

A.D. Late 1950's -1975:  Vietnam War.  Southern Capital of Saigon falls on 30 April 1975.

A.D. 1976: Socialist Republic of Vietnam declared.

A.D. 1986:  At the 6th National Congress of the Communist Party, the economic policy of Đổi Mới ("Innovation") is declared.  The intention is to create "a socialist-oriented market economy".  Additionally, the "Old Guard" of Communist Party is replaced by reformers.

A.D. 2025:  TB and The Ravishing Mrs. TB arrive in Vietnam.

(Source)

2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: A Brief History Of Vietnam (III) – North And South And Colony

 By the beginning of the 14th Century (as you may recall) the land area we refer to as Vietnam was basically split into a Northern Kingdom (Đại Việt) and the Southern Kingdom (the Champa Kingdom).  The two had been somewhat linked in A.D. 1306 by the marriage of a princess of the Northern Kingdom to a prince of Southern Kingdom:

(Source)

Things changed after that milestone.

Between A.D. 1367 and 1390, the Champa Kingdom invaded the Đại Việt and recovered much of their territory, only to be stopped by the death of Champa King in A.D. 1390 in the first battle in Vietnam using gunpowder.  Although the Champa Kingdom continued to expand, mostly West into the Khmer Kingdom, in A.D. 14791 the Cham-Đại Việt war resulted in the effective destruction of the Champa kingdom, their territory reduced to the far Southern provinces. 

(Champa State post A.D. 1471 - Source)

(Historically, the last Champa king was overthrown in A.D. 1832 and the remaining provinces included in the Vietnamese State.)

This southward expansion by the Đại Việt, which extended from the 11th to 18th centuries A.D., was known as  Nam tiến, or "Southward expansion".  It strikes me as interesting - in retrospect - for other historical reasons.

The Northern Kingdom of Đại Việt continued under a series of dynasties:  the Lê Dynasty (1441-1527 A.D.), the Mac Dynasty (1527-1533 A.D.) and the Revival Lê Dynasty (1533-1789 A.D.).  At some point during this period the Emperors of Vietnam lost true ruling power, which was held by the Trịnh Lords in the North and the Nguyễn Lords in the South.  This period was marred by civil war between dynastic elements of the Emperors and the conflict of the effective ruling clans.  The areas that the two clans ruled came to be known by different names:  To the North, The Kingdom of Tonkin or Kingdom of An Nam (Đàng Ngoài); in the South The Kingdom of Cochinchina or Kingdom of Quảng Nam (Đàng Trong).

It was during the 15th Century A.D. that Europeans began to arrive as well: first the Portuguese and Dutch, then the English, then the French (who came to have in the most involvement).

(Vietnam at the end of the 18th Century - Source)

The Tây Sơn Rebellion (1777-1778 resulted in the overthrow of the  Revival Lê Dynsasty and the short term creation of the Tây Sơn Dynasty.  As part of the civil war, the Nguyễn clan ruling members were assassinated - all except one son, Nguyễn Ánh, who escaped to the kingdom of Siam (Modern Thailand) but returned and in 1802 established the Nguyễn Dynasty, which would rule Vietnam until A.D. 1945.  

French missionaries were active in the territory of Vietnam but not necessarily viewed favorably by the Confucian government of Nguyễn Dynasty. In A.D. 1843, French missionaries were detained by the government, and the French navy intervened to free them.  The French government continued slowly move in, until by A.D. 1885 the whole of the country was within the French Protectorate in three parts:  Cochinchina, Annam and Tokin - part of the territory of French Indochina.

(Source)

2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: A Brief History Of Vietnam (II) - The South

Meanwhile, in the South...

Sometime in the 2nd to the 3rd Century A.D., the Chams, a people who it is believed are descendants of Austronesians from Taiwan and Borneo which share a heritage with inhabitants of Polynesia, Micronesia, and other parts of what we consider Southeast Asia (but including Madagascar), formed a series of polities in what we now call South Vietnam.

Around the 4th Century A.D., the Champa state began to Indianized, adopting Indian cultural practices and religion (Hinduism) - you may recall that this was similar to the Khmer Kingdom up to the mid-12th Century.  At least one ruler of the Champa state sailed to India in the 5th Century A.D. to bathe in the River Ganges.

(Early Cham States circa 400 A.D. - Source)

The Champa Kingdom was considered among the significant kingdoms in Southeast Asia.  In the 7th Century, Sui China invaded and destroyed the capital.  The Champa Kingdom recovered, and between the 7th and 10th Century A.D. was considered a major naval power; its fleets controlled the spice trade between China, India, and Indonesia - which attracted the attention of Javanese kingdom, who invaded and held the coastland for approximately 25 years in the 8th Century.

The Champa Kingdom and culture was sufficiently individualized that it is considered differentiating from Đại Việt.  There are a number of existing fortress and temple ruins (which, sadly, we did not see).  

The 12th Century A.D. saw an invasion of the Champa Kingdom by the Khmer Empire which saw a brief occupation - but retaliation when in 1177 A.D. the Champas invaded the Khmer Empire and defeated them on the Tonlé Sap (which was commemorated at Bayon Wat, which we visited.  At least one of the bas reliefs I took a picture of recalls this battle.  The Khmer Empire responded by re-invading the Champa Kingdom from 1190-1203 A.D., making the Champa kingdom a dependency for  30 years.

The 12 Century also saw the arrival of Islam, following the trade routes that lead Hinduism and Buddhism there.

Like the Đại Việt, the Champa kingdom faced an invasion by the Mongols of the Yuan Dynasty from 1283-1285 A.D..  Joining with the Đại Việt, they engaged in a guerrilla war and eventually repelled the Yuan.  It was following this war that the retired emperor of the Đại Việt, Trần Nhân Tông, arranged for a marriage between his daughter and the prince of the Champa Kingdom.  The marriage, in 1306 A.D., saw the transfer of two provinces from Champa to Đại Việt.  The purpose was to provide peace between the two kingdoms.  Of note, after this marriage from 1307 to 1401 A.D. there is no indigenous literature from the Champa Kingdom, which had a rich history from the 4th Century A.D. to 1307 in Sanskrit.  Additionally, no new construction was started in Champa for any major project.

(Champa Kingdoms prior to 1306 A.D. - Source)

(Champa States post 1306 A.D. - Source

We will end the history of the South here as well, stopping a bit early as we did for the North.  It is around the 14th Century that the two paths directly merge again.

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)

2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: A Farewell To Cambodia

After something like 50 posts over the course of almost a year, we are leaving Cambodia.

Cambodia is a country I can honestly say I never pictured visiting.  It was never on my top 10 (or 20 or 40) of places that I would have liked to go.  I had heard of it of course - who has not heard of Angkor Wat at least - but to me it was a bit lost in the mélange that is Southeast Asia on a map.

How very wrong I was.

Cambodia was delightful.  It was unexpected: pieces of modernity mixed in with history, sometimes within the same half mile.  It was beautiful and glorious and sad and haunted all at once.

Cambodia is off the beaten tourist path, perhaps seen (as we did) in conjunction with another country in the area.  That strikes me now as a bit of a shame:  it is certainly one of the most exotic places I have been and worth seeing of its own accord (although to be fair, likely not enough for a full week, so maybe the other countries are a good idea).

I do not know that I will ever be back.  But I will always have great memories.

(Author's note:  Originally my intent was to launch directly into a history of Vietnam prior to starting my own adventures, as is my custom.  Alas, time has gotten away from me with my upcoming hike and, rather than rush the description, I have elected to wait until after my return. I will fill the space with some whimsical sort of something and we will pick up with Vietnam soon.)

2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: Driving Through Siam Reap

 Pictures of driving through Siam Reap via Ox Cart and Bus:

It is not lost on me how flat the land is between the distant hills.

2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: Ox Cart Ride

 Sometimes being on tour means being a tourist.  Sometimes a tourist that does "tourist" things.

You may remember from our visit to farmstead a cart underneath an overhang:

This was in fact an ox cart, a very traditional and pretty old way of getting around (as in up to 4400 B.C. old way of getting around).

An ox:

View from the driver's seat:

And off we go!

We probably walked about half a mile around a beaten path and local farmland:

It is a slow way to travel - but in a world where there was nothing else really for peasants, it was a great force multiplier for materials and even people..

For such a simple thing, I found it pretty fun.  Even I can be a true tourist upon occasion.