The Socialist Republic of Vietnam has had its well documented troubles throughout its history. For many years, us in the western civilized world watched Vietnam through a lens of war. Such were the constant struggles for power in the country many wondered if this nation could ever find peace.
It is according to mythology that Vietnam’s first ruler went by the name of Hung Vuong. It is recorded that Hung founded Vietnam in 2879 BC. Modern historians cannot agree on whether they feel Hung Vuong was in fact the founder of the land or not.
Regardless of this Vietnamese people, to this day, humor the belief that Hung Vuong founded their nation and commemorate his birthday. There is also a temple in dedication to his memory still in Vietnam to this day. There are some historians that are of the opinion that the ‘King Hung’ period is in fact a legend. The world over, it is commonly thought that if a nation acknowledges a prehistoric past it is likely that it is in fact a legend rather than fact.
History has it that from the year 111BC onwards Vietnam was ruled by China. This ruling is to have believed to have last no less than one thousand years. Throughout China’s presence and rule it is believed there were several attempts by Vietnamese nationals to gain some independence. At times they had some small successes but generally they were short lived and the Chinese rule persisted. At around the year 938CE Vietnam saw its first real independence as a result of a battle at Bach Dang River. This battle commenced under the instruction of a Vietnamese Lord, he brought the country independence after a millennium of Chinese rule. During this time of newly found independence Buddhism swept through the nation. Vietnam even saw off more invasions, they were now a stronger country and very proud of it. During the eleventh to eighteenth century Vietnam expanded its borders during the process referred to as south west expansion.
While the expansion (southward) was progressing another power struggle had erupted. There were definite divides between the north and south of Vietnam, this resulted in a civil war that spanned four decades. This struggle was to end at the hands of Tay Son brothers. The brothers defeated both the north and south and then created their own dynasty – making them the rulers of Vietnam. Their rule was not to last either and they were consequently overthrown by other Lords of Vietnam.
The constant and exhausting struggles in Vietnam made for an unstable economy and social existence. The takeover of Vietnam by France did little to help the country be true to its roots. Vietnam became ‘French Indochina’ after France and Vietnam battled over power mainly from 1859 and 1885. Under France’s influence Catholicism was widely encouraged. During this time Vietnam became much more of an exporting country. Neither of these things particularly reflected what the Vietnamese people wanted. So it should come as no surprise to hear that groups of Vietnamese natives formed to voice their opinions, this was mainly the desire an independent Vietnam. During World War II France surrendered their control of Vietnam to Japan.
In the famine of 1944-1945 it is estimated that two million Vietnamese people died. This came about when a Vietnamese liberation movement decided they would take on France and Japan to put an end to their presence and demand a free Vietnam once and for all. There were ongoing troubles between Vietnam and the French/Japanese presence right up until the Vietnamese War in the 1950′s. The United States became involved in the war but by 1973 they had started to withdraw from Vietnam. Some surprises on the ground and wide spread criticism throughout the United States about the presence of their army in Vietnam proved to be the reason they decided to step back. In 1973 the north and south of Vietnam emerged to become one nation – the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as it is still known today.