Vietnam in the Ancient World
Vietnam in the Ancient World reflects a rich tapestry of cultural and historical evolution. Most historians trace the origins of the Vietnamese people to the Yangtze Valley in southern China, with early settlements emerging in the Red River Delta during prehistoric times. Initially governed by local rulers known as the Lac lords, the region developed advanced irrigation systems. In 207 BCE, amidst the decline of the Qin Dynasty, the general Trieu Da established the kingdom of Nan Yue (Nam Viet), which later came under Chinese rule during the Han Dynasty in 111 BCE.
Over the centuries, Vietnam experienced significant cultural influences from China, particularly in governance, writing, and religion. The adoption of Confucianism, Daoism, and later Buddhism marked the integration of Chinese customs into Vietnamese life. Notably, the Rebellion of the Trung Sisters in 40 CE exemplified local resistance against oppressive tax practices, although it was ultimately suppressed. Despite ongoing revolts, Chinese rule persisted, particularly during the Tang Dynasty, which intensified the imposition of Chinese customs.
By the tenth century, Vietnam would eventually achieve independence, yet the lengthy interaction with Chinese civilization profoundly shaped its cultural identity. The historical narrative of Vietnam in this period highlights a blend of resilience and adaptation, revealing the complexities of its ancient heritage.
Vietnam in the Ancient World
Date: beginning in second century b.c.e.
Locale: Northeastern part of mainland Southeast Asia, south of China.
Vietnam in the Ancient World
Most historians believe that the Vietnamese originated in the Yangtze Valley of southern China and moved into Vietnam’s Red River Delta in prehistoric times. Until domination by the Chinese, the Vietnamese lived under ruling classes known as the Lac lords, who organized extensive irrigation systems.
In 207 b.c.e., as China’s Qin Dynasty was collapsing, Chinese General Trieu Da created his own kingdom in the south. Known as Nan Yue (Southern Yue, after a province in China) or Nam Viet in the local language, this kingdom included the lands of the Lac lords and had its capital at Canton. In 111 b.c.e., Nam Viet became a part of the Chinese empire under the Han Dynasty.
With the beginning of the common era, the lands of Vietnam began to be influenced extensively by China. In 9 c.e., a Chinese political official named Wang Mang seized the throne of China. Although the Han Dynasty took power again in 23 c.e., the fourteen years of Wang Mang’s rule saw extensive political disorder and opposition to the usurper. Refugees from the north, including many political and intellectual leaders, helped establish Chinese political traditions and Chinese writing in the south.
Despite the growing importance of Chinese civilization in Vietnam, the Lac lords retained a strong sense of their own independence. In 40 c.e., they rose against the Chinese. In the Rebellion of the Trung Sisters, the Vietnamese rebels apparently opposed Chinese methods of tax collection. In 43 c.e., Chinese general Ma Yuan brutally suppressed the rebellion. The Lac ruling class was destroyed, and Vietnam came under direct Chinese rule.
Although they continued to stage periodic revolts against the Chinese, the Vietnamese adopted many northern customs, such as the mandarin, the bureaucracy based on tests in the Chinese literary classics. Confucianism and Daoism, the two religions that emerged in China, became part of Vietnamese civilization. Buddhism, which had spread to China from India, began to find adherents in Vietnam in the second and third centuries c.e. By the fifth century c.e., Chinese-style Māhāyana Buddhism had become one of Vietnam’s predominant religions. The Chinese traveler Yijing (635-713 c.e.), who wrote in the seventh century c.e., described the city of Hanoi as a great center of Buddhist learning.
The Vietnamese rebel Ly Bon led a major but unsuccessful revolt against China from 544 to 547 c.e. When the Tang Dynasty came to power in China, in 618 c.e., the Chinese proceeded to crush resistance in Vietnam and to impose Chinese rule and Chinese customs even more forcefully. The Tang renamed the southern lands An Nam, or “the pacified south,” and Vietnam was known to most of the world by this name until the twentieth century. Although the Vietnamese won independence from China in the tenth century c.e., Chinese civilization and the long struggle against Chinese domination had done much to shape their nation.
Bibliography
Chapuis, Oscar M. A History of Vietnam. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1995.
Taylor, Keith W. The Birth of Vietnam. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.