Why No One Could Conquer Vietnam - 2000 Years Of Fighting For Independence

We fought the Chinese for a thousand years. We fought the French for a hundred years. And you were only here for ten years. You were just a blip in the long history of a proud nation. Vietnam, a land of rich history and resilient people, has faced numerous challenges throughout the centuries. Most notably, their continued efforts at resisting colonization and occupation attempts from the US, preceded by Imperial France, and finally by Imperial China, all of which were superpower empires in their respective eras in comparison to the relatively small nation of Vietnam. But each time an outside force attempted to conquer, the Vietnamese people would somehow, against all odds, manage to leave their invaders regretting their decisions. We'll go an unorthodox route and start at the midpoint of our story with French colonization. Vietnam's relationship with France begins when Jesuit missionaries start digging footholds throughout Southeast Asia. These missionaries are often financed by European governments with the superficial goal of spreading Christianity. But below the surface, their agenda is focused on developing trade lanes during the highly competitive European age of exploration. The relationship between France and Vietnam is an intricate one to say the least. The last dynasty of Vietnam, the Nguyen dynasty, actually rises to power with the help of French military and financial support in the late 18th century. In return, Nguyen An, the founder of the young dynasty, protects French missionaries, allowing them to operate throughout the kingdom. However, over the decades, the Vietnamese ruling class increasingly view Catholic missionaries as a political threat. Courtesans and concubines to powerful men, for example, an influential faction in the dynastic system, fear for their status in a society influenced by an insistence on monogamy. Don't be a prude, Bob. The French missionaries incite revolts in an attempt to install a Catholic ruler. Missionaries begin being persecuted and expelled, hindering centuries-long efforts at earning favorable control over trade in the region. With the French unable to achieve their trade goals via missionary work, they quickly turn to military action. The French mount a decades-long invasion of Vietnam. By 1862, after three months of siege on coastal cities and the capture of the Mekong Delta, the Nguyen dynasty surrenders, and southern Vietnam is gradually ceded piece by piece to France over the span of several years and is renamed French Cochinchina. In 1884, war erupts between France and Qing China for influence over Southeast Asia, and France, emerging as victor, colonizes the remaining northern half of Vietnam, completing their long campaign at dismantling the Nguyen dynasty. Vietnamese resistance against French colonization is immediate, fierce, and persistent for the entirety of the 87-year occupation. Can Vong is one of the first major independence movements, where between 1885 and 1889, insurgents massacre 40,000 Catholics, most of whom are of Vietnamese descent that support French imperialists. Though the French would claim to have pacified Vietnam by the 20th century, uprisings and rebellions never cease to continue. Four notable revolutionary organizations stand out in the 20th century. The Viet Nam Quoc Dan Giang, Vietnamese Nationalist Party, Ba Dinh Party, Viet Minh, Vietnamese Independence League, and Dong Minh Hoi, Indochinese Communist Party. The latter two would be founded and led by Ho Chi Minh, perhaps the most influential man in modern Vietnamese history. While the ideologies of these groups vary, they share a common goal of ending French colonial rule, and later Japanese rule, and achieving independence for Vietnam. France surrenders to Germany during World War II, and the Indochina colonies fall into disarray. With Japanese expansionism growing in East Asia, the island nation seizes the opportunity to take control over the fallen colonies in Southeast Asia, with Japan claiming to have liberated Indochina from European rule. In reality, the Japanese establish full military control over Vietnam for themselves, replacing one colonist with another. In 1945, Communist Magazine, a popular Vietnamese magazine, publishes an article titled, Policy of the Japanese Pirates Towards Our People, describing numerous atrocities committed by Japanese troops in northern Vietnam, including widespread and systematic looting, raping, and murder of civilian populations. Up to two million Vietnamese starve to death after Japanese soldiers confiscate the majority of the Red River Delta's seasonal rice harvest to feed their own military. The Viet Minh view Japan as their most imminent and immediate threat, and despite a long and precarious relationship with their northern neighbor China, chooses the lesser of two evils and allies with Chiang Kai-shek's Republic of China, who carry the same disdain for Japan and France, having been in prolonged wars with both nations for decades. The Nationalists in China, fighting their own civil war against Mao's Communists, sends undisciplined warlord forces from Yunnan China, who commit their own share of war crimes in Vietnam. However, the Chinese forces are instrumental in aiding Vietnam in disarming the weakening Japanese forces and preventing the return of French colonists following Japan's surrender. Ho Chi Minh implores his people and soldiers to refrain from attacking the Chinese, reassuring the masses that the Chinese presence is a temporary solution to a bigger issue in Japan and France. Ho even captures and surrenders those caught attacking Chinese soldiers over for execution. In contrary to his actions, Ho makes it clear to those around him that deep down he believes that the greatest existential threat to Vietnamese independence is allowing the Chinese to involve themselves in governing Vietnamese politics. He supports Chinese military aid, but forbids Chinese involvement in governance. You fools. Don't you realize what it means if the Chinese remain? Don't you remember your history? The last time the Chinese came, they stayed a thousand years. The French are foreigners. They are weak. Colonialism is dying. The white man is finished in Asia. But if the Chinese stay now, they will never go. As for me, I prefer to sniff French shit for five years than eat Chinese shit for the rest of my life. Bitter fighting ensues in the First Indochina War as French troops regain control over Vietnam. To the north, Mao's People's Republic of China defeats Chiang's nationalists, and China is officially proclaimed a communist nation, much to Ho Chi Minh's benefit, as his party is also communist. What? Did we just become best friends? Yup! Communist China strongly supports an independent Vietnam and helps finance Ho's guerrilla war against French forces, and regularly allows Vietnamese troops to retreat behind Chinese borders. At this point, Vietnam is dividing into two distinct political and military entities. Viet Minh in northern Vietnam, the communists that are supported by China and the Soviet Union, and the Bảo Giay regime in southern Vietnam that is supported by the Western powers, most notably the US. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 culminates in a decisive victory for the Viet Minh, leading to the end of French colonial rule in Vietnam and the signing of the Geneva Accords. The Geneva Accords divides Vietnam along the 17th parallel, with the communist-led Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north and the anti-communist Republic of Vietnam in the south. The US increases its military aid and advisory support to South Vietnam. This division of north vs. south sets the stage for further conflict as we enter into Vietnam's saga of war against US occupation, though the American conflict could be argued to be different from those with France and China in that the US was not necessarily aiming to colonize Vietnam, but rather to deter the expansion of communism in Asia in response to the popular domino effect theory, in which American policymakers believe that if one country falls to communism, neighboring countries would also soon fall. North Vietnamese forces attack American naval vessels, prompting Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting President Lyndon B. Johnson authority to escalate US military involvement in Vietnam. As combat commences, the US utilizes the most advanced military tactics of the era that were, on paper, far superior to that of the northern Vietnamese, including superior weapons, air force, navy, and even employment of chemical weapons. How could the most powerful and advanced country in the world not easily stomp out a third-world militant group? Well, despite numerous successful campaigns into the north, the northerners prove difficult to overcome as they employ highly effective guerrilla warfare tactics in dense jungles and mountains, and dig extensive underground networks to retreat to. These tactics allow the Viet Cong to wear down larger and better-equipped American and South Vietnamese forces while minimizing their own casualties. The Viet Minh also benefit from significant support among the rural population of the country by capitalizing on grievances against the South Vietnamese government, corruption, and socioeconomic disparities to garner support and recruit fighters. This period sees a number of major offensive military operations, such as the Tet Offensive, in which North Vietnamese forces launch coordinated surprise attacks during the Tet holiday, targeting cities and military installations across South Vietnam. While the offensive is militarily costly for the communists, it shocks the American public and erodes support for the war effort. This war is also the first war of its scale to be extensively covered by the media. Television coverage brought the brutality of war directly into people's living rooms, swaying large populations of people around the world towards advocating for peace. The Paris Peace Accords are signed, leading to a ceasefire and initiates the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam. However, fighting continues between North Vietnamese forces and the South Vietnamese government as both sides violate the ceasefire agreement, and sporadic clashes persist all the way through 1974. As the conflict drags on into a virtual stalemate, as the American death toll continues to climb, and as anti-war sentiment grows domestically in the US, the Nixon administration begins accelerating the withdrawal of troops on the grounds that the US had set the South Vietnamese government up to effectively defend themselves against the North. Whether or not they actually believed this is up for debate, but the reality was that they were completely wrong. Do you think that will have proved to be worthwhile? Looking at the fact that we have lost lives there, I would say that only history will record whether it was worthwhile. With the US no longer funneling troops and supplies in from the South, Ho Chi Minh's forces advance on Republic territories until the remaining US troops conduct a final mass exodus, evacuating large numbers of Americans and Vietnamese allies out of the country. In 1975, with Saigon encircled by communist troops, President Duong Van Minh orders the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam, and the decade-long war comes to an end. But a decade is nothing compared to a millennium. The history of Vietnam is unique with a rich indigenous history prior to its exposure to China. Its origins begin with the Hong Bong dynasty, which, according to Vietnamese legend, was the first state in Vietnam, established in 2879 BC. However, when looking back at Vietnam's story, it's undeniable the nation was inexorably connected to China. So much so that, as Mr. Ho points out, the region was largely under Chinese rule for the better part of a thousand years, which heavily influenced Vietnam's culture, academics, and language under the Sinosphere, making Vietnam the most Chinese-like of all Southeast Asian cultures. For example, the use of chopsticks, which is not universally shared throughout most of Southeast Asia. Entering into Chinese chronicles from around 1000 BC, through the tail end of the first millennium AD, there existed a vast region the Chinese referred to as Baiyue, or Hundred Yue, describing the great number of ethnically Viet tribal states that existed in what is modern-day Southeast China and Northern Vietnam. This Chinese word Yue, translated into Vietnamese, is Viet. In reality, the Viet are not necessarily one homogenous group of people. Different regions have distinct dialects and cultures that often grow into powerful tribal kingdoms. Unfortunately, the pre-Chinese Viet leave behind no written language as far as we know, so their history is narrated from an exclusively Chinese perspective, who categorize them as one group of peoples based on a few cultural similarities, most notably their blackened teeth, tattooed faces, headstrong women, We have the owner here, she's right out the street. We have the owner. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, this is a public land. This is a public land. What do you want? Get out of my way. And seafaring and shipbuilding skills, which allow them to create a Viet diaspora throughout Southeast Asia long before the Chinese begin their southbound conquests. Though Viet was originally an exonym created by the Chinese to describe southern barbarians, by the 17th and 18th centuries AD, educated Vietnamese were beginning to refer to themselves as Hội Việt, Viet people, comparable to the British referring to their island as Britain, an exonym bestowed on them by the Romans, Britannia in Latin. In the third century BC is where we enter into the first chapter of China's direct political and military relationship with Baiyue. The Qin dynasty under China's first emperor has over half a million imperial soldiers dispatched throughout Baiyue to civilize the barbarians to the south. One of the leaders of the campaign is a general Zhao Tuo, born in modern day Hebei, over a thousand miles away from his homeland to the north. Zhao and his men enter a foreign land, describing the Viet as having short hair, tattoos, fine swords and naval prowess. In 210 BC, civil wars begin to ignite and the Qin Empire is officially in collapse. General Zhao, hearing the news of chaos throughout the empire, and having just conquered much of southeast China and northern Vietnam, jumps on the opportunity to found a new kingdom declaring himself emperor of these new southern lands. The word order of the kingdom's name held political significance in 1802 AD when Nguyen Phuc Anh, the founder of the Nguyen dynasty, requested that the emperor of China bestow upon him the title of King of Nanyue or Nam Viet in Vietnamese. The emperor refuses on account that Zhao Tuo's ancient kingdom of Nanyue encompassed much of modern day southeast China, fearing this would give rise to the notion that the Nguyen dynasty may lay claim to Chinese lands. The emperor instead reverses the word order and bestows upon Nguyen the title King of Yuenan or King of Vietnam, which ultimately became the nation's name all the way through the present day. Okay, rewind back to 2,000 years ago. General Zhao's success in maintaining his rule over the south can largely be attributed to his willingness to ally with local chiefs and allowing the Viet to continue to practice their local customs. Zhao himself marries a Viet woman and encourages his soldiers and Chinese settlers do so as well. Historians mark Zhao's founding of the kingdom as the official incorporation of the Viet into China's direct geopolitical arena. Though Nanyue was ruled by the Chinese, they were by far an ethnic minority in the region, even as far north as today's provinces of Fujian and Canton, let alone as far south as modern day Vietnam. The vast majority of the population was ethnically Viet. With such a small number of Chinese in Nanyue, the way of life for the average Viet citizen changed little. It's up for debate whether Vietnam was independent of China during this era. On one hand, the Viet do not answer to a central imperial government of China. But on the other, there exists an ethnically and culturally Chinese ruling class. Nanyue's independence as a kingdom is short-lived as the Han dynasty gradually emerges as the new ruling power of China following the fall of the Qin. Zhao Tuo's great-great-grandson, Emperor Zhao Qing, closely monitoring the continued growth of Han China and reading the writing on the wall, seeks to formally join the empire and surrender his crown, and submit to the one true emperor. But before doing so, Zhao Qing is assassinated by his prime minister, Lu Jia, a zealous separatist who takes power. Emperor Wu, enraged by the treasonous actions of Lu Jia, who has essentially ruined the prospect of a peaceful annexation of Nanyue, dispatches 100,000 imperial soldiers south and quickly destroys Nanyue forces, establishing Han rule over the entire region in less than a year, ending 93 years of Nanyue independence. Lu Jia flees further south and is captured in what is now northern Vietnam. They catch his arse and send his head to the Han emperor. Emperor Wu is so stoked about his gift, he founds a county upon lands he happens to be travelling through, and names it Hua Jia, translated to Capturing Lu Jia, to which is still the county's name today. With Han China firmly in control of Nanyue, Vietnam enters into an era referred to as the First Era of Northern Domination. While Zhao Tao's campaigns in Nanyue sprinkle in hints of Chinese culture, officially consolidated into the Han Empire, things quickly start changing as Chinese refugees, officers, merchants, scholars, bureaucrats, fugitives and prisoners of war flood into Vietnam at a rate like never before. Chinese commanderies are established in northern Vietnam, allowing for rapid military operations and protection for Chinese migrants. The Chinese rulers of the fallen kingdom of Nanyue generally allowed local Vietnobel to keep possession of their lands and administer law as they saw fit, but with the arrival of imperial officials and officers, the most fertile land is confiscated and redistributed to Chinese settlers. The Han dynasty grows increasingly more aggressive with their sinification of Vietnam as they realize how valuable the Red River Delta is. Not only is it extremely fertile land, but the delta acts as a vital water gateway for trade with Rome, India and the rest of Southeast Asia. Prior to Chinese colonization and the introduction of Confucian values, Vietnam was a matriarchal chiefdom society in which women held significant positions of power. Fun fact, Vietnam today has one of the highest rates of female entrepreneurship in the world, attesting to the nation's deeply engraved matriarchal culture. Over the decades, Chinese influence gradually chips away at the status of women in the region. However, in 40 AD, the Chinese are violently introduced to the untamable spirit and vengeance of the Vietnamese woman. Su Dinh, Chinese governor of Giao Gi, modern-day northern Vietnam, is infamous for his cruelty in suppressing the Viet people. He achieves great strides in sinifying northern Vietnam in the first century. Without going to trial, he beheads Thi Sach, a Lạc Việt lord. This act proves to be a monumental mistake, as Thai's widowed wife, Trung Trạc, swiftly takes action. Along with her younger sister Trung Nhi, the Trung sisters organize a revolt against China's Han dynasty that begins at the Red River Delta and expands throughout much of northern Vietnam and parts of modern-day southeast China. When news arrives to the commandery, Su Dinh mistakenly downplays the idea that females could achieve any success in warfare. Chinese settlements are overrun one after another, and at its height, the sisters conquer 65 towns and Trung Trạc is proclaimed queen. Governor Su Dinh is forced to flee north in disgrace. In 42 AD, the Han Imperial Court dispatches two of their most decorated generals to quell the rebellion, underscoring the importance the Red River Delta is to the Chinese. Fighting for nearly a year, the sisters are captured by Han forces in early 43 AD, and their heads are delivered to the emperor. Unfortunately for the Viet people, the Trung sisters' rebellion, while successful in earning China's respect and full attention, would be a major turning point in Vietnam's history. Han China responds to the rebellion with an iron fist, executing tens of thousands of Viets, banning the practice of local Viet traditions, and even melting down Lạc bronze drums, their chieftain's symbol of authority, to cast a giant horse statue, a symbol of Chinese high culture and military conquest, and gift it to the Emperor of China. The commanderies are significantly militarized, and the local population is subjected to heavy taxes to pay for the campaigns. Many that refuse to forsake their local Viet traditions and embrace Chinese culture are put to the sword. No large-scale uprisings would take place in Vietnam for the next 400 years, marking the beginning of the second era of northern domination. The Northern and Southern Dynasty period of China sees China split into several kingdoms, all constantly vying for dominance over East Asia. The once unified empire is now facing civil war and unrest, so no single Chinese kingdom has undisputed reign over Vietnam for extensive periods of time. During this era, seven different Chinese dynasties lay claim over Vietnam, and all share experiences of battling at least six major uprisings against Chinese rule. The now fragmented Chinese kingdoms are weaker and heavily reliant on maintaining rule over the local populations through political alliances with the Viet elite class, many of whom are powerful and wealthy chieftains. Ly B is a Vietnamese nobleman of Chinese descent, though his ancestral lineage has existed in Vietnam for centuries. Ly is pissed off at the Liang Dynasty of China, the rulers of Vietnam for their corruption and heavy taxes, and despite his own Chinese heritage, detests the aggressive assimilation policies against the Viet people. Ly, seeing weakness in a disunified China, organizes a rebellion that quickly gains momentum as his forces score several early victories against Chinese troops and seize control of key territories. His army employs guerrilla tactics and exploits the rugged terrain of northern Vietnam to outmaneuver and defeat larger Chinese forces, the very same tactics used by the Viet Cong to combat the Americans in the very same region millennium and a half later. The rebellion culminates in a decisive victory over the Liang Dynasty's forces, resulting in the expulsion of Chinese authorities from northern Vietnam. With the establishment of an independent kingdom, Ly B declares himself king and founds the Kingdom of Van Suan, marking the end of the second era of northern domination. This period sees three Chinese imperial dynasties rule over northern Vietnam, Sui, Wuzhou, and Tang. There are at least four major Viet rebellions during this era. In late 9th century AD, local Viet chiefs begin growing emboldened as China's Tang dynasty weakens. In 880, the fortified city of Jaila is overtaken, and China's military commissioner is forced to flee, ending de facto Chinese control in Vietnam, marking the end of the third era. Power is transferred to a new ethnically mixed ruling class of Chinese Viets. At this point, Vietnam is an extremely diverse region, with various Kra Dai and Austro-Asiatic speaking populations alongside Sinitic populations. Most powerful families are of Chinese descent, but with no imperial resources funneling in from China, prominent families, like the Duong, that are of lesser Chinese background and of more indigenous heritage, are able to wrestle a significant amount of power back under local Viet control. Ho Quy Le deposes and massacres the Tran house, before usurping the throne and renaming Dai Viet to Dai Ngu. A Tran prince, Tran Thien Binh, escapes to the Ming dynasty's capital of Nanjing. Dai Viet, having a long relationship as a loyal tributary state to Ming China, requests for aid, and 215,000 Ming troops depart to launch an invasion. They capture the two capitals and other important cities in the Red River Delta, and swiftly defeat Ho Quy Le's army. Unfortunately, for the Tran house, little did they realize that asking for Chinese assistance in deposing their usurpers results in Chinese troops staying indefinitely in Vietnam. The Ming dynasty renames northern Vietnam Jiaozhi, the Han dynasty's name of the province from a millennium prior, reaffirming China's dominance over Vietnam. The surviving members of the Tran family, realizing their folly in bringing the Chinese into the region, immediately begin organizing uprisings that are heavily supported by local Vietnamese nationalists. Unsuccessful, many would die as national martyrs at the hands of Ming forces. Le Loi, a Vietnamese nobleman, unsuccessfully organizes rebellion efforts against Ming forces. However, along with the ceaseless conflicts started by his Tran predecessors, the constant conflicts from the local populations of Vietnam are creating an enormous financial strain on the Ming court. Court records state that China was profiting far more from the stable tributary system with Tran's Dai Viet kingdom than from maintaining direct military control over Jiaozhi, and begin diverting resources away from colonizing Vietnam. In 1427, Le Loi rallies 3,000 rebel fighters and catches ill-equipped Chinese forces off guard, defeating a 30,000-strong Ming army. This incredible victory is with much thanks to the local populations of the Red River Delta, who generally support Le Loi's rebels over Ming forces. Le Loi re-establishes the Dai Viet kingdom and is recognized as king by the Emperor of China in exchange for the resumption of the tribute system between China and Vietnam, marking the end of the final era of northern domination, thus ending a millennium and a half of on-and-off direct Chinese control over Vietnam. Unfortunately for Vietnam's people, foreign influence over the country would lead to a repeating theme of Vietnamese killing Vietnamese, as there would be division within the local population over support for different political groups. Whether it be for French or Chinese colonists versus independence insurgents, or communist versus capitalists, an untold number of Vietnamese would lose their lives each time foreign influence entered the region. Despite all this, the nation and its people has shown its incredible resilience and ability to overcome adversity even in the face of three of the most powerful empires the world has ever known, repeatedly showing that David can defeat Goliath. When looking back at history, it probably comes to little surprise that Vietnam has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world today.