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Timeline:
I. Chinese Domination:(111 B.C. - 939 A.D.)
In 111 B.C. the mighty Han Dynasty conquered Vietnam. For over a thousand years, Vietnam was under Chinese colonization. During this time the Vietnamese absorbed many aspects of Chinese culture, i.e religion, writing, arts...etc. However, the Vietnamese showed (and still have) a very strong sense of independence by frequently rebelling against the harsh Chinese rule.
Notable Vietnamese During This Time:
Trung sisters
The Trung sisters led a popular uprising against the Chinese (Han Dynasty) in 40 A.D. after the husband of the elder sister was treacherously murdered by the Chinese. In a relatively short time (6 months), the Trung sisters captured 65 cities and gained Vietnam's independence. They ruled for 3 years as queens until Chinese armies under the able and veteran general Ma Yuan returned and defeated them. Rather than being captured, the Trung sisters heroically committed suicide by throwing themselves into the Hat Giang river. Although brutally suppressed, the rebellion led by the Trung sisters shocked the Chinese court and changed people's views regarding the limited roles of women.
The following is a poem in memorization of the Trung sisters (by anonymous author).
HAI BA TRUNG
Ba Trung que o Chau Phong
Gian nguoi tham bao, thu chong chang quen
Chi em nang mot loi nguyen
Phat co nuong tu, thay quyen tuong quan
Ngan tay noi ang phong tran
Am am binh ma xuong gan Long Bien
Hong quan nhe buoc chinh yen
Duoi ngay To Dinh, dep yen bien thanh
Do ky dong coi Me Linh
Linh Nam rieng mot trieu dinh nuoc ta
Trieu Thi Trinh
A brave woman of great martial art skills, she and her brother Trieu Quoc Dat led a rebellion against the Chinese (Wu ruler during the Three Kingdom Era, ~ 248 A.D.) when she was in her early 20's. After her brother was killed in battle, she became the sole leader of the rebellion. Defeated by the Chinese, she fled into the mountains and disappeared. She was considered parallel to Joan of Arc.
Famous quote by Trieu Thi Trinh:
"I'd rather surf the rough waves, ride the strong winds, kill the whales of the East Sea, fight the Wu to gain independence than be a slave."
Ly Bon
A Vietnamese of Chinese descent, Ly Bon could not stand the harsh Chinese rule in Vietnam. He ousted the Chinese (Liang Dynasty) and proclaimed himself emperor in 541 A.D. However, the Chinese returned and defeated him. He died of sickness and old age.
Phung Hung
A very brave man, he killed a huge tiger with a spear. He chased the Chinese (Tang Dynasty) out of Vietnam and proclaimed king in 767 A.D. After he died, the Chinese reconquered Vietnam.
II. Independence (except a brief 20 years of Chinese rule under the Ming Dynasty):(939 A.D. - French colonization (1884 A.D.))
Notable Vietnamese During This Time:
Ngo Quyen
Ngo Quyen utterly defeated the Chinese (Nan Han Dynasty) in the crucial naval battle of Bach Dang in 939 A.D. He destroyed the whole Chinese navy and captured the Nan Han prince. He proclaimed himself king and founded the Ngo Dynasty. Vietnam gained her true independence for the first time since 111 B.C.
Dinh Bo Linh
A self-made man from a rather poor upcoming, Dinh Bo Linh united a chaotic Vietnam in 968 A.D. after the last ruler of the Ngo Dynasty was killed. He proclaimed himself emperor and founded the Dinh Dynasty.
Le Hoan
A trusted general of the Dinh emperor, he commanded Vietnam's "Ten Armies." As the Chinese (Song Dynasty) invaded Vietnam after Dinh emperor died, his troops requested that he become emperor to lead them to battle against the Chinese because the succeeding Dinh emperor was still a child (6 years old). He accepted their request and led the Vietnamese to victory. He founded the Early Le Dynasty in 981 A.D.
Ly Cong Uan
A general who commanded the capital's guards, he founded the Ly Dynasty in 1009 A.D. after the last Early Le Dynasty's emperor died. Under the Ly Dynasty, Vietnam experienced a Golden Age in religion, arts, military, and poetry.
Ly Thuong Kiet
A very skillful general of the Ly Dynasty, he led a Vietnamese invasion into China itself, and he twice defeated the invading Chinese (Song) when they tried to reconquer Vietnam. Returned to Vietnam after conquering Champa, a country south of Vietnam, he died at the age of 75.
His famous poem:
NAM QUOC SON HA
Nam quoc son ha Nam de cu
Tuyet nhien dinh phan tai thien thu
Nhu ha nghich lo lai xam pham
Nhu dang hanh khan thu bai hu?
Lord Tran Quoc Tuan
A relative of the Tran emperor and the grand commander of all Vietnamese troops during the wars against the Mongols (1257-58, 1283-85, 1287-88), he defeated the invading Mongols (Yuan Dynasty) three times.
His famous quote:
"If Your Majesty want to surrender, please kill me first."
Le Loi
A leader of the Lam Son Rebellion against the Chinese (Ming Dynasty), he spent 10 difficult years (1418-1427 A.D.) to finally oust them. He founded the Later Le Dynasty.
Nguyen Trai
A military advisor of Le Loi, he was very skillful in psychological warfare. He was also a famous poet and wrote the famous document:Proclaimation of Victory over the Wu (Ming).
Emperor Le Thanh Tong
A grandson of Le Thai To (Le Loi), he was considered one of the most enlightened rulers in Vietnamese history. Under his rule, he established a famous code of laws, the Hong Duc Laws. He also expanded Vietnam's territory to the south by conquering Champa. He was also a great poet and a leader of the Tao Dan Society, which comprised 28 of the most erudite Vietnamese during his time.
Emperor Quang Trung
The second brother and one of the three leaders of the Tay Son Rebellion, he was unmatched in wars. He defeated the Nguyen ruler in the South (1778), Trinh ruler in the North (1786). He also crushed a Siamese army of 50,000 troops (came to help the Nguyen ruler, but real goal is to invade Vietnam) in a single battle, leaving only a few hundreds alive (1785) in the famous naval battle of Rach Gam-Sai Mut (a location in the southern province of My Tho, near Sai Gon). Four years later, he utterly destroyed an invading Chinese army (Ching Dynasty) of 200,000 troops in a lightning attack that took only 10 days. He became the first emperor of the Nguyen Tay Son Dynasty. During his brief rule of 3 years (1789-1792), he tried to negotiate for the return of Guang Tung & Guang Xi, Vietnamese lands in the past that had been lost to China. Only his sudden death halted his ambitious plan of invading China itself. His death was a big loss to both his dynasty as well as to Vietnam, for a Nguyen prince, Nguyen Anh (a low-life who would use any means if necessary, even if it means giving away Vietnamese territories to foreign countries, to help him restore his dynastic rule) was able to gain the upperhand and united Vietnam in 1802.
Note: Nguyen Anh had asked various countries such as France, Siam, Portugal...to help him fight the Tay Son brothers, which was a civil war, to restore his dynastic rule in return for Vietnamese territories. That was why I called him a low-life. Please excuse my language.
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Ψ Please notes that all the names are written in Vietnamese way (last name first).
Ψ I will put more people on this page asap.
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