Something To Read About

The founder of the first Vietnamese kingdom was believed to be Trieu Da in 208 BC, who had broken away from the Chinese emperor Ch’in. Trieun Da conquered the Vietnamese King Au Lac in order to take control of the land. Trieu Da then built a capital and declared himself emperor in the southern land of Nam Viet, known as modern day Vietnam and China. In 111 BC the powerful Han Dynasty from China and its ruler Emperor Wu overtook Vietnam. This brought the start of a thousand years of Chinese rule in the northern part of Vietnam. The remaining Vietnamese inhabited the Hindu Cham kingdoms.

During 40 AD two sisters led a rebellion against the Chinese. Thi Sach, a Chinese nobleman, and his wife Trung Trac led a rebellion against the Chinese. The couple defeated a series of Chinese leaders occupying Vietnamese land, leaving them in control of land. Trung Trac established a court and was recognized as queen by Vietnamese nobles. Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, Trac’s close companion and sister, lead a revolt against the Chinese government. The Han dynasty did not think much of the two sisters. Ma Yuan, one of the best generals from China, was sent to defeat the sisters. In 42 AD, after Ma Yuan’s troops felt resistance from the Vietnamese people, he decided it was time for a break until the rainy season was done. The Trung sisters thought it would be the perfect opportunity to defeat Ma Yuan, but they thought wrong. Thus, leading to the Battle of Lang Bac. The Vietnamese were inexperienced in handling a battle with experienced troops causing them to be defeated easily. The Vietnamese resistors were slaughtered in battle. Trung Trac and Trung Nhi were beheaded.

In 939 AD, their was another attempt by the Vietnamese to overthrow the Chinese. Ngo Quyen defeated a Chinese ruler near Mount Tan Vien. The Battle of the Bach Dang River was shown to be a successful maneuver the Vietnamese.

“Quyen won a major victory by sinking wooden poles into the mud at the mouth of the river. When the tide fell, the Chinese fleet was impaled on the poles and destroyed.”(Duiker)

This extended the Vietnamese control more as they attempted to take land they felt was rightfully theirs.

Duiker, William. Historical Dictionary of Vietnam. United States: Scarecrow Press Inc., 1998.

Spencer, Tucker C. Vietnam. United States: The University Press of Kentucky, 1999.