History
From French colonial rule through the war years to Đổi Mới reform and today.
44 articles in this section. Most stand on their own.
Emperor Bảo Đại: the last Nguyễn emperor
The life of Bảo Đại, Vietnam's last emperor, from his 1926 accession and French-run upbringing to his 1945 abdication and 1997 death in exile.
Đinh dynasty (968–980): first unified Đại Cồ Việt state
Đinh Bộ Lĩnh ended the Twelve Warlords period in 968 and founded Đại Cồ Việt, Vietnam's first unified independent state, ruling from Hoa Lư.
Early Lê (Tiền Lê) dynasty (980–1009): between Đinh and Lý
Lê Hoàn took the throne in a 980 succession crisis, kept the Hoa Lư capital, and repelled a Song Chinese invasion in 981 before the dynasty ended in 1009.
Hồ dynasty (1400–1407): Hồ Quý Ly and the Ming interregnum
Hồ Quý Ly deposed the Trần in 1400 and pushed radical reforms, but a Ming invasion in 1406–07 ended the dynasty and began two decades of Chinese occupation.
Lê Lợi (Emperor Lê Thái Tổ): founder of the Later Lê dynasty
Lê Lợi led the decade-long Lam Sơn uprising against Ming occupation and founded the Later Lê dynasty in 1428, becoming Emperor Lê Thái Tổ.
Emperor Lý Thái Tổ: the founder of Thăng Long (Hà Nội)
How a former temple orphan became emperor in 1009, moved the capital to Thăng Long in 1010, and set Hanoi on course to become Vietnam capital.
Mạc dynasty (1527–1592): the northern breakaway court
How general Mạc Đăng Dung usurped the Lê throne in 1527, ruled from Thăng Long, and how his heirs held out in Cao Bằng as a rump court until 1677.
Ngô Đình Diệm: the first Republic of Vietnam president
Ngô Đình Diệm led South Vietnam from 1955 until his assassination in a 1963 coup. His rule mixed land reform and nation-building with authoritarian family rule and the Buddhist crisis.
Ngô dynasty (939–965): Ngô Quyền and the 938 Bạch Đằng victory
Ngô Quyền's 938 victory at Bạch Đằng ended a thousand years of Chinese rule and founded Vietnam's first independent state, though the dynasty itself collapsed within a generation.
Emperor Quang Trung (Nguyễn Huệ): the peasant emperor
Nguyễn Huệ rose from the Tây Sơn uprising to crush a Qing invasion at Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa in 1789, then reigned briefly as Emperor Quang Trung before his sudden death in 1792.
Nguyễn Trãi: strategist, poet, and author of Bình Ngô Đại Cáo
Nguyễn Trãi advised Lê Lợi to victory over Ming occupation and wrote the Bình Ngô Đại Cáo, before a court scandal led to his family being executed.
Phan Bội Châu: the Đông Du movement reformer
Phan Bội Châu led the early 1900s Đông Du movement sending Vietnamese students to Japan, then spent his final years under French house arrest in Huế.
Phan Chu Trinh: the moderate reformist voice
Phan Chu Trinh argued Vietnam should reform itself before seeking independence, a stance that led to imprisonment and a 1926 funeral that became a national moment.
Tây Sơn dynasty (1778–1802): peasant revolt to short-lived empire
Three brothers from Bình Định led a peasant uprising that toppled two ruling houses and briefly unified Vietnam under Emperor Quang Trung.
Trần Hưng Đạo: the general who repelled the Mongols
Trần Hưng Đạo led Đại Việt to victory over three Mongol invasions in the 13th century and remains Vietnam's most revered military figure.
Võ Nguyên Giáp: the General who built modern Vietnamese military doctrine
Võ Nguyên Giáp commanded the Việt Minh and NVA from Điện Biên Phủ to the Tết Offensive, shaping Vietnam's modern military tradition.
Archaeological sites of Vietnam
Mỹ Sơn Cham towers, Đông Sơn Bronze-Age, Cổ Loa pre-Chinese citadel, and the lesser-known sites worth a trip for the archaeology-curious traveller.
French colonial architecture across Vietnam
Where to find the best surviving French colonial architecture — Hanoi French Quarter, HCMC Centre, Đà Lạt villas, Hải Phòng — and what era each represents.
Confucian scholarship heritage in Vietnam
The Van Mieu Temple of Literature, the imperial examination system, the doctoral stelae, and what remains in modern Vietnam.
DMZ and Vietnamese war sites by region
The 17th parallel and the war sites you can actually visit — DMZ tours from Huế, Khe Sanh, Vĩnh Mốc tunnels, Cu Chi, plus the lesser-visited sites.
Dong Son bronze culture
The 1000 BC – 100 AD Dong Son civilisation, the bronze drums, and where to see the artefacts today.
Early Christianity in Vietnam
Portuguese missionaries, the Romanisation of Vietnamese script, persecution under the Nguyen dynasty, and the modern Vietnamese Catholic church.
French colonial architecture tour in Vietnam
Hanoi French Quarter, HCMC Notre-Dame Basilica, Da Lat villas — a self-guided architectural tour of colonial Vietnam.
Vietnam museums worth visiting
The 12 Vietnamese museums that justify a half-day — War Remnants, Ethnology, Vietnamese History, Cham Sculpture, plus the smaller specialty ones.
Religious history of Vietnam
Mahayana Buddhism, Vietnamese folk religion, Confucianism, the French Catholic legacy, and the indigenous syncretic religions Caodaism and Hòa Hảo.
Vietnam in regional trade-route history
Hội An as the silk-and-porcelain port. Hanoi as the Tonkin trading capital. The Mekong delta's rice exports. Vietnam's place in pre-colonial and early-modern Asian trade.
Vietnam War sites visitor guide
A reality-check guide to visiting Cu Chi tunnels, Khe Sanh, the DMZ — what they actually show, what they elide, and how to read each site.
The August Revolution of 1945
In August 1945 the Việt Minh seized Hanoi and other major cities during the brief power vacuum after Japan's surrender, and on 2 September Hồ Chí Minh declared Vietnamese independence.
The Boat People Exodus (1975–1995)
Between 800,000 and 1.6 million Vietnamese left by sea after the fall of Saigon in 1975, reaching refugee camps across South-East Asia and being resettled around the world.
The Champa Civilization (192 BCE – 1832 CE)
Champa was a Hindu and later Muslim Cham kingdom that ruled the central Vietnamese coast for nearly two millennia, leaving brick sanctuaries from My Son to Po Nagar.
Hồ Chí Minh: a Biography (1890–1969)
From his birth in Nghệ An to his years in Paris, Moscow and Guangzhou and his presidency of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, an outline of the life of Hồ Chí Minh.
The Lê Dynasty (1428–1789)
The Later Lê dynasty drove out a Ming Chinese occupation, codified Vietnamese law in the Hồng Đức Code and presided over the long Trịnh–Nguyễn split.
The Lý Dynasty (1009–1225)
The Lý dynasty founded Thăng Long, established Vietnam's first state university, and repelled a major Song Chinese invasion in 1077.
The Nguyễn Dynasty (1802–1945)
The Nguyễn dynasty unified Vietnam from Huế, built its grandest imperial city and then ruled as French puppets until the revolution of 1945.
Vietnam: A Compressed History
Two thousand years in one read — from the Hùng Kings through Chinese rule, dynasties, the French, the war, and Đổi Mới reform.
The Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979
China's punitive invasion of northern Vietnam in February–March 1979 lasted 27 days, caused heavy casualties on both sides and ended without territorial change.
The Trần Dynasty (1225–1400)
Under the Trần dynasty, Đại Việt repelled three Mongol invasions, developed the Chữ Nôm vernacular script and built a sophisticated military aristocracy.
The Trưng Sisters (40–43 CE)
Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị led the first major Vietnamese rebellion against Chinese Han rule, briefly ruling an independent kingdom from 40 to 43 CE.
The French Colonial Era in Vietnam (1858–1954)
How French Indochina was built — and what it left behind. Railways, rubber, rice, the Latin script, and a deeply uneven economy.
The American War, Briefly
What Vietnam calls the Resistance War Against America: from the partition at Geneva in 1954 to the fall of Saigon in 1975.
Đổi Mới: The Reforms That Remade Vietnam (1986–present)
In 1986 Vietnam swapped Soviet-style central planning for a 'socialist-oriented market economy.' This is what changed.
The Great Vietnamese Dynasties (939–1945)
A thousand years of independent dynasties — Lý, Trần, Lê, Nguyễn — and how the country grew from the Red River delta to the Mekong.
Modern Vietnam: A 2026 Snapshot
Where Vietnam sits today — economy, politics, demographics, and the strategic squeeze between Washington and Beijing.
The Battles of Bạch Đằng: How Iron Stakes Defined a Nation
Three times — in 938, 981, and 1288 — Vietnamese commanders used the same trick on the same river to humiliate invading fleets.