vietnamese history throughout the centuries

Ly, Tran, and Ho Epochs The Dai Viet Kingdom had its origin in the middle of the 10th century until around the middle of the 11th century, when local chiefs were able to vie for control in what is now Land of Viet However, regionalism is the pattern. As the Northern Tang dynasty crumbled, it lost control over South (which are now parts of Northern Vietnam) The weakening of Northern Tang gradually led to the emergence of the Dai Viet kingdom There was still a lot of in fighting, though.

Chieftan Dinh Bo Lihn conquered the "Twelve Warlords" and established a capital at Hoa Lu, south of the Red River Delta not far from modern day Hanoi. Dinh Bo Linh was succeeded by Le Hoan, who fought off Song Dynasty encroachment. Thus they gained regional dominance Then Ly Cong Uan in early 11th cent, supported by Buddhist community, moved the capital to middle of Red River Delta and named it Thang Long (Ascending Dragon). This marked the beginning of the Ly Dynasty (which lasted from 1009-1225).

The Ly Dynasty created a patrilineal succession model based on the Chinese model that became the Dai Viet monarchy. It was also fused with Buddhism to create a royal cult During this time, there were only a few classes of society. On the lowest rung were the peasants. Then there were the religious people (Buddhists). Finally, the aristocracy. There was a small scholarly class too.

Due to the success of wet rice agriculture, there was an increase in wealth and prosperity throughout the Dai Viet, marked by increased trade with neighbors, increased stability, and even trade with the Song dynasty At this point, interaction with Southeast Asian neighbors, such as the kingdoms at Angkor and Pagan (Myanmar), was peaceful and based on trade. That peace did not last very long.

Dai Viet, Champa, and Angkor fought between1120-1210 because each had been growing in power and sought regional dominance as well as economic dominance Then in the 12th century, an increase in maritime activity shifted the balance of power and distribution of power in the entire region The next major dynasty was the Tran dynasty, which lasted from 1225-1400. These were the descendants from Fujian. They were a tight clan and managed to ward off Mongol invasions in the1280s, which bolstered their strength and power.

Their success caused the growth of classical scholarship (meaning Confucianism), and also Chan (Zen Buddhism) During the 13-14th centuries there was increasing integration between the Dai Viet and Champa (which is now Southern Vietnam) under Tran leadership. This was achieved under the rubric of Buddhism and their shared goals to defeat the Mongols By the mid 14th century, there was trouble from the western mountain Tai people. Gradually the official doctrine of the kingdom shifted from Buddhism to Confucianism.

Also at this time, Southern customs started to overtake the Northern customs, and Champa started to erode Dai Viet power in general. Eventually Le Quy Ly shifted power to the south, even changed his family name to Ho, and the Ming Dynasty viewed him as a rebel. Ho is defeated. Truong Han Sieu and Chu Van An In 1339, the scholar Chu Van An founded a classical Confucian school, allied to the royal court because minister Truong Han Sieu criticized corruption in Buddhist circles.

By the late 14th cent -- Tran Nguyen Dan ensconces in poetry the teachings of Chu Van An, generating new school of thought central to emerging Vietnamese identity. The Le and Mac Epochs -- Major Changes The Ming occupation lasted from 1407-1427 and had a profound influence on subsequent Vietnamese culture.

Under Sinic (Chinese) bureaucracy, schools, libraries, neo-Confucian orthodoxy of thought were established Again, a resistance movement brewed among the hill tribes; from1418-1428 wars were fought and eventually the chieftain Le Loi drives out the Ming! Le Loi becomes King of newly restored Dai Viet (which now has its capital in Thang Long) The old Red River Delta aristocracy had been driven out by Champa, Ho, Ming, and now Le! Le government actually continued some of the Ming institutions like schools, legal code, finance, even though they ousted the Ming.

The Le also created a centralized government instead of relying on the local lords for land tax revenues The goal was to take power away from the elite families, and divert power to state. Female property ownership was still possible, something that would change somewhat when Confucianism became more entrenched. Although Buddhism was popular in villages and aristocracy, it was no longer used at court. The government was still considered aristocratic.

Then in 1433, Le Thai To ushers in new form of government, based on East Asian bureaucratic model that was similar to the Ming model, complete with Confucian examination systems and extensive written records, paperwork, and patriarchal social codes. By the 1460s, Dai Viet under Le Thanh Tong challenges its southern rivals, becomes less tolerant of outsiders and diversity in general.

They crush Champa by 1471, split it up, and integrate it into Dai Viet They also start to attack Tai and western people, push into Laos, northern Thailand, all the way to Irawaddy River and Myanmar During this time, the emphasis socially was on "proper behavior" and social rituals and customs Bureaucratic methods (including meticulous records keeping) was also brought to the villages.

This was a time of great economic development, infrastructure improvements including dikes, agriculture, manufacturing (such as ceramics), and foreign trade The bureaucratic regime lasted only for 40 years, then the aristocrats start to rebel, leading to disruptions in trade, and weakening the government The Mac family of the Lower Red River Delta creates peace again. They also embolden the Confucian values, increasingly patriarchal social institutions. This period lasts all the way to the 16th century.

In 1592, the Nguyen and Trinh clans drive out the Mac and restore the Le clan to throne, even though the Nguyen and Trinh clans are rivals. The Nguyen were based in Champa, near Hue. The differences between these clans highlighted the gradual unification of Vietnam but also the gradual evolution of a south versus north rivalry. It has been difficult to maintain unity in Vietnam. The poets tried to help by showing that unity reflected the cosmic order.

Philosophy and Religion The mid 16th century Le Dynasty showed that Buddhism was not important officially but was important informally, as when drought conditions inspired Buddhist ritual for rain.

Le Thai Tong decided to adopt the Ming rituals and music for Vietnamese court, and that style of ritual and music persists today The Temple of Literature was established, under guidance of Than Phu Tien, to create a continuity of thought in the Confucian tradition Many of the rituals continued until 20th century, highlighting the centrality of ritual to the political, social, and also cosmic order. Ritual was believed to be something that helped to distinguish human from animal. Confucian guidelines for social comportment and conduct remained formally used.

In the 18th century, Trinh rulers and Minh Mang wrote the "Ten Moral Precepts" related to marriage customs and gender roles as well as behavior toward parents, duties to friends. Other Literati beliefs included Cult of the Trung Sisters, which was integrated into Confucianism as with other spirit cults. Literati were from villages. In fact, Confucianism was predominantly in villages and rural communities, and Confucians even composed texts for the Buddhist temples. Even when the Mac government embraced Confucianism officially, the Buddhist temples also thrived.

Daoism was also integrated, and this led to the "Three Teachings" syncretism characteristic of Vietnamese philosophy. Le Code Around 1462, a new social pattern emerged from Confucian scholarly tradition, based on the huong hoa "incence and fire" practice regarding ritualized land set aside after death of male landowner. The income from that land would pay for the man's ancestral sacrifices. This was not something that was done in the countryside, where women still had equal rights of property ownership.

The patriarchal codes of the elite conflicted with the more egalitarian codes of the local people. In the late 15th century, state sponsored schools emerged because social control of children was deemed vital to the society, to promote order within a Confucian worldview. Both both male and female students were educated. Confucian law allows for a disobedient or deviant child to be disowned The strict behavior codes were designed to enforce moral codes. Marriage rites and mourning rites were also important.

These codes were all about maintaining cosmic order by creating an orderly society. The law would be considered advanced by modern standards, as it accounts for ethnic minorities too. Philosophy and Religion Le Quy Don was a literati in the early modern period around 1773. He is known for his dualistic (ly and khi, yin, yang) philosophies. He also unified Daoist and Buddhist principles in a meaningful way. For example, one can see the Daoist principles here: "Between the unfathomable and the illuminated, there is nothing but the Way.

After one rectifies one's mind, one can understand the Way. After one understands the Way, one can discover the subtle tendencies of all things. After one discovers the subtle tendencies of all things, one can comprehend how to adapt to all situations," (172) Buddhism focused on emptiness, boundlessness, voidness, Daoism on The Way. There was no conflict with Confucianism; differences are superficial. Modern Era Tran Trong Kim (1882-1953) was the PM under Japanese control era in 1945.

He was a scholar and educator with progressive ideals who helped solidify Vietnamese identity during turbulent times. He published an important history of Confucianism in 1932, to argue that it was the "national essence" of Vietnam.

He deemed it compatible with but superior to Western reason, because Confucianism allowed for more complex decision-making based on informed but intuitive judgments Confucianism is the major element of continuity of Vietnamese history Tran Trong Kim urges the people not to abandon Confucian teachings in the face of modernity However, he also recognizes that the formal aspects of Confucianism have obscured the spirit or essence of the teachings. The goal is to embrace change, which is essential for growth.

He also claims that the educated elite were calling for change, but the countryside resisted. It is best to preserve the traditions and the old rituals but adapt them to suit modern times He notices that the new spirit of modernization is more self-centered than concerned with community.

He wants to capture the young people's vision of freedom and equality without totally abandoning tradition and the essence of Vietnamese culture Central to Confucianism is hierarchy and obedience to superiors, but those at the upper levels need to be ethical and respectable or people will lose faith in the entire system Western culture offers many opportunities, intellectual development, and economic development but can generate unhappiness such as unending material needs, competition, and complications.

He said, "people seldom have a relaxed and serene life" Dao Duy Anh was also a central figure in modern Vietnamese identity construction. On Westernization, he suggests that the old culture is the "substance," and the new culture is the "practice" to fuse Western and Eastern values. Let's take the best of both worlds! His audience is the rural people resistant to change. He recognizes some of the flaws in capitalism, such as income disparity and class conflict.

He sees military advancement but also the terrible weapons of mass destruction. The Colonial era had imposed French culture on top of Vietnamese culture. In old Vietnamese culture, however, there was no middle class; now in the big cities there is a middle class that needs to understand the traditions. Young people have western customs. There is more gender mixing, young couples live on their own, they can hold hands in public, people drive cars, women.