Thread: History of vietnamese

Written Vietnamese dates back many centuries.

Originally simple Chinese characters were used. Later, from the 12th or 13th Century, a more sophisticated version called Chữ Nôm became popular. It used Chinese characters in a uniquely Vietnamese way.

It wasn't until the mid 17th Century that Portuguese and Italian missionaries, created a romanised written form. The Catholic Church accepted this method under the advice of a French missionary, Alexandre de Rhodes. It became common in the 20th Century and is now universal.

That is why Vietnamese is now written entirely in Roman characters like a European language.

The history of Vietnam begins around 2,700 years ago. Successive dynasties based in China ruled Vietnam directly for most of the period from 207 BC until 938 when Vietnam regained its independence.[1] Vietnam remained a tributary state to its larger neighbor China for much of its history but repelled invasions by the Chinese as well as three invasions by the Mongols between 1255 and 1285.[2] Emperor Trần Nhân Tông later diplomatically submitted Vietnam to a tributary of the Yuan to avoid further conflicts. The independent period temporarily ended in the middle to late 19th century, when the country was colonized by France (see French Indochina). During World War II, Imperial Japan expelled the French to occupy Vietnam, though they retained French administrators during their occupation. After the war, France attempted to re-establish its colonial rule but ultimately failed in the First Indochina War. The Geneva Accords partitioned the country in two with a promise of democratic election to reunite the country.

However, rather than peaceful reunification, partition led to the Vietnam War. During this time, the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union supported the North while the United States supported the South. After millions of Vietnamese deaths, the war ended with the fall of Saigon to the North in April 1975. The reunified Vietnam suffered further internal repression and was isolated internationally due to the continuing Cold War and the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia. In 1986, the Communist Party of Vietnam changed its economic policy and began reforms of the private sector similar to those in China. Since the mid-1980s, Vietnam has enjoyed substantial economic growth and some reduction in political repression, though reports of corruption have also risen.

Portable Washing Machines Fireplace-Cleaning

Although many of us still imagine Vietnam through the lens of war but we will certainly filled with it's captivating natural beauty. According to the legend Vietnam's origin lay in the harmonious union of lac Long Quan, King of the Sea, and Au Co, Princess of the Mountains.I always love Vietnam history because it is exciting and fascinating one, with the oldest archaeological findings showing that people have been living there as far back as about a half million years ago. We can see how Vietnam evolved from 200BC and 938AD, when the Chinese ruled over this region, having conquered the Red River Delta in the 2nd century BC. Today, Vietnam is one of the peaceful country I should say.

The first generation of the Vietnamese people living in the United States faced severe cultural differences, indeed. But how would the second generation fare living in the United States? The second generation Vietnamese children encountered communication problems with their parents who spoke little English. The children, by the age of twelve, could probably speak better English than their parents. Children sometimes became the "translator" for many parents. Parents worked hard in jobs such as assembly lines and meat packing plants in order raise their children. Some parents wanted the best education for their children, and the best affordable education were public schools. Soon, some Vietnamese leaders realized that Vietnamese children had to preserve their culture--the kids had to learn to speak and write Vietnamese. They had to learn about who they were. Some children went to Vietnamese summer schools.
Many of these children became very intelligent. They were usually the smartest in the class, and they could recite numbers by ten or do quick arithmetic. But as these Vietnamese children grew up, many of them realized that they were different from other people. Community leaders began to from Vietnamese group movements to bring back the culture from Vietnam to America and to unite the Vietnamese race. Organizations such as ACO (Asian Cultural Organization), VSA (Vietnamese Student Association), and TNTTVN (Thieu Nhi Thanh The Viet Nam) began to spring up everywhere within the United States. These organizations produced positive groups that created solidarity and union to the Asian people. However, some Vietnamese teenagers did not feel fit in to any culture and form their own groups--gangs. Perhaps the formation of Asian gangs was inevitable. Parents simply did not understand what their children were facing, and did not know what to do.

History
Legend has it that Vietnam's origin lay in the harmonious union of lac Long Quan, King of the Sea, and Au Co, Princess of the Mountains. Real life was not so paradisical, as Vietnam's early history--like its recent history--is characterized by a nearly continuous struggle for autonomy. First came an entire millenium of Chinese domination, which was finally thrown off in the 9th century. External control was imposed once again in the 19th century, when Vietnam was occupied by the French.
French rule lasted until WWII, when the country was invaded by Japan. At the war's end the predominantly Communist Viet Minh, which had led the resistance movement against the Japanese, declared the country's independence. The French Indochina War ensued, until France admitted defeat in 1954, and the Geneva Accords left Vietnam divided into a Communist north and an anti-Communist south. By this time the U.S. had replaced the French as the primary sponsor of the anti-Communist government. Tension between north and south mounted over the next few years, until in 1964 full scale war erupted. The conflict lasted for the next eight years, and involved hundreds of thousands of troops from the U.S. and other countries. In 1973 a cease-fire agreement allowed the U.S. the opportunity to withdraw its troops, and in 1975 the southern capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. An extended period of political repression followed, prompting massive emigration from the country. In 1991, with the fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War, many western powers re-established diplomatic and trade relations with Vietnam. The last country to do so, in 1995, was the U.S.
Vietnamese Culture
The richness of Vietnam's origins is evident throughout its culture. Spiritual life in Vietnam is a grand panoply of belief systems, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Tam Giao (literally 'triple religion'), which is a blend of Taoism, popular Chinese beliefs, and ancient Vietnamese animism.
The most important festival of the year is Tet, a week-long event in late January or early February that heralds the new lunar year and the advent of spring. Celebration consists of both raucous festivity (fireworks, drums, gongs) and quiet meditation. In addition to Tet, there are about twenty other traditional and religious festivals each year.
Vietnamese architecture expresses a graceful aesthetic of natural balance and harmony that is evident in any of the country's vast numbers of historic temples and monasteries. The pre-eminent architectural form is the pagoda, a tower comprised of a series of stepped pyramidal structures and frequently adorned with lavish carvings and painted ornamentation. Generally speaking, the pagoda form symbolizes the human desire to bridge the gap between the constraints of earthly existence and the perfection of heavenly forces. Pagodas are found in every province of Vietnam. One of the most treasured is the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue, founded in 1601 and completed more than two hundred years later. In North Vietnam, the pagodas that serve as the shrines and temples of the Son La mountains are especially worth visiting. In South Vietnam, the Giac Lam Pagoda of Ho Chi Minh City is considered to be the city's oldest and is notable as well for its many richly-carved jackwood statues.
As a language, Vietnamese is exceptionally flexible and lyrical, and poetry plays a strong role in both literature and the performing arts. Folk art, which flourished before French colonization, has experienced a resurgence in beautiful woodcuts, village painting, and block printing. Vietnamese lacquer art, another traditional medium, is commonly held to be the most original and sophisticated in the world. Music, dance, and puppetry, including the uniquely Vietnamese water puppetry, are also mainstays of the country's culture.
Although rice is the foundation of the Vietnamese diet, the country's cuisine is anything but bland. Deeply influenced by the national cuisines of France, China, and Thailand, Vietnamese cooking is highly innovative and makes extensive use of fresh herbs, including lemon grass, basil, coriander, parsley, laksa leaf, lime, and chili. Soup is served at almost every meal, and snacks include spring rolls and rice pancakes. The national condiment is nuoc mam, a piquant fermented fish sauce served with every meal. Indigenous tropical fruits include bananas, pineapples, coconuts, lychees, melons, mandarin oranges, grapes, and exotic varieties like the three-seeded cherry and the green dragon fruit.

Originally Posted by MoriahToniOwens

History
Legend has it that Vietnam's origin lay in the harmonious union of lac Long Quan, King of the Sea, and Au Co, Princess of the Mountains. Real life was not so paradisical, as Vietnam's early history--like its recent history--is characterized by a nearly continuous struggle for autonomy. First came an entire millenium of Chinese domination, which was finally thrown off in the 9th century. External control was imposed once again in the 19th century, when Vietnam was occupied by the French.
French rule lasted until WWII, when the country was invaded by Japan. At the war's end the predominantly Communist Viet Minh, which had led the resistance movement against the Japanese, declared the country's independence. The French Indochina War ensued, until France admitted defeat in 1954, and the Geneva Accords left Vietnam divided into a Communist north and an anti-Communist south. By this time the U.S. had replaced the French as the primary sponsor of the anti-Communist government. Tension between north and south mounted over the next few years, until in 1964 full scale war erupted. The conflict lasted for the next eight years, and involved hundreds of thousands of troops from the U.S. and other countries. In 1973 a cease-fire agreement allowed the U.S. the opportunity to withdraw its troops, and in 1975 the southern capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. An extended period of political repression followed, prompting massive emigration from the country. In 1991, with the fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War, many western powers re-established diplomatic and trade relations with Vietnam. The last country to do so, in 1995, was the U.S.
Vietnamese Culture
The richness of Vietnam's origins is evident throughout its culture. Spiritual life in Vietnam is a grand panoply of belief systems, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Tam Giao (literally 'triple religion'), which is a blend of Taoism, popular Chinese beliefs, and ancient Vietnamese animism.
The most important festival of the year is Tet, a week-long event in late January or early February that heralds the new lunar year and the advent of spring. Celebration consists of both raucous festivity (fireworks, drums, gongs) and quiet meditation. In addition to Tet, there are about twenty other traditional and religious festivals each year.
Vietnamese architecture expresses a graceful aesthetic of natural balance and harmony that is evident in any of the country's vast numbers of historic temples and monasteries. The pre-eminent architectural form is the pagoda, a tower comprised of a series of stepped pyramidal structures and frequently adorned with lavish carvings and painted ornamentation. Generally speaking, the pagoda form symbolizes the human desire to bridge the gap between the constraints of earthly existence and the perfection of heavenly forces. Pagodas are found in every province of Vietnam. One of the most treasured is the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue, founded in 1601 and completed more than two hundred years later. In North Vietnam, the pagodas that serve as the shrines and temples of the Son La mountains are especially worth visiting. In South Vietnam, the Giac Lam Pagoda of Ho Chi Minh City is considered to be the city's oldest and is notable as well for its many richly-carved jackwood statues.
As a language, Vietnamese is exceptionally flexible and lyrical, and poetry plays a strong role in both literature and the performing arts. Folk art, which flourished before French colonization, has experienced a resurgence in beautiful woodcuts, village painting, and block printing. Vietnamese lacquer art, another traditional medium, is commonly held to be the most original and sophisticated in the world. Music, dance, and puppetry, including the uniquely Vietnamese water puppetry, are also mainstays of the country's culture.
Although rice is the foundation of the Vietnamese diet, the country's cuisine is anything but bland. Deeply influenced by the national cuisines of France, China, and Thailand, Vietnamese cooking is highly innovative and makes extensive use of fresh herbs, including lemon grass, basil, coriander, parsley, laksa leaf, lime, and chili. Soup is served at almost every meal, and snacks include spring rolls and rice pancakes. The national condiment is nuoc mam, a piquant fermented fish sauce served with every meal. Indigenous tropical fruits include bananas, pineapples, coconuts, lychees, melons, mandarin oranges, grapes, and exotic varieties like the three-seeded cherry and the green dragon fruit.

hi,
thanks for share this.

The Vietnamese are descendants of nomadic Mongols from China and migrants from Indonesia. According to mythology, the first ruler of Vietnam was Hung Vuong, who founded the nation in 2879 B.C. China ruled the nation then known as Nam Viet as a vassal state from 111 B.C. until the 15th century, an era of nationalistic expansion, when Cambodians were pushed out of the southern area of what is now Vietnam.

Lac Long Quan - Au Co

Thousands of years ago, during the reign of King Kinh DÆ°Æ¡ng VÆ°Æ¡ng, the XÃ*ch Quá»· kingdom was an unknown stretch of a vast land on the far East, leaning its back on a range of high mountains while looking out facing the oceans from a long shoreline. He married princess Long Nữ, the daughter of Động Đình VÆ°Æ¡ng - sovereign of the Động Đình Lake. They were then blessed with one child, a boy whom they called Sung Lam, popularly known in the kingdom as Lạc Long Quân, the "Dragon Lord of Lạc”. Because of Long Nữ’s origin, their son was believed to be a descendant from the line of the Dragons. And indeed, Lạc Long Quân had extraordinary strength and supreme intelligence. But his succession from his mother’s underwater world developed in him a strong fascination for the ocean, and the young man is often seen along the shorelines enjoying the waves and exploring the many sea creatures in sight.

Soon, he succeeded his father’s throne and governed the Lac-Viet tribe. Meanwhile, another kingdom rules the highlands in the north. Their king, Đế Lai, has a beautiful daughter named Âu Cơ. Wanting to unite his northern tribe with Lạc Long Quân’s kingdom; he agreed to give his daughter’s hand for marriage with the young man. And a lavish feast was prepared as princess Âu Cơ was wed with Lạc Long Quân. The two kingdoms then celebrated their unity.

Time went by, Âu Cơ gave birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which soon hatched into one hundred beautiful children. The children grew up strong and smart like their father, and as kind-hearted and skilful like their mother. They were taught well how to cultivate their lands and live nobly. But soon after, the couple started to grow unhappy. Lạc Long Quân always finds his heart longing for the coasts while Âu Cơ constantly yearns for the highlands.

The couple decided to divide their children, of whom fifty will live with Lạc Long Quân along the coasts. Âu Cơ will lead the other fifty to dwell with her in the highlands. However, they made a promise that despite the distance and separation, they must look after each other and always be there to lend a hand should one be in need.

So, Lạc Long Quân took fifty children to the coast and divided the areas for them to govern. He taught them the skills of fishing and the art of tattoos to scare off sea creatures as they dive and hunt for food. He also trained them to plant and harvest rice, as well as how to cook them in bamboo tubes. Âu Cơ, who took fifty children to the highlands, also divided her areas for them to govern. They were taught to live in the jungles and mountains, breed animals and cultivate the soil to grow fruit trees for food. They learned to build houses raised on bamboo stilts to keep themselves safe from wild animals.

The children of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ are believed to be the ancestors of Vietnam. Today, Vietnamese people call themselves “the children of the Dragon and the Fairy” referring to Lạc Long Quân’s lineage from the world of the Dragons and Âu Cơ’s Fairy Clan from the highlands. Therefore, whichever part of the country one hails from, he belongs to one origin. Just as Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ promised to each other, all Vietnamese should love, honor and protect one another. This legend, then, has become the pride and bond of unity for all Vietnamese.

According to many authors, also from Wikipedia: “This legendary story is very important to many Vietnamese people for numerous reasons. Some interpret the story to imply a strong national unity and cultural tolerance. Other women and historians interpret the story to mean that matriarchal societies did exist and are equal to patriarchal societies. Vietnamese women view her as a heroine and as a symbol to fight for their nation and their rights.”

it is the combination of English and Latin scripts
i think it true, but Vietnam language on the different regions is different

The history of Vietnam begins around 2,700 years ago. Successive dynasties based in China ruled Vietnam directly for most of the period from 207 BC until 938 when Vietnam regained its independence