Sources of Vietnamese Tradition (Introduction to Asian Civilizations) by George Dutton

by Jayne S. Werner

"Sources of Vietnamese Tradition" provides an essential guide to two thousand years of Vietnamese history and a comprehensive overview of the society and state of Vietnam. Strategic selections illuminate key figures, issues, and events while building a thematic portrait of the country's developing territory, politics, culture, and relations with neighbors. The volume showcases Vietnam's remarkable independence in the face of Chinese and other external pressures and respects the complexity of the Vietnamese experience both past and present.The anthology begins with selections that cover more than a millennium of Chinese dominance over Vietnam (111 B.C.E.--939 C.E.) and follows with texts that illuminate four centuries of independence ensured by the Ly, Tran, and Ho dynasties (1009--1407). The earlier cultivation of Buddhism and Southeast Asian political practices by the monarchy gave way to two centuries of Confucian influence and bureaucratic governance (1407--1600), based on Chinese models, and three centuries of political competition between the north and the south, resolving in the latter's favor (1600--1885). Concluding with the colonial era and the modern age, the volume recounts the ravages of war and the creation of a united, independent Vietnam in 1975. Each chapter features readings that reveal the views, customs, outside influences on, and religious and philosophical beliefs of a rapidly changing people and culture. Descriptions of land, society, economy, and governance underscore the role of the past in the formation of contemporary Vietnam and its relationships with neighboring countries and the West.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Asia

Paperback

First published April 24, 2012

About the author

Dr. Jayne S. Werner was an American scholar and educator, and one of the leading experts on the contemporary history & politics of Viet Nam. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Pittsburgh in 1966, and her PhD. from Cornell University in 1976. She was a co-editor of the Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars (BCAS) from 1976 to 1980. Dr. Werner was affiliated with Columbia University from 1981 to 2015, ultimately as a research scholar at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute (2010-2015). At the time of her death, she was also Professor Emerita of political science at Long Island University.

Reviews

[Thomas Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book because of a trip to Vietnam. It helped me get a sense of the rich cultural traditions in Vietnam. So much of my knowledge about Vietnam was shaped by the media accounts of the Vietnam war (e.g. Hanoi was a place where the enemy was located, where we attempted to negotiate peace, where Jane Fonda went and sat on a tank etc.). It was a delight to learn about the different dynasties, the tension between south and north going back a thousand years, the tensions with the dynasties of mainland China, the role of Buddhism, and so much more. It provided me with some background that was invaluable for me when I took a one-day tour of Hanoi, and visited a Buddhist pagoda, a Confucian university (how many Americans know that it predates the Sorbonne?), a Taoist temple, the Ho Chi Minh memorial grounds, and the French architecture. I have now totally altered my sense of what ''North Vietnam'' was all about. My trip to Saigon was very fast, so the only thing I really absorbed was the heat, the coffee, and the government headquarters. I only read the first 100 pages, so I will keep this for future reference in case I go back (I hope) to Vietnam for other experiences of their culture.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very informative and helpful in trying to better understand the unique trajectory of the entire Vietnamese national tradition. Certainly the entire story cannot be told in one volume, but this book is a damn good introduction to it. I now feel confident to dive into any book that deals with a more specific era or topic in Vietnamese history. This book - the most recent in Columbia University's series of Introductions to Asian Civilizations - features primary sources from mostly Vietnamese authors who experienced, witnessed, and actively participated in the shaping of Vietnamese culture, politics, economics, and society. The reader is introduced to some of Vietnam's most eminent scholars, vociferous political ideologues, contemplative religious thinkers, and passionate poets through their own words. Lofty imperial edicts are presented alongside the humble musings of a local official on traditional peasant festivals. Communist revolutionaries, powerful emperors, Catholic bishops, and Buddhist monks all get their say in the pages of this book. After reading this book, when asked by someone else "What is Vietnamese culture like?", one should be able to confidently say that, like any culture, it is a deeply complicated, constantly debated, and multi-polar one. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in understanding Vietnam better.