History of Vietnam: A Captivating Guide to Vietnamese History

by Captivating History

If you want to discover the captivating history of Vietnam, then keep reading... Free History BONUS Inside! Before the Common Era, the area in and around what is now known as Vietnam was populated by a wide variety of people from differing ethnic groups. It was not until about the 11th century that the word “Viet” was used to describe the land occupied by the Viet people, first known as the “Lac” or “Lac Viet.” Vietnam, while still relatively poor in comparison to First World nations such as the United States and Japan, enjoys a much higher standard of living than could have possibly been imagined in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War. In this book, you'll learn all about the history of Vietnam, one of the most fascinating countries in the world. In History of A Captivating Guide to Vietnamese History, you will discover topics such as The BasicsAncient VietnamFour and a Half Centuries of IndependenceThe Ly DynastyThe Tran DynastyThe Later Le DynastyThe Europeans ArriveNew Powers and New DivisionsThe FrenchFrench RuleVietnam in TurmoilHo Chi Minh and the French Indochina WarThe Vietnam WarAnd much, much more!So if you want to learn more about the history of Vietnam, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!

Genres: History, Nonfiction

129 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2020

Reviews

[Troy Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short sharp to the point primer on Vietnamese history.
Doesn't delve on the war much* (there's other books for that) but great summary for most historical events.
*Doesn't have updated info on the Tonkin incident.

[Caitlin Monk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes u gotta try the same military tactic 3 times against the same enemy and it will still work

[Belinda Earl Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

War After War In Vietnam

This book offers a well- researched history of Vietnam from prehistoric times to the present time.
Most of what is known about Vietnam before 1 BCE
comes from Chinese writings. Interestingly the
Yuet people who would become the Vietnamese originated in China, south of the Yangtze River and worked their way south into the Red River Delta near present day Hanoi.
China has sought to dominate Vietnam since the time of the first recorded Chinese dynasty, the Shang. During much of Vietnam’s history the country has either paid tribute to China in order to be allowed to rule themselves or been conquered by Chinese armies and had Chinese systems forced on them.
Originally Vietnam occupied only a small portion of its present borders. This book explains how the borders expanded and why over the centuries.
I find it ironic how much protest the Vietnam War engendered in America, because this history reveals that for most of its history Vietnam had been at war with someone, sometimes with enemies in a civil war.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an eye-opening story about the diversity of the Vietnamese people.  The Vietnamese have a long history and have had more interactions with Europeans than I ever suspected.  This book does not do an in-depth study of the Vietnam War (and I did not expect it to) but explained the attitudes, beliefs, main events, and results of major conflicts.

Confucianism and Buddism were conflicting observances in Vietnam; Taoism, Catholicism, and Hindu religions also played a part in Vietnam's history.  Another fascinating aspect of this book is the use of war elephants in war during the 1200s.  These beasts must have been awesome and terrifying during conflicts (especially if only one side had these elephants).

One thing I didn't think the book explained enough was about 'Austronesian peoples.'  I found out that they are 'Austronesian-speaking peoples, ... a large group of various peoples in Taiwan (collectively known as Taiwanese indigenous peoples), Island Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar, that speak the Austronesian languages.' (taken from thereaderwiki.com)

The best part of this book, however, was the fantastic explanation of the players (and events) in the emergence of Vietnam in the 19th and 20th centuries.  This is an excellent explanation of why things went sideways in Vietnam after World War II.  I felt the last 4 chapters were compelling reading; they explained so many things very well.

[Jacob Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was essentially exactly what it advertised: a brief history covering the vast expanses of time, dynasties, conflicts, politics, economics, and other major historical occurrences in the development of the modern day nation of Vietnam. If you're looking for a survey/ introductory style understanding of Vietnam's history this book by Captivating History is definitely a great pick! I think my only qualm with the book is its coverage of the Vietnam War being more America-centric and less of the neutral voice he maintains throughout the narrative, but the author even says himself that he has another book covering the war in far more detail and what's included here is brief.

[Susan McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative if you are starting with zero knowledge

Easy read, not that well written but informative and covers a lot of ground. I read this to prepare for a trip to Vietnam and it provided helpful historical context.

[Laurie AH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information and fascinating ancient to modern history. Superficial short book, which is what I wanted at the time. Writing is not great.

[Debborah Donnelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple overview of the history of Vietnam. This is a good book for the traveller who just wants to know the basics.

[Gail Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for Future Travelers to Vietnam

The result of reading this book is that future travelers will understand how much there is to learn about Vietnam.