First Era of Northern Domination

The first Chinese domination is an early historical period in Vietnamese history, during which the Vietnamese people repeatedly combated Chinese expansion from the north. In 111 B.C. Chinese armies reconquered Vietnam and incorporated it into the expanding Han Empire. The Viet resisted the Chinese government's efforts to introduce Chinese literature, arts and agricultural techniques. They not only guarded their national identity but also fought fiercely to preserve it. This finally ended in 39 AD when the most famous of several early Vietnamese revolts was led by the Trung Sisters, both widows of local aristocrats. Their revolt was successful and the older sister, Trung Trac, became ruler of an independent state for three years.

Historical accounts of the Triệu Dynasty

There is a dispute as to whether the period of the Triệu Dynasty was part of the first Chinese domination of Vietnam. See Triệu Dynasty for details.

After the Trieu dynasty

Administration

In 111 BC, the Han Dynasty armies defeated the successors of Triệu Đà and incorporated Nam Việt and former Au Lac into the Han empire under the new name of Giao Chi, dividing the former kingdom into nine commanderies:

1. Nanhai (南海; Vietnamese: Nam Hải; located in Lingnan, modern central Guangdong)
2. Hepu (合浦; Vietnamese: Hợp Phố; located in Lingnan, modern southern coastal Guangxi)
3. Cangwu (蒼梧; Vietnamese: Thương Ngô; located in Lingnan, modern eastern Guangxi)
4. Yulin (郁林/鬱林; Vietnamese: Uất Lâm; located in Lingnan, probably Guilin, modern northeastern Guangxi)
5. Zhuya (珠崖; Vietnamese: Châu Nhai; located on Hainan)
6. Dan'er (儋耳; Vietnamese: Đạm Nhĩ; located on Hainan),
7. Jiaozhi (交趾; Vietnamese: Giao Chỉ; located in northern Vietnam and part of southern Guangxi)
8. Jiuzhen (九真; Vietnamese: Cửu Chân; probably located in central Vietnam)
9. Rinan (日南; Vietnamese: Nhật Nam; probably located in central Vietnam)

All nine districts were administered from Long Biên, near modern Hanoi; each ruled by a Chinese mandarin while the old system of low er rank rulers of Lac Hau, Lac Tuong were kept unchanged.

Economy

Vietnamese paid heavy tributes and taxes to the Hans. The Chinese mandarins tried to occupy large areas of land and changed them into Chinese style farms and brought Chinese peasants to work them. The Chinese attempted to impose Chinese culture, institutions, educational system, politics, language, art, music, architecture and religion on the Vietnamese, and imported Chinese administrators to replace the local nobility. However, implementation of a foreign administrative system and the Sinicization was not easy, frequent uprisings and rebellions were indicative of Vietnamese resistance to these changes.

Vietnam was a country without a written language prior to Chinese influence. Under foreign rule, the Vietnamese people gain their writing system, but lost much of their spoken language, and their national identity.

The Hans were anxious to extend their control over the fertile Red River Delta, in part to serve as a convenient supply point for Han ships engaged in the growing maritime trade with South and Southeast Asia. During the first century of Chinese rule, Vietnam was governed leniently, and the Lạc lords maintained their feudal offices. In the first century A.D., however, the Han Dynasty intensified its efforts to assimilate its new territories by raising taxes and instituting marriage reforms aimed at turning Vietnam into a patriarchal society more amenable to political authority.

Vietnamese resistance

In response to increasingly oppressive Chinese rule, a revolt broke out in Giao Chỉ, Cửu Chân, and Nhật Nam in 39, led by Trưng Trắc, the wife of a Lạc lord named Thi Sách who had been put to death by Tô Định governor of Giao Chỉ, and her sister Trưng Nhị. The Trưng Sisters incited a victorious armed revolt against Chinese authorities, took over 65 cities. The two sisters were crowned the queens of Vietnam in 40, ending the first Chinese domination of Vietnam.

Sources

• Taylor, Keith Weller. (1983). The Birth of Vietnam. ISBN 0-520-07417-3

External links

• Vietnam