History History

In Vietnam, it is said to have started very precisely in 2879 BC. The magical king Kinh Duong Vuong, descendant of a Chinese ruler, occupied the throne of the swampy country of the "Red Demons"(xich quy) in southern China. He married the daughter of the "Dragon Lord", the aquatic deity of Lake Tongting (in present-day Hunan Province of China). Together, they had a son named Lac Long Quân ("Lord of the Aquatic Dragons of the Lake Country"), who succeeded his father at the head of this kingdom whose territory covered southern China and northern present-day Vietnam. Lac Long Quân pacified the country and taught his subjects agriculture and sericulture. He took as his wife the immortal Âu-Co, goddess of the mountains. Their union produced a bunch of one hundred eggs from which, a few days later, one hundred boys sprang. Fifty of them followed their mother into the mountains, while fifty others went down to the sea regions inhabited by their father. Under the name of King Hung (Hung vuong), the eldest of these one hundred boys inaugurated the dynasty of Hông-Bang. He founded the kingdom of Van-Lang, at the head of which eighteen rulers succeeded each other, who reigned until 258 BC

Although archaeology tends to confirm the historical existence of these kings, the circumstances of their reign, which would have lasted several centuries, were not recorded in writing until the 15th century CE.

Discovered in 1893, the Drum of Ngoc Lu is an exceptionally well-preserved testimony to the bronze culture of Dong Son (1000 BC - 1st century), revealed by excavations carried out in 1925 at the eponymous site on the banks of the Ma River (Thanh Hoa province). Drums of the same type are found over a vast territory, stretching from the Red River basin to maritime Southeast Asia, a distribution area that ignored the borders of present-day states. Mysterious, these drums, with their sophisticated decoration, provide clues to an animist culture that preceded the arrival of new beliefs in Southeast Asia: Hinduism and Buddhism, then Christianity and Islam. The drum of Ngoc Lu is on display at the National History Museum in Hanoi.

An Duong, founder of the kingdom of Au Lac, set up his capital at Cô Loa, about twenty kilometres north of present-day Hanoi. There he built a citadel whose remains of the ramparts, in the form of concentric circles, are still visible today.

The Chinese general Zhao Tuo (Triêu Da) conquers the kingdom of Au Lac on behalf of the Qin dynasty. He reigns over the Nanyue (Nam Viêt), "Country of the Southern Viêt", whose territory includes the current Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan, as well as part of the north of present-day Vietnam.

Conquest of Nam Vietnam by a Chinese expeditionary force. The Han integrate the north of present-day Vietnam into their empire, which for more than ten centuries (until 938) was under direct Chinese administration. The country takes the name of Jiaozhi government. The Chinese administration will have to face many revolt movements.

Implantation of the Indian civilization in the Indochinese peninsula, as evidenced by the Vo Canh Stele, discovered in 1885 in the eponymous village on the outskirts of Nha Trang. Standing 2.5 m high, the stele bears the oldest inscription in the Sanskrit language found in Southeast Asia. It is now kept in the National History Museum in Hanoi.

In 34, Su Ding, the Chinese governor (Han dynasty) of the Giao Chi protectorate (territory corresponding to the north of present-day Vietnam) had Thi Sach, a representative of the local aristocracy, assassinated. His wife Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, her sister, led a revolt against the occupier. Victorious, they proclaimed themselves queens at Me Linh (the site is located in the perimeter of Hanoi) in the year 40. But 3 years later, they were defeated by the Chinese troops of General Ma Yuan and, reduced to the last extremity, threw themselves into the waters of the Hat, at the confluence of the Red River and the Day, the 6th of the second moon of the year 43. National heroes, the Trung sisters are revered as the instigators of the first anti-Chinese resistance movement.

Ngo Quyên, provincial administrator, took advantage of the troubles that accompanied the end of the Tang dynasty (936) to gain independence. In 938, during the battle of the Bach Dang River estuary (20 km from present-day Haiphong), he annihilated the Chinese fleet, proclaimed himself king in 939 and, reviving the tradition of the Au Lac kingdom, established his capital at Co Loa.

Ngô dynasty in Co Loa. The death of Ngo Quyên opens a period of feudal anarchy: formation of 12 great lordships(su-quân).

Dinh Bô Linh unifies the country (baptized Dai Co Viêt), proclaims himself king and establishes his capital at Hoa Lu (current province of Ninh Binh). He founded the Dinh dynasty.

Dinh Dynasty in Hoa Lu.

Dynasty of Le before Hoa Lu.

King Le Dai Hanh is mounting an expedition against Champa. He seized Indrapura (located in Dông Duong, 50 km south of Da Nang), which was set ablaze. The citadel and the temples are destroyed.

Ly Dynasty. Monarchical centralization. In Thang Long, foundation of the Temple of Literature (1070). Establishment of the first mandarin competitions (1075). Buddhism reaches its apogee. The country is named Dai Viêt.

Born Ly Công Uân. Orphaned and educated by monks, he rose by his talent and merits in the military circle of the Le kings. The decadence of the dynasty allowed him to seize the throne. He took the reign name of Thai Tô, founded the Ly dynasty and, in the spring of 1010, transferred his capital to the site of present-day Hanoi. It was named Thang Long, the "city of the rising dragon".

Generalissimo Ly Thuong Kiêt stopped the advance of Chinese troops (Song dynasty) who were marching on the capital Thang Long during the battle of Ngu Nguyêt which took place on the banks of the eponymous river (Bac Ninh province).

National hero. One of the greatest generals in Vietnamese history. In 1069, he led a victorious expedition against Champa, which strengthened the southern borders of the country. In the fall of 1075, he led a pre-emptive war on Chinese territory. In 1077, he stopped the Chinese troops marching on the capital on the banks of the Nguyêt River. He is attributed a famous poem, considered to be the first declaration of independence of Vietnam: "On the mountains and waters of the South reigns the emperor of the South; Such is the destiny forever fixed in the celestial book; How dare the barbarians invade our soil? Their senseless audacity will see their bloody rout! »

Dynasty of Trân. They continue the policies of their predecessors. The country is under attack by the Mongols.

Born Trân Quôc Tuân. Great general of the Trân dynasty revered as a national hero. He distinguished himself in the fight against the Mongol invasions. Appointed generalissimo of the Dai Viet armies, he won several decisive battles, in particular at Bach Dang (1288). Author of a treatise on military art, he is considered one of the greatest strategists in Vietnamese history, whose teachings were taken up during the wars of the ^20th century. He is also the object of a popular cult, associated with mediumistic rituals.

Third emperor of the Trân Dynasty. His reign (1278-1293) is marked by the victories of Generalissimo Trân Hung Dao against the Mongols, who mounted several expeditions (1285 and 1288) against the Dai Viêt. In 1300, Nhân Tông abdicated in favour of his son, left the royal palace for the sanctuary of Yen Tu (Quang Ninh province) and founded the Truc Lâm ("Bamboo Forest") Buddhist School.

Usurpation of the Hô. The Trân dynasty succumbed to a palace revolution. China returns to the Vietnamese scene at the call of the supporters of the legitimate dynasty.

The Chinese Emperor of the new Ming Dynasty decides to integrate the Dai Viêt into the Chinese Empire and to re-establish a direct administration.

Originally from a family of notables from Lam Son (now Thanh Hoa province). In 1418, assisted by the scholar Nguyên Trai, he led an insurrection against the Ming. At the end of a war of independence lasting nearly ten years, the Chinese army was defeated in 1427 at the Chi Lang Pass (near present-day Lang Son). Lê Loi enters the capital, Thang Long, in 1428 and proclaims himself emperor under the name of Lê Thai Tô. He is the founder of the later Le dynasty, which reigned almost continuously from 1428 to 1788. Lê Loi is associated with the legend of Lake Hoan Kiêm, located in the heart of Hanoi. In 1418, a golden tortoise appeared from the lake and entrusted him with the sword that would have allowed the insurrection to triumph. After the victory, back on the scene, the sword sprang from its sheath and returned to the turtle, which disappeared into the depths of the lake, renamed Lake of the Restored Sword (Hoan Kiêm).

Dynasty of the Hind Lees.

Statesman, strategist, diplomat and poet. Mandarin at the Hô court, he joined Lê Loi in 1417 and became his diplomatic and strategic advisor. A model of literate patriotism, he was the author of important works, including the Writings to the Army and the Proclamation on the Pacification of the Ngô. Victim of a court cabal, his concubine was accused of having poisoned the emperor Le Thai Tông, who succeeded Le Loi. Nguyên Trai and his family were executed. His memory was rehabilitated by Le Thanh Tông,^4th king of the later Le dynasty.

The Vietnamese troops of Emperor Le Thanh Tông captured Vijaya (south of the current province of Binh Dinh), the political and religious centre of Champa, now incapable of opposing the march of the Vietnamese towards the south-east of the Indochinese peninsula.

In Thang Long, usurpation of the Macs. The legitimate Le dynasty is forced to settle in the south, in the province of Thanh Hoa. In 1592, the Le are nominally re-established on the throne of Thang Long, but the decadence of the dynasty fuels the claims within the legitimate party. Two great lineages stand out, the Trinh and the Nguyen.

From 1620 and until 1777 (Tây Son uprising), the country was divided into two separate fiefdoms. The Trinh exercised their power in Thang Long where they put the Le dynasty under guardianship. South of the Annam Gate, in the former northern provinces of Champa, the Nguyen lords took advantage of the distance from the capital to establish themselves as an independent principality. These two "kingdoms" were respectively called Tonkin and Cochinchina by the first European travellers.

Wars between the Trinh and the Nguyen.

Jesuit missionary, born in Avignon, then subject to papal sovereignty. Between 1626 and 1647, A. de Rhodes made several visits to Tonkin and Cochinchina, mostly in hiding, due to the hostility of the local authorities. He is credited with the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum, a trilingual VietnamesePortuguese-Latin dictionary published in Rome in 1651 by the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Alexander of Rhodes contributed, based on the work of the Portuguese Jesuit missionaries, to the development of Quôc Ngu (literally "national language"), a system of transcription of the spoken Vietnamese language in Latin characters rather than using syllabic signs derived from the Chinese system. A. de Rhodes died in Isfahan (Persia) in November 1660.

Phu Xuân, the present Hue, became the capital of the Nguyên lords.

The Nguyen have completed the conquest of the south. Their domination extends as far as the Ha Tiên march in the Gulf of Siam.

In 1771, three brothers from a village in the south (now the province of Binh Dinh), fomented an insurrection which, in a context of economic crisis, spread to neighbouring provinces. The insurgents seized Gia Dinh (now Saigon) in 1777 and massacred members of the family of the Nguyen Lords. Only Prince Nguyên Anh, the future Emperor Gia Long, escaped, and found refuge in the islets of the Gulf of Siam where, thanks to the protection of Bishop Pigneau de Béhaine, Vicar Apostolic of Cochinchina, he established links with networks of missionaries and merchants. The French bishop was to become his protector and provide him with decisive help in his undertaking to reconquer the lost country.

Born prince Nguyên Phuc Anh. Miraculous from the struggles against the Tây Son, he took refuge in Siam before asking for French help through the intermediary of Mgr Pigneau de Béhaine, vicar apostolic of Cochinchina. In 1788, he resumed the offensive with heavy artillery and a new fleet, including several European-type vessels, built by French sailors, companions of ^Bishop Pigneau. In 1802, he seized Thang Long (Hanoi). He proclaimed himself emperor and took the reign name of Gia Long, a combination of "Gia", from "Gia Dinh", the former name of Saigon and "Long", from "Thang Long", the former name of Hanoi. The country that now stretched from the Red River Delta to the Mekong River Delta was renamed Vietnam. Unifying king, founder of a new dynasty, that of the Nguyên, Gia Long enacted a civil code which will be at the origin of the administrative framework of contemporary Vietnam. However, he failed to modernize the country, which opened the door to European expansion.

On 21 October 1786, Bishop Pigneau, Vicar Apostolic of Cochinchina, Cambodia and Champa, embarked on the Malabar. He went to Versailles to plead with King Louis XVI the cause of Lord Nguyên Anh (future Emperor Gia Long), who was asking for help from France in his fight against the Tây Son. He was accompanied by his son, Prince Canh. The Treaty of Versailles is the first official act in the relations between France and Vietnam. The French sovereign undertook to "return ... the King of Cochinchina ... to the possession and enjoyment of his States", from which he was "stripped". In return, he received exclusive ownership and sovereignty of the islands of Hôi-Han and Poulo-Condor, as well as concurrent ownership of the port of Tourane. In fact, the Treaty of Versailles was never executed and Bishop Pigneau, who rallied a group of young officers of the French navy, organized by his own means to help Lord Nguyên.

Nguyên Huê, the youngest of the Tây Son seized Thang Long and proclaimed himself emperor under the name of Quang Trung. In the south, Prince Nguyên Anh, begins a long reconquest.

Chinese troops are marching on Thang Long under the pretext of restoring the legitimate Le dynasty. Emperor Quang Trung launched the counter-offensive and obtained victory at Dông Da (south of present-day Hanoi).

Prince Nguyên Anh seized Thang Long, proclaimed himself emperor under the name of Gia Long and decided to transfer the capital to Hué.

Nguyen Dynasty. Gia Long's successors returned to a policy of isolation and rejection of foreign influences. The persecution of the missionaries will push France to intervene.

The French fleet bombs Tourane (Da Nang).

Cochinchina becomes a French colony.

Capture of Hanoi by Henri Rivière.

French protectorate over Tonkin (Patenôtre Treaty). At the end of the 1880s, the French conquered the empire of Vietnam, divided into three parts (Cochinchina, Annam and Tonkin), within an Indochinese colonial state alongside Cambodia and Laos.

Literary movement, resistance against the occupation. Edict "To Serve the King"[Cân Vuong] calling on the people to help him drive out the invader.

Before Hô Chi Minh and the creation of the communist party, these two scholars incarnate the Vietnamese nationalism. Friends, they diverged however on the forms of the fight. The first, Phan Bôi Châu, wanted to conquer independence through armed struggle, with the support of a neighboring Asian power, which could be Japan. The second, Phan Châu Trinh, rejected violence and distrusted Japan's imperialist temptations. A nationalist reformer, he embodied the democratic ideal and called on the colonial power to carry out reforms consistent with the republican ideal.

Son of Emperor Khai Dinh of the Nguyen Dynasty, Bao Dai (1913-1997) succeeded his father. He continued his studies in France until his return to the protectorate of Annam in September 1932. The Vietnamese monarchy only assumed a symbolic role and did not succeed in emancipating itself from colonial rule.

In Hong Kong, Nguyên Ai Quôc (Hô Chi Minh) founds the Vietnamese Communist Party, renamed the Indochinese Communist Party (PCI) in October on Moscow's orders.

Mutiny in the garrison of Yen Bai. Vietnamese soldiers integrated into the garrison of Yên Bai turn against their French superiors. Thirteen of them will be guillotined on June 17, 1930.

In the centre of the country (provinces of Nghê An and Ha Tinh), insurrectional movement of the "Soviets of Nghe Tinh" harshly repressed by the colonial authorities.

In Macau,^{1st I} CP National Congress. Nguyên Ai Quôc (Hô Chi Minh) is elected Party representative to the Communist International, and Lê Hông Phong, general secretary of the Party.

French physician and bacteriologist of Swiss origin. In 1890, he embarked for Indochina. He discovered the Lang Biang plateau where the city of Dalat was later built. On June 20, 1894, during a mission to Hong Kong, he identified the plague bacillus(Yersinia pestis). He introduced the rubber tree and the quinine tree (used against malaria) in Indochina and founded the Pasteur Institutes of Hanoi, Saigon, Da Lat and Nha Trang. He died on February 28, 1943 in his house in Nha Trang during the Japanese occupation. In Vietnam, Alexandre Yersin is revered as a benefactor. Streets and high schools continue to bear his name. His biography was the subject of a lovely novel, Peste & choléra, by P. Deville (Éditions du Seuil, 2012).

Japan invades Indochina, but France continues to rule.

Creation of the League for the Independence of Vietnam (known as the Viet Minh League).

The Empire of Japan took total control of French Indochina, which its army had occupied since 1940. The colonial administration is destroyed, thousands of Frenchmen are killed or placed in captivity.

Bao Dai, last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, is forced to abdicate. In the act of abdication, he stated: "It is better to be a citizen of an independent country than to be king of a slave country ". In November, having become the "Vinh Thuy citizen", he becomes the "supreme advisor" of the government led by Hồ Chí Minh.

Japan signs its surrender. In Hanoi, on Ba Dinh Square, in front of a jubilant crowd, Hô proclaims the independence of the country and the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (RDV). His speech begins with the invocation of human rights by referring to the American Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) and the French Declaration (August 26, 1789): " All men are born equal. The Creator has given us inviolable rights: the right to live, the right to be free and the right to achieve our happiness ".

His real name is Nguyên Sinh Cung. He was the son of a mandarin who had been declassified by the colonial authorities and was originally from the province of Nghê An, in the center of the country. In 1911, he embarked on board the Admiral Latouche-Tréville, as a cook's assistant. He traveled to Europe where he made a living from odd jobs. Living in Paris, he joined the SFIO and, during the Tours Congress in 1920, he was one of the founders of the French section of the Communist International, which would become the French Communist Party. He wrote several articles on the colonial question, including a pamphlet, Le procès de la colonisation française (The Trial of French Colonization), under the pseudonym Nguyên Ai Quôc ("Nguyên the Patriot"). Invited to Moscow, he was trained by the Comintern and made several trips to Asia. In Hong Kong, in February 1930, he founded the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP). In 1941, he returned to Vietnam after an absence of thirty years. In the north of Tonkin, where he lived in hiding, he took the name Hô Chí Minh ("He who enlightens"). In June 1941, he founded the League for the Independence of Vietnam ("Viet Minh"), which fought both the Japanese occupiers and the colonial power. He even obtained the support of the AmericanOffice of Strategic Services, which provided him with arms and ammunition. Japan eliminated the French presence during the coup de force of March 9, 1945. The Vietnamese independence fighters saw the opportunity to liberate their country once and for all. The uprising led to the August Revolution and on September 2, 1945, in Hanoi, on Ba Dinh Square, Ho proclaimed the independence of the country and the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV). While France wished to regain control of Indochina, Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh, supported by China and the USSR, engaged in a long war of resistance that led to the victory of Diên Biên Phu (May 7, 1954). France signed the Geneva agreements (July 21, 1954) which led to the partition of Vietnam at the ^17th parallel. Hô Chi Minh will then not cease to be active for a reunification of the country. He supported the creation of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (FNL, or Viet Cong). He died on September 2, 1969. Considered as the "father of the nation", his embalmed body rests today in a mausoleum in Hanoi. Uncle Hô" is, in spite of himself, the object of a cult of personality organized by his successors, although he had wished to be cremated.

General Leclerc's troops land in Saigon.

French bombardment of Haiphong, the war is generalized to the whole country.

Return of Bao Dai to Vietnam (Dalat). On¹ July 1949, it solemnly constituted the State of Vietnam, associated with France within the framework of the French Union, which included Tonkin, Annam and Cochinchina.

Battle of Colonial Road No. 4 (RC4). French troops and General Giap's forces face each other in what is the first major battle of this war. A disaster for the French.

Second congress of the Indochinese Communist Party which becomes the Workers' Party of Vietnam of which Truong Chinh is the General Secretary.

300 km (as the crow flies) northwest of Hanoi, the site of the Diên Biên Phu valley was chosen by the French command to constitute an air-land base intended to block the road from Laos to the Viet Minh battalions. The paratroopers positioned themselves there in November 1953, during Operation Castor. Nevertheless, it soon became clear that it was impossible to carry out offensive actions from the valley, which was transformed into an entrenched camp. The French generals underestimated the Viet Minh, which, thanks to Chinese aid, had a massive DCA (Defence Against Aircraft) capacity and artillery batteries ingeniously arranged at the cost of considerable effort on the heights surrounding the valley. The battle began on 13 March. In three days, General Giap's forces destroyed the airstrip defences. The air bridge between Hanoi and the valley will be further weakened every day. For 56 days, the expeditionary force and the Vietnamese allies faced Viet Minh artillery pounding their poorly protected positions. The counter-attacks followed one another, but on 7 May, in the late afternoon, the defeat was over.

Coming from a literate family from the province of Quang Binh (Centre). He became involved in the anti-colonial struggle at a very early age. He joined the ICP in 1940. In December 1944, under the authority of Ho Chi Minh, he created the "Armed Propaganda Brigade" which became the Vietnamese People's Army. Best known as the winner of Diên Biên Phu, Giap defined himself as "a self-taught general". A French-speaking admirer of Napoleon, he briefly taught history at a private high school in Hanoi. As a strategist, Giap is recognized as a logistical genius. He organized the transport of the artillery pieces overlooking the entrenched camp of Diên Biên Phu and which ensured the victory. In the 1960s, he was also at the origin of the "Ho Chi Minh trail" which enabled the American forces to bypass the American system through the jungles of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and to ensure the supply of supplies to the Viet Cong forces in the South. Appointed army general in 1948, he faced the French army, the American army, the Khmer Rouge (December 1978) and the Chinese army (February 1979).

Armistice and ceasefire between the French army and the People's Army of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Vietnam is temporarily divided into two states separated by the 17th parallel, with a five-kilometre demilitarised zone on either side. Ho Chi Minh's authority is recognized over the north, which officially becomes a "democratic" republic under communist rule (capital: Hanoi). The south (capital: Saigon) has as its head of state the former emperor of Annam, Bao Dai, who entrusted the government to Ngô Dinh Diem, who comes from a mandarin family converted to Catholicism. Reunification between the two zones is envisaged for 1956 after a referendum to allow the Vietnamese to choose their political regime within the framework of a reunified Vietnam. The planned elections never took place. The breakdown of the agreements will lead to a second Indochina war between North and South, with the active participation of the United States, within the framework of the Cold War.

Following a dubious referendum, the head of government, Ngô Dinh Diêm, who benefits from American aid, deposes the former emperor Bao Dai and establishes an authoritarian and nepotic regime. The repression exercised, particularly against Buddhists, fuels the protests.

In the north, land reform is leading to discontent and revolt.

In Saigon, dissolution of the French Far East Expeditionary Force (CEFEO), present since 1945. Almost a century after their arrival, the French leave Indochina.

In Hanoi, third congress of the Vietnam Workers' Party. The congress decided to direct the north towards socialism and liberate the south and called for the "peaceful reunification" of the country. Ho Chi Minh is re-elected Chairman of the Party. Lê Duân is elected First Secretary.

Creation in South Vietnam of the National Liberation Front (FNL), whose militants and fighters will be known as the Viet Cong.

For the first time, the U.S. military is spreading Agent Orange, a herbicide containing dioxin, in South Vietnam. In Vietnam, August 10 has become the day of remembrance for the victims of Agent Orange.

Coup d'état. A military junta led by Generals Duong Van Minh and Ton That Dinh surrounds the presidential palace. President Ngô Dinh Diém and his brother, Ngô Dinh Nhu, head of the political police, are executed.

Assassination in Dallas of J.F. Kennedy, replaced by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, re-elected in 1964. Under his presidency, the United States will intervene more and more massively in Vietnam.

In the Gulf of Tonkin, "incidents" between North Vietnamese and American ships were the pretext for the first American air raid against North Vietnam (August 5) and the vote on August 7 of the so-called "Gulf of Tonkin" resolution by the American Congress, which authorizes the president to respond as he sees fit to any North Vietnamese aggression.

Beginning of the massive direct intervention of American soldiers in the South. Beginning of intensive and systematic bombing of the North (Operation Rolling Thunder).

At the beginning of 1968, US forces in Vietnam numbered more than 550,000 men. In November 1967, General Westmoreland, commanding the U.S. forces in Vietnam, stated that the communists were unable to mount a major offensive. On the night of January 30-31, 1968, as South Vietnamese troops were demobilized to participate in the Lunar New Year (Tet) celebrations, the North Vietnamese Army and the National Liberation Front (NLF) of South Vietnam (Viet Cong) launched a series of simultaneous military offensives against more than 100 cities in South Vietnam. The fighting continued for two months and resulted in a major military defeat of the NLA and the North Vietnamese army. Although a military failure, this spectacular offensive was nevertheless a political and diplomatic victory because of the powerful psychological effect it had on American and world public opinion. On 31 March, American President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he would not seek another term in the fall. Richard Nixon, elected President of the United States on November 5, 1968, will begin the "de-escalation" (gradual withdrawal of American troops) and open peace negotiations in Paris.

"Vietnamisation" of the war: gradual withdrawal of American forces with, at the same time, a reinforcement of the southern army.

Death of Ho Chi Minh. His death is officially announced as having taken place on 3 September so as not to tarnish the national independence day of 2 September.

Twelve days and 12 nights during which the U.S. Air Force conducts the largest series of air strikes since the end of World War II in an effort to force the North Vietnamese government to complete negotiations leading to the Paris Peace Accords; on December 29, the U.S. government will return to the conference table. More than 1,500 North Vietnamese civilians were killed by B-52 bombing. But at least 30 American pilots were shot down by Hanoi's air defence system, equipped with Soviet SAM ground-to-air missiles and MIG-21s. More than 20 pilots were reported missing (MIA) and others were captured after ejecting. The defenders of Hanoi therefore consider that they held the American air force in check and refer to an "airborne Diên Biên Phu".

On January 27, 1973, in Paris, Americans and Vietnamese announced the signing of an agreement that officially put an end to the Vietnamese conflict and to two wars: that between the United States and North Vietnam and that between the United States and South Vietnam, the Saigon regime and the South Vietnam National Liberation Front (S.V.N.F.). The Americans pledged to withdraw their troops within 60 days while the North Vietnamese pledged to release their American prisoners. This ended Washington's military intervention in the conflict between North and South Vietnam. The war continued nonetheless between communists and pro-Westerners until the fall of Saigon and the reunification of the country under the aegis of the North. The main architects of the Paris Agreements, Le Duc Tho (North Vietnam) and Henry Kissinger (United States) were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 1973, but the former refused the prize and the latter did not attend the award ceremony.

The Chinese navy supported by aircraft from Hainan takes control of the Paracel Islands after a battle with the naval forces of the Republic of Vietnam. Illegal in principle, China's military conquest of the islands by China comes up against the claims of Vietnam, which has sufficient historical evidence and legal basis to assert its sovereignty over the two archipelagos of Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa (Spratleys).

Northern troops are entering Saigon. End of the war. 8,744,000 U.S. military personnel participated between 1955 and 1975, at some point during the conflict. The balance sheet for the American armed forces is estimated at 58,177 soldiers killed and 153,303 wounded. In 1995, Vietnam announced that a total of 1.1 million combatants and 2 million civilians had been killed during the war.

After 1975, an increasing number of Vietnamese left their country because of political repression and the catastrophic economic situation. They embarked on makeshift boats and faced the dangers of a journey at sea where they were often victims of shipwrecks, looting and acts of piracy. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, an estimated 1 million people went into exile between 1975 and 1991, not counting the thousands of deaths during the crossings, which amounted to as many as 250,000. Today, these people and their descendants, known as Viet Kieu (Overseas Vietnamese), form a large diaspora, scattered from the United States to France, Canada, Australia or various European countries with a population of about 3 million people.

The National Assembly proclaims the reunification of the country and the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (RSV). American embargo. Saigon is renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

^4th congress which decides to change the name of the Workers' Party of Vietnam to the Communist Party of Vietnam. Lê Duân is elected General Secretary of the CPV.

Vietnam and the USSR sign a treaty of friendship and cooperation.

Following the murderous incursions of the Khmer Rouge on its territory, Vietnam invades Cambodia and overthrows Pol Pot's genocidal regime. The occupiers establish a government that is favourable to them. The Vietnamese troops, supported by the USSR, must face resistance movements backed by China and the United States.

The origin of this conflict lies in the context of the Sino-Soviet break-up, with Communist Vietnam being supported by the Soviet Union. In response to the invasion and occupation of Cambodia by Vietnam in 1978 (which put an end to the reign of the Khmer Rouge, supported by China), Deng Xiaoping decided to administer a "lesson" to Vietnam. On February 17, 1979, nearly 600,000 Chinese soldiers cross the border into the six northern provinces of Vietnam and raze several cities to the ground. But the waves of Chinese infantrymen came up against the defence and fortification networks set up by the People's Army of Vietnam. On March 6, 1979, China declared that its punitive mission was now accomplished. Despite the absence of official figures, historical records put the number of casualties at nearly 26,000 dead and 37,000 wounded on the Chinese side, and 30,000 dead and 32,000 wounded on the Vietnamese side. The border skirmishes continued until 1990.

5th Congress of the PCV. Duan is re-elected Secretary General of the VCP.

6th CPV Congress. Nguyên Van Linh was elected Secretary General of the VCP. The leadership of the CPV made its self-criticism, particularly on its dogmatic way of thinking, and proposed the "Renewal"(Dôi moi), with the beginning of a process of economic liberalization.

In the East Sea, in the Spratly Archipelago, the Chinese navy seized the Gac Ma reef (Johnson Reef) by force, massacring the Vietnamese garrison. 64 Vietnamese soldiers are killed, most of them unarmed.

Vietnam is withdrawing its troops from Cambodia.

7th National VCP Congress. Dô Muoi is elected General Secretary of the VCP.

Normalization of relations between Vietnam and China.

Official visit of French President François Mitterrand, the first French Head of State to visit Vietnam since 1945. On the 10th, after declaring that the Indochina war had been a "mistake", he went to Diên Biên Phu to honour the memory of the French soldiers who died in the battle.

Bill Clinton, the President of the United States, announces the lifting of the American trade embargo against Vietnam that was decreed in 1975.

Admission of Vietnam to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an organization founded in 1967 in Bangkok in the context of the Cold War, whose primary purpose was to block communist movements.

8th Congress of the PCV. Dô Muoi is re-elected Secretary General of the VCP.

In Thai Binh province, there were major demonstrations against undue taxes and corruption of local officials.

Faced with the effects of the Asian crisis, Vietnam is forced to devalue the dông, the national currency.

Vietnam joins APEC[Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation], a new milestone in the country's international integration process. Established in 1989, APEC is an intergovernmental economic forum aimed at facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia Pacific region. It meets annually.

Creation of the 1st stock exchange of the country in Ho Chi Minh City.

US President Bill Clinton's official visit to Vietnam, the first visit by a US President since the end of the war in 1975.

In the highlands, revolt of ethnic minorities who demand the restitution of their land transformed into coffee plantations by Kinh migrants and claim the right to freely practice their Protestant faith.

9th Congress of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Nông Duc Manh is elected General Secretary of the VCP.

The bilateral trade agreement between the United States and Vietnam enters into force. It allows Vietnam to leave a limited group of countries - including Afghanistan, Cuba, North Korea and Serbia - that do not enjoy normal trade relations with the United States. US taxes on Vietnamese exports are reduced from an average of 40% to around 4%. In exchange, US companies get increased access to the Vietnamese market and protection of their intellectual property rights.

The Russians left Cam Ranh Bay where they maintained a base of naval listening and transmitting personnel.

In the highlands, massive demonstrations by ethnic minorities to demand the return of ancestral lands confiscated by the State and greater religious freedom. They are harshly repressed by the government.

In Hanoi, 5th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 5) preceded by the official visit of French President Jacques Chirac.

Official visit to the United States by Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, received by U.S. President George W. Bush. First official visit of a Vietnamese leader to the United States since the end of the war between the two countries.

10th Congress of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Nông Duc Manh is re-elected General Secretary of the VCP. On a visit to Hanoi, Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, receives an enthusiastic welcome from the Vietnamese authorities and students.

In Hanoi, Vietnam is hosting the APEC [Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation] Summit, attended by U.S. President G.W. Bush, Russian President V. Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao..

Twelve years after declaring itself a candidate, Vietnam, a "rising star in international trade," becomes the 150th member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Official visit of Prime Minister Nguyên Tân Dung to France.

Completion of the demarcation of the Sino-Vietnamese land border.

The United States Supreme Court confirms the inadmissibility of the complaint of the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange, a carcinogenic and teratogenic herbicide used by the United States military during the Vietnam War.

F. Fillon's visit to Vietnam, the first official visit by a French Prime Minister since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Hanoi celebrates its millennium.

11th Congress of the PCV. Nguyên Phu Trong was elected Secretary General of the VCP.

Strong tensions between China and Vietnam over sovereignty disputes in the East Sea.

During the official visit to France by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyên Tan Dung, the two countries signed a Strategic Partnership Declaration, which aims to strengthen the relationship in all areas (politics, defense, economy, education, culture).

General Giap died at the age of 102. A huge crowd pays tribute to the winner of Diên Biên Phu.

The installation of a Chinese oil platform in Vietnamese waters is causing a serious crisis between the two countries. In Vietnam, anti-Chinese riots cause several casualties. Tensions lead to a rapprochement between Vietnam and the United States, which eases the embargo on arms sales to Vietnam.

Historic visit of VCP Secretary General Nguyên Phu Trong to Washington where he is received at the White House by President Obama.

This soft-shelled turtle (200 kg), of an undetermined age and a species(Rafetus swinhoe) which has only a few specimens in the world, had a strong symbolic value. All Vietnamese schoolchildren know the legend that the sacred turtle of Lake Hoan Kiem is the guardian of the magic sword of Le Loi, a 15th century rebel leader and founder of the Le dynasty, who defeated Chinese invaders and defended Vietnamese independence.

12th National VCP Congress. Nguyên Phu Trong was re-elected General Secretary of the VCP.

At the end of April 2016, millions of dead fish cover the coasts of central Italy. Suspicions immediately turned to the Formosa steelworks, a Taiwanese company based in Ha Tinh province, 430 km south of Hanoi, which was accused of discharging waste water containing phenol and cyanide into the sea. Public opinion on social networks is getting hotter and hotter. Demonstrations were organized, first in the centre of the country, then in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In June 2016, the Formosa company acknowledges its responsibility and undertakes to pay US$500 million in compensation. The case is far from over. The recovery of marine ecosystems will take years. Seafood contamination raises many questions. For the government, the case is a severe warning. It highlights the corruption of certain authorities, who are unable to enforce environmental regulations. It is also at the convergence of several issues (environment, food safety, etc.) which are mobilising public opinion more and more strongly.

US President Barack Obama's official visit to Vietnam. He announces the lifting of the embargo on the sale of American lethal weapons to Vietnam.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, seized by the Philippines, considers that China does not have "historic rights" over most of the waters of the South China Sea. China immediately declares that it "does not recognize and accept" this arbitration decision.

Official visit to Vietnam by President François Hollande. Announcement of the sale of 40 Airbus aircraft to 3 Vietnamese companies for US$ 6.5 billion.

In Da Nang, Vietnam is hosting the APEC [Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation] summit, attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump..

Visit to France of VCP Secretary General Nguyên Phu Trong.

Vietnam is experiencing a wave of anti-Chinese protests and riots in several cities across the country in response to the government's plan to grant foreign companies operating in special economic zones long-term leases of up to 99 years.

Following the death of President Trân Dai Quang (21 September 2018), Nguyên Phu Trong (74), Secretary General of the CPV, was elected President of the Republic by the National Assembly. He is the first to hold both posts since Ho Chi Minh City.

Official visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Édouard Philippe on the occasion of the double anniversary of 45 years of diplomatic relations and 5 years of the strategic partnership between France and Vietnam. More than 10 billion euros in contracts are signed. On 3 November 2018, 25 years after President François Mitterrand, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, accompanied by veterans, visited the site of the Battle of Diên Biên Phu, where he decorated the two memorials, French and Vietnamese.

The Vietnamese National Assembly ratifies the Comprehensive and Integral Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, CPTPP, a free trade agreement that includes 11 countries (but not the United States) that will form a trading bloc representing 495 million consumers and 13.5% of the world's GDP.

Entry into force of a law obliging Internet companies to remove any content deemed "toxic" by the communist authorities.

Hanoi hosts President Donald Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un for the second U.S.-North Korea Summit.

In its Exclusive Economic Zone in the East Sea, Vietnam is facing incursions byHaiyang 8 , an exploration vessel belonging to the Chinese Geological Survey, accompanied by numerous escort vessels.

Mr. Nguyên Xuân Phuc was elected President of the State and chose Mr. Pham Minh Chinh as Prime Minister. Mr. Nguyên Phu Trong (born in 1944) still holds the position of General Secretary of the Party

The USA and Vietnam sign a semiconductor and minerals partnership during President Joe Biden's visit to Hanoi. Diplomatic tensions between Vietnam and Beijing escalate with the intensification of territorial disputes in the South China Sea.