Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 819

Introduction
History weighs heavily on Vietnam, but nearly forty years after the end of its
infamous war, this incredibly resilient nation has certainly emerged from its
shadows. Travellers find that this is a land not of bomb craters and army
ordnance, but of shimmering paddy fields and white-sand beaches, historical
cities and venerable pagodas, vast caves, craggy mountains and friendly
minority tribes. The speed with which Vietnam's population has been able to
transcend the recent past comes as a surprise to visitors, who are generally
met with warmth, curiosity and a seemingly irrepressible desire to connect.

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For many visitors, venerable Hanoi
- Vietnam's capital for close on a thousand
years - provides a full-on introduction to
Vietnam, its mad tra c clashing with its
colonial buildings, pagodas and dynastic
temples. From here, many strike out east to
the labyrinth of limestone outcrops and
karst jutting out of the azure Ha Long Bay .
he market town of Sa Pa , set in
spectacular uplands close to the Chinese
border in the far northwest, makes a good
base for exploring nearby ethnic minority
villages. Heading south, Phang Nha Ke
Banh National Park is home to the world's
largest cave, with one of the most
picturesque parts of the Ho Chi Minh Trail
winding its way through the beautiful
countryside. Further south still, beyond the
wartime memorials of the DMZ , is
aristocratic Hue , with its temples, palaces
and imperial mausoleums. Next up comes
the most beautiful city in Vietnam: Hoi An ,
its city centre full of beautifully preserved
wooden shophouses and some of the best
food in the country. If you then head
further south, the quaint hill-station of Da
Lat provides a good place to cool down,
but some travellers eschew the highlands
for the beaches of Mui Ne or Nha Trang .
he southern gateway to Vietnam is the
furiously commercial city of Ho Chi Minh
City ( HCMC , formerly Saigon), where
memories of the Vietnam War are
immortalized in one of the country's best
museums. In contrast, the southernmost
part of the country, the Mekong Delta
- rice fields and orchards bisected by canals
and the slow-moving river - provides an
antidote to the high-octane cities, with its

slow pace of life and cycling trails running
through the lush greenery.

CHRONOLOGY
2789 BC Vang Lang kingdom - the first independent
Vietnamese state - is founded by the Hung Vuong kings.
111 BC The Chinese Han emperors take over the Red River
Delta; they introduce Confucianism, a rigid, feudalistic
hierarchy, and a millennium of occupation.
938 AD Vietnamese forces defeat the Chinese at the battle
of the Bach Dang River, heralding nearly ten centuries of
Vietnamese independence (in the north) under a series of
dynasties.
1010 AD Thanh Long (City of the Soaring Dragon) -
present-day Hanoi - becomes Vietnam's new capital.
c. Third century onwards The kingdom of Champa
dominates the south, and builds numerous temples,
including My Son.
1288 AD Mongol invasion repelled by General Tran Hung
Dao's forces.
1377 & 1383 AD Thanh Long besieged by Cham forces
who kill Viet emperor Tran Due.
1428 AD Le Loi defeats the Chinese and becomes the first
emperor of the Le dynasty.
1516 AD Portuguese traders introduce Catholicism via
Faifo (present-day Hoi An) trading post.
1524 AD Two powerful clans split the country in two: the
Trinh lords in Hanoi and the north, and the Nguyen in Hue
down to the Mekong Delta.
17th century Ethnic Vietnamese settle in the Mekong
Delta, taking advantage of Khmer weaknesses.
1771 The Tay Son rebellion, led by three brothers with a
message of equal rights, justice and liberty, gains broad
support. By 1788 they have overthrown both the Trinh
and Nguyen lords.
1802 Vietnam comes under a single authority when
Emperor Gia Long captures the throne and establishes
his capital at Hue, building its magnificent citadel and
reimposing feudal order.