Page 84 - History of War - Issue 10-14

VIETNAM: THE UNTOLD STORY

CHINAANDVIETNAM

CHINESE INFLUENCE AND PRESENCE IN VIETNAM STRETCHES BACK BEYOND 111 BCE
ANDTHETWOCOUNTRIES’HISTORIESAREINTERTWINED IN A LEGACY OF INVASIONS,
RESISTANCE, AS WELL AS CULTURAL AND POLITICAL EXCHANGE

China had long been involved with Vietnam rule itself. Rebellions challenged Chinese rule
before it came to rule it. For a hundred years the repeatedly, and Vietnam managed to snatch
twonationsengagedinbattlesuntilthecountry its independence several times before it was
wasfinallyconqueredbytheHanDynastyin111 conquered again and again by different Chinese
BCE. China was quick to put its stamp on the dynasties – from the Han to the Tran to Sui to
land, which became divided into nine districts Tang. Vietnamese insurrections erupted out
– all with Chinese names. This acculturation of any disturbance or decline in the dynasties,
The Viet Minh celebrating their victory at continuedintoeveryaspectofVietnameselife, taking advantage of their weakened state and
the Battle of Dien Bien Phu with Chinese language, customs and culture snatching control at the fi rst chance.
enforced without delay. Although Vietnamese forces were able to
government was immediately imprisoned, and The Chinese also forced the feudal establish a period free from Chinese rule for
anyopposingpoliticalpartieswereforbidden Vietnamese society into the modern world by several hundred years, in 1407 China returned
from criticising it. However, there was one installing waterways, roads and introducing and exploited the country for all it was worth –
critical element out of their control – the steady new farming tools, weapons and animals – carting the national archives and Vietnamese
andalarmingstrengthgrowinginthenorth. all these things were put in place to ensure intellectuals off to Chin. Slave labour and heavy
BornoutoftheVietMinh,theVietCong–a China’s control of the area, as well as sapping taxation reigned supreme, although the later
strictly communist organisation – was booming Vietnam of its ample resources. As Vietnam Chinese rule was only for a period of 20 years
under a large stream of new recruits and its developed thanks to China, it also housed a very it was an incredibly damaging time that the
ranks swelled from 30,000 to 150,000 in just key part of its national identity – the desire to Vietnamese people would not soon forget.
two years. Anti-southern movements in the
south were increasing too, with the growth of
hugefollowinginfouryears.Themessagewas “AMERICAN AID SEEMED TO BE DOING NOTHING TO STOP THE
theNationalLiberationFront(NLF)gatheringa
in sudden and immediate danger and it didn’t GROWING COMMUNIST POWER IN THE NORTH”
brutalandobvious–thesouthernregimewas

have a hope of maintaining power alone. Any
government set up in the south was ended
swiftly with a coup, while the north was only
getting stronger.
America had been supplying the regime
in the south for some time, with military and
fi nancial aid, as well as 700 advisors to the
army. As the hostilities in the country grew,
the advisors followed in kind and by the end
of 1963 there were 17,000 American advisors
in Vietnam. Soon US helicopter pilots joined
them, but in Washington the president was
getting twitchy. American aid seemed to be
doing nothing to stop the growing communist
power in the north, and with the south capital
of Saigon at the point of being crushed,
President Johnson decided to send a clear
message to the north – America was standing
with the south and unless it wanted to arose
the full might of the army, they needed to back
down. In February 1965 Johnson unleashed a
brutal bombing raid on North Vietnam, hoping
that it would fi nally put an end to the Viet Cong
advances into the south.
For extra measure, America sent more of its
troops into the south, but this had the complete
opposite effect than desired. Witnessing the
horrifi c bombing across the country, and the
presence of more and more foreign troops on
their land once again, the Vietnamese found
something that seemed lost long ago – national
pride. Even those previously sympathetic to
the south began to change allegiance to North
Vietnam, as history seemed to be repeating
itself again. Another batch of foreign invaders,
another war to unite the land that seemed
irrevocably split down the middle, and another
A B-52D dropping bombs
over Vietnam chance to fi nally achieve the independence they
had so long been fi ghting for.

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