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Lying on the eastern part of the Indochinese peninsula, Vietnam is a
strip of land shaped like the letter “S”. China borders it to the north,
Laos and Cambodia to the west, the East Sea to the east and the Pacific
Ocean to the east and south. Vietnam is also a transport junction from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. History At the beginning of the Bronze Age, the Viet tribe groups had settled down in the North and in the north of Central Vietnam. There were about 15 groups of Lac Viet tribesmen living mainly in the northern highland and delta and a dozen Au Viet groups of tribesmen living in Viet Bac, the northern region of old Vietnam.
In 111 B.C. the Han dynasty sent an expeditionary corps
to conquer the
After a long period of subjugation by the Chinese feudal empire, a period marked by numerous insurrections, the Vietnamese people finally won back their independence in the 10th century. Following the recovery of that independence, the country gradually turned towards creating a centralized monarchical state. This centralization was made necessary by twin factors: the construction of great hydraulic works, particularly dykes and canals for the development of agriculture, and the safeguarding of national independence against attempts at reconquest by the Chinese imperial Court. However, before a well organized monarchical state could be set up, the country went through a period of instability during which tendencies towards feudal domination still persisted. It was only with the establishment of the Ly dynasty in 1009 that the monarchy was able to gain a secure hold on power. The Tran, who succeeded the Ly in 1225, continued this work of unification and nation-building until the end of the 14th century. During this 400-year period the country experienced vigorous development in many fields. Pepole Nationality At present there are 54 different ethnic groups inhabiting Vietnam, in which Kinh (Viet) people make up nearly 90% of the whole population, and 53 other ethnic groups represent over 10% Ba Na Ethic Group
Name of ethnic group: Ba
Na (To Lo, Krem, Con Kde, Ala Cong, Krang). Bo y Ethic Group
Name of ethnic group: Bo
Y (Chung Cha, Trong Gia, Tu Di, Tu Din and Pu Na). Brau Ethic:
Religion and Belief The major religious traditions in Vietnam are Buddhism (which fuses forms of Taoism and Confusianism), Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), Islam, Caodaism and the Hoa Hao sect. Buddhism
Buddhism was first introduced to Vietnam in the 2nd At the end of the 14th century, Buddhism began to show signs of decline. The ideological influence of Buddhism, however, remained very strong in social and cultural life. Presenty, over 70 percent of the population of Vietnam are either Buddhist or strongly influenced by Buddhist practices. Catholicism Catholicism was introduced to Vietnam in the 17th century. At present the most densely-populated Catholic areas are Bui Chu-Phat Diem in the northern province of Ninh Binh and Ho Nai-Bien Hoa in Dong Nai Province to the South. About 10 percent of the population are considered Catholic. Protestantism was introduced to Vietnam at about the same time as Catholicism. Protestantism, however, remains an obscure religion. At present most Protestants live in the Central Highlands. There still remains a Protestant church on Hang Da Street in Hanoi. The number of Protestants living in Vietnam is estimated at 400,000. Islam Islamic followers in Vietnam are primarily from the Cham ethnic minority group living in the central part of the central coast. The number of Islamic followers in Vietnam totals about 50,000. Caodaism
Caodaism was first introduced to the country in 1926. Hoa Hao Sect The Hoa Hao Sect was first introduced to Vietnam in 1939. More than 1 million Vietnamese are followers of this sect. Most of them live in the south-west of Vietnam. Mother Worship (Tho Mau) Researchers describe the Vietnamese mother-worship cult as a primitive religion. Mother, Me in the Vietnamese language, is pronounced Mau in Sino- script. The mother worship cult might be originated from the cult of the Goddess in ancient ages. In the Middle Ages, the Mother was worshipped in temples and palaces. Due to the fact that it is a worshipping custom and not a religion, the Mother worshipping cult has not been organised as Buddhism and Catholicism have. As a result, the different affiliations of the cult have yet to be consistent and different places still have different customs. The custom of Mother worship originated from the north. In the south, the religion has integrated the local goddesses such as Thien Y A Na (Hue) and Linh Son (Tay Ninh). In fact, the Mother worship cult was influenced by other religions, mainly Taoism.
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Starting
from Hoa Lu in present-day Ninh Binh, Dinh Bo Linh defeated all 12
warlords, one after another, and unified the country in 967. The next
year he made himself king, named the country Dai Co Viet, established
his capital at Hoa Lu, reorganized the army and administration, and
appointed renowned Buddhist monks as advisers. The murder of Dinh Bo
Linh in 979 brought a six-year-old child to the throne. Meanwhile the
Sung dynasty had taken power in
