The history of Chinese invasions of Vietnam is complex, often chaotic, and ever changing. Throughout the centuries, the two nations have clashed militarily, politically and culturally. Though there have been significant periods of war and hostilities between the two nations, often times there have been periods of peace as well.
To begin, we must start from the very beginning of the relationship between China and Vietnam. Long before recorded history, in the Yangshao Period (3300-2000 BC), it is believed that proto-Vietnamese people inhabited the Red River Delta area of what is now modern day Vietnam. By the sixth century BC, this proto-Vietnam was known as Kingdom of Van Lang and was ruled by the Hung Dynasty. During this time the first Chinese influences began to enter the region.
In 111 BC, the Han Dynasty of China invaded and conquered the Vietnamese. This began an almost 1,000 year period of Chinese domination of Vietnam. During this period, Chinese administrators governed the region while also introducing Chinese customs and culture. During this time, many Vietnamese were also sent to China to be educated in Confucianism, literature and other topics.
By the 10th century, Chinese influence over Vietnam waned due to internal unrest in China. During this time, Vietnam declared its independence and a new Vietnamese dynasty was established. The Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) was established during this period of independence. In the late 13th century Mongol forces invaded and occupied parts of Vietnam, but ultimately lost control of the region.
The 14th century saw the rise of the Tran dynasty, which again pushed for Vietnamese independence from Chinese rule. However, in the 15th century, the Chinese Ming dynasty invaded Vietnam and once again imposed Chinese rule. This lasted until the early 17th century, when the Le dynasty was established. During this period, Vietnam once again became independent and was mostly free of Chinese intervention until the late 18th century.
In 1788, the Chinese Qing dynasty invaded Vietnam, once again declaring their ownership of the region. This led to a nearly 100 year period of direct Chinese rule over Vietnam. It was during this period that both sides clashed militarily, with the Vietnamese rebelling several times in attempts to gain their freedom. Ultimately, the Chinese rule effectively ended in 1895, when France won the Sino-French War and gained control of Vietnam.
During the 20th century, the relationship between China and Vietnam shifted dramatically. At first, both countries sought each others help against the French colonial rulers. This cooperation was short lived however, and in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the two countries clashed militarily over disputed territory. In 1979, the two engaged in what was known as the Sino-Vietnamese War. This conflict was a result of Chinese fears that Vietnam’s efforts to reunite the country could lead to the reunification of North and South Vietnam. Both sides engaged in air, land, and sea battles but ultimately Vietnam was able to push back the Chinese forces.
Since then, there has been no major armed conflict between Vietnam and China, though there have been occasional skirmishes over disputed territory in the South China Sea. In recent years, there has been a growing economic relationship between the two countries, with China being Vietnam’s largest trading partner. Despite these economic ties, there is still a significant amount of mistrust between the two nations.
Though the history between the two nations is tumultuous, it is important to note that often times there have been periods of peace between China and Vietnam. With the current peace between the two nations, hopefully the region will remain stable for many years to come.