History of Vietnam in brief

Vietnam has endured a very long history and struggle over the years to sustain its  independence. Vietnam was  ruled by the Chinese for over thousand years until 937 AD, which has had a strong influence on its culture, religion and language today.

The nation enjoyed a period of independence before coming back under Chinese control in the 14th century. Despite this, Vietnam managed to maintain a level of autonomy from China until the 19th century when France colonised Indochina until the beginning of World War II. Then Vietnamese nationalist Ho Chi Minh led his army to victory in the battle of Dien Bien Phu.

Following the victory, the nation of Vietnam was split in two, with the communist North and the American backed South. This separation ultimately led to the Vietnam War, which lasted until American troops withdrew from South Vietnam in 1975. This allowed the North Vietnamese forces to  take the city of Saigon, later renamed in honour of Ho Chi Minh.

Since the war, Vietnam has rebuilt diplomatic ties with the US and opened its doors to investors, leading to record economic growth in the past ten years.