History of Vietnam

Hồng Bàng Dynasty prior to 257 BC Thục Dynasty 257–207 BC First Chinese domination 207 BC – 39 AD • Triệu Dynasty 207–111 BC Trưng Sisters 40–43 Second Chinese domination 43–544 • Lady Triệu's Rebellion 248 Early Lý Dynasty 544–602 • Triệu Việt Vương Third Chinese domination 602–905 • Mai Hắc Đế 722 • Phùng Hưng 791–798 Autonomy 905–938 • Khúc Family 906–930 • Dương Đình Nghệ 931–937 • Kiều Công Tiễn 937–938 Ngô Dynasty 939–967 • The 12 Lords Rebellion 966–968 Đinh Dynasty 968–980 Early Lê Dynasty 980–1009 Lý Dynasty 1009–1225 Trần Dynasty 1225–1400 Hồ Dynasty 1400–1407 Fourth Chinese domination 1407–1427 • Later Trần Dynasty 1407–1413 • Lam Sơn Rebellion 1418–1427 Later Lê Dynasty 1428–1788 • Early Lê 1428–1788 • Restored Lê 1533–1788 • Mạc Dynasty 1527–1592 • Southern and Northern Dynasties 1533–1592 • Trịnh-Nguyễn War 1627–1673 Tây Sơn Dynasty 1778–1802 Nguyễn Dynasty 1802–1945 • Western imperialism 1887–1945 • Empire of Vietnam 1945 Indochina Wars 1945–1975 Partition of Vietnam 1954 • Democratic Republic  of Vietnam 1945–1976 • State of Vietnam 1949–1955 • Republic of Vietnam 1955–1975 • Provisional Revolutionary  Government 1975–1976 Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 1976 Related topics Champa Dynasties 192–1471 List of Vietnamese monarchs Economic history of Vietnam Prehistoric cultures of Vietnam v • d • e

Văn Lang (Hán tự: 文郎) was the first nation of the ancient Vietnamese people, founded in 2879 BC and existing until 258 BC.^[1] It was ruled by the Hùng Kings of the Hồng Bàng Dynasty. Its history consists only little reliable historical information which is available. Hùng Vương as the title of a line of kings and the Van Lang kingdom are attested in Chinese (Ch’in and T’ang dynastic) sources.^[2] The people of Văn Lang were referred to as the Lạc Việt, or sometimes simply the Lạc.

According to the 15th century book Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư (Đại Việt Complete History), this nation had its capital in Phong Châu; now in Phú Thọ Province). It was bordered to the east by the South China Sea, to the west by Ba Thục 巴蜀; today Sichuan), to the north by Dongting Lake (Hunan), and to the south by Lake Tôn (Champa). According to Tran Trong Kim in the book "Việt Nam sử lược" ( a Brief History of Vietnam), this country was divided into 15 regions as in the table below^[3]:

Regions of Văn Lang

Name	Present-day location
Phong Châu (King's capital)	Phú Thọ Province
Châu Diên	Sơn Tây
Phúc Lộc	Sơn Tây
Tân Hưng	Hưng Hóa (part of Phú Thọ) and Tuyên Quang
Vũ Định	Thái Nguyên and Cao Bằng
Vũ Ninh	Bắc Ninh
Lục Hải	Lạng Sơn
Ninh Hải	Quảng Yên (a part of Quảng Ninh)
Dương Tuyên	Hải Dương
Giao Chỉ	Hà Nội, Hưng Yên, Nam Định, and Ninh Bình
Cửu Chân	Thanh Hóa
Hoài Hoan	Nghệ An
Việt Thường	Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị
Cửu Đức	Hà Tĩnh
Bình Văn	unknown

Việt Sử Lược (Việt Brief History) notes that Văn Lang consisted of 15 regions; in it there are 10 names recorded similar to those given in Đại Việt Complete History (Giao Chỉ, Vũ Ninh, Việt Thường, Ninh Hải, Lục Hải, Hoài Hoan, Cửu Chân, Bình Văn, Cửu Đức, and Văn Lang), and five regions with different names (Quân Ninh, Gia Ninh, Thang Tuyền, Tân Xương, and Nhật Nam).

The founder of Văn Lang was Hùng Vương (King Hùng). The Hùng Vương throne was hereditary. The Hùng Kings were military commanders and religious leaders at the same time.

Văn Lang was supposedly ruled by 88 Hùng Kings, but only 18 names are recorded (or, according to recent research, 18 names of 18 Dynasties, like Ancient Egyptian):

1. Hùng Dương (Lộc Tục)
2. Hùng Hiền (Lạc Long Quân)
3. Hùng Lân (vua)
4. Hùng Việp
5. Hùng Hy
6. Hùng Huy
7. Hùng Chiêu
8. Hùng Vỹ
9. Hùng Định
10. Hùng Hy
11. Hùng Trinh
12. Hùng Võ
13. Hùng Việt
14. Hùng Anh
15. Hùng Triều
16. Hùng Tạo
17. Hùng Nghị
18. Hùng Duệ

Văn Lang ended when, in roughly 258 BCE, the Âu Việt tribe invaded. The Âu Việt king, Thục Phán, defeated the last Hùng Vương, uniting the two kingdoms, naming the new nation "Âu Lạc," and proclaiming himself King An Dương Vương.^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Van Lang University
• Hồng Bàng Dynasty

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