Leeches
One of the worst pests of the jungle is the land leech which inhabits the grass and underbrush. Its bite is not venomous or painful, but causes bleeding, and infection can develop ulcers at the wound. They are usually removed by burning, as one removes a tick from a dog.
Mollusks
Snails are found in great abundance, especially along the paddy fields and waterways. Serious diseases can be contacted from them as they act as a carrier of blood parasites. In the southern coastal waters, there are also a few species of marine mollusks which can inflict painful and sometimes fatal stings.
Mosquitoes
Numerous species of mosquitoes reside in Vietnam, many of which transmit diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and hemmorraghic fever. A tremendous program aimed at eliminating malaria was working well until the Vietnamese personnel carrying out the spraying became the object of Viet-Cong terrorism.
Insects
Many people are infested with lice and it is a common sight to see the Vietnamese picking them from each other's hair. Fleas, ticks, mites, spiders, scorpions, ants, termites, bedbugs, and cockroaches are all present in the country.
HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL
The earliest history of Vietnam is shrouded in legend, all of which has been violent and politically turbulent.
According to one account, Vietnam was begun when a dragon mated with a goddess who "laid one hundred eggs" from which were born an equal number of sons.
By another version, Chen Nong, one of the founders of the Chinese civilization, had a grandson named King De Minh. This grandson made an inspection tour in the "South" and while there married a "mortal." Their eldest children were given the northern empire (or China) and the youngest, King Duong Vuong, was made "King of the South" and formed the first Vietnamese dynasty. The land is believed to have been absorbed in what is China today.
One of King Duong Vuong's sons, Lac Long Quan, was supposed to have married the daughter of a neighboring prince, and she "laid a hundred eggs" from which were born the same number of sons.
According to legend, Lac Long Quan gave 50 sons to their mother and kept 50 for himself. The eldest of these 50 sons came to the throne as the first in a line of 18 princes. All of them had the same name or title, Hung Vuong, and were distinguished by numbers.
Because of this legendary beginning, many Vietnamese consider themselves related to each other.
The oldest inhabitants of what is Vietnam today were most likely the Chams, a few thousand of whom still remain among the mountain people.
These mountain tribes reflect migrations from all directions having some relationship in language and handicrafts to Lao, Cambodian, Thai, Chinese, Malay, Indonesian, Philippine, and other Pacific island races. The southern areas of Vietnam reflect migrations from China. The Chams, who had a rather high development of culture, were later completely defeated by the Vietnamese after years of warfare which was originally initiated by the Chinese governors of Vietnam.
Vietnam has been ruled off and on by China throughout the centuries and this partly accounts for their resistance to China today.
Beginning before the birth of Christ, the Chinese began a series of invasions intent on controlling the rich rice-producing lands of the south. Among the first people in Vietnam that they conquered were the "Giao-Chi," a group of scattered nomadic tribes which had migrated from eastern Tibet. Because of these invasions by the Chinese and the resulting occupations and migrations, culture in Vietnam has been greatly influenced by the Chinese.
Despite this influence, the Vietnamese people have shown a desire to hang on to what is theirs and theirs alone. Their language and determination to remain a separate entity and wholly Vietnamese has survived.
The last attempt by the Chinese to invade Vietnam was in 1788. By this time, Portuguese and French missionaries and European explorers had begun to leave an imprint of Western civilization upon the people of Vietnam. The Portuguese traders who set up a trading station near Da-Nang (Tourane) in the 16th century, were the earliest known Western contacts with the Vietnamese. They were swiftly followed by the Spanish, Dutch, English, and French, all of whom have left a little of their culture behind. Their ventures in the country, however, may take up only a page in the history of Vietnam.
For simplification, a Vietnamese historian has divided the history of Vietnam into five era's.
First establishment of the nation: 2,879 b.c. to 111 b.c.
Chinese domination: 111 b.c. to a.d. 938
The great national dynasties: 939-1883
French Administration: 1883-1954
Post-World War II Period: After 1945
The Early Settlement of the Vietnamese Nation
Historians state that the Vietnamese nation was established in the first millennium b.c., mainly by the Viets who emigrated from Central China. This is a period rich in legend, the telling of which gets better and more exciting with each succeeding generation. The area became known as the Kingdom of Nam Viet in 207 b.c.
Chinese Domination
Vietnam fell under the domination of its neighbor China in 111 b.c. when Lo Bac Due, a Chinese general, destroyed Nam Viet. This period of domination continued until a.d. 938 with the exception of two short-lived revolutions.
The first rebellion was led by the famous Trung sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, idolized to this day in Vietnam. Leading their armies in a successful revolt, they restored the country's independence for three years. They were later defeated by large Chinese forces. The sisters then committed suicide by drowning themselves in a river. More information about them may be found in Chapter 10.
The second successful rebellion was led by Ly Nam De. He reigned over the liberated country from a.d. 544-602.
During the Chinese period of domination in Vietnam, much of the Chinese culture was absorbed by the Vietnamese nation.
Two famous Chinese governors of this era were Tich Quang and Nham-Diem.
The Chinese held their position in Vietnam later, despite the early dynasties of the Ly's, Trieu's, and others.
The Great National Dynasties
This particular era of independence for Vietnam lasted almost 1,000 years. The actual turning point from Chinese domition was established when Ngo-Quyen defeated the Chinese armies on the Bach-Dang Kiver in 938. He became emperor of free Vietnam the next year and reigned until 967. Ngo-Quyen was succeeded by eight different royal dynasties:
| Dinh Dynasty | 967-968 |
| Le Dynasty | 980-1009 |
| Ly Dynasty | 1010-1224 |
| Tran Dynasty | 1225-1400 |
| Ho Dynasty | 1400-1407 |
| Posterior Le Dynasty | 1428-1788 |
| Tay Son Dynasty | 1788-1802 |
| Nguyen Dynasty | 1802-1945 |
The Emperor Bao Dai was the last reigning descendant of the Nguyen Dynasty.
There are many things of historical importance which occurred during these dynasties.
Since the 11th century, under the Ly Dynasty, great progress was made. The country was