Vietnam Cruises

Vietnam is a country known for its compelling history, lush landscape and fast-paced lifestyle. Its identity has been defined by incessant turmoil—few other countries invoke such strong recollections of America’s past conflicts. Having overcome colonial occupation and weathered many wars, Vietnam is awakening from its economic slumber and is on a path to becoming one of the world’s fastest growing economies. This resilience is a testament to the pride and indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese people and their culture.

In 111 B.C., China’s Han Dynasty conquered Vietnam’s Red River Delta, which was home to the ancestors of the contemporary Vietnamese. The next 1,000 years were marked by Chinese dynastic rule that fostered a complex political culture as well as a tradition of resistance to foreign occupation.

As China’s dynasties and political power became increasingly fragmented, Vietnam achieved independence under the rule of its own native dynasty in 939 A.D. The Ly Dynasty began to pursue a southward expansion; this goal was finally realized after 1471 when Vietnam conquered the Champa Kingdom, in what is now central Vietnam. The gradual movement southward continued all the way to the agriculturally bountiful Mekong Delta.

In 1858, the French began their colonization of Vietnam until the entire country was annexed in 1885; together with Cambodia and Laos, the region became known as French Indochina. Japan’s military occupation of Vietnam during World War II served to inflame already evolving nationalist sentiments and anger towards the French Vichy colonial regime, which only remained in place as a puppet government for the Japanese. The Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, emerged as an organized coalition of anti-colonial groups which took control of Hanoi and much of northern Vietnam during the politically uncertain weeks that followed Japan’s surrender to Allied forces.

In December 1961, South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem requested assistance from U.S. military advisors in their struggle against Viet Cong force—eventually leading to the infamous Vietnam War. The U.S. military presence peaked in 1969 with an established force of 534,000 personnel. In April 1975, North Vietnamese forces took Saigon and announced their intentions for reunification. The Vietnam War remains one of the most tumultuous periods of American history and is an enduring topic of debate for people throughout the world. Most of today’s Vietnamese people, however, are too young to remember the war and do not harbor resentment about it.

Vietnamese is a tonal language influenced by many other local language systems. Before the 20th century, the Vietnamese had utilized Chinese characters and an indigenous phonetic script; since then it has used a Romanized script introduced by the French. Vietnam still holds a high regard for French culture and language, stemming from its days of colonial occupation. Politically, the country is governed by a 15-member politburo headed by Communist Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

Though the Vietnamese are stalwart in their independence and national pride, they are very receptive to visitors who appreciate all that their country has to offer.