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According to an
ancient tale, the Vietnamese people arose from a marriage between
Lac Long Quan, a sea dragon and Au Co, a northern mountainous
princess. Au Co bore Lac Long Quan 100 children, half of them
followed their father to the sea and the other half settled down in
the high mountains with their mother. These magic children, says the
legend are the forefathers of the Vietnamese people-a race with the
mountains and the sea in their veins.
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As this legend
tells, Vietnam's past is entwined with that of it's huge northern
neighbor (it's now China). In the 2nd century BC, northern invaders
conquered the Red River Delta, establishing a 1,000 year-pattern of
foreign control and Vietnamese revolts. While Chinese culture had a
profound impact on Vietnam, Vietnam's national identity remained
stubbornly intact, sustained by tales of against-all-odds
resistance. The most famous revolutionaries of this era was the
Trung Sisters', two women who led a successful rebellion against the
Chinese in 40AD. When the better equipped and bigger in quantity
invaders returned and defeat was inevitable, the two heroines threw
themselves into a river in order to avoid being detained by the
rivals.
Self-sacrifice,
tenacity and a fierce national pride have allowed the Vietnamese to
gain independence, fighting off many waves of northern invaders,
French colonialists and the Americans.
In Vietnam, this
heroic past infuses the present. Whether you visit the crowded
shrines devoted to 13th century generals, tour museums detailing the
bravery of the colonial-era freedom fighters, or crawl through the a
dozens of kilometers long underground tunnels digged by the
Vietnamese soldiers in order to serve as a military base to fight
against the Americans during the Vietnam War, you will feel the
astounding strength of it's fascinating history.
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