The major influence on Vietnamese culture was the Chinese. Around 111 B.C., the Chinese incorporated Vietnam into their empire. During this time, the Chinese influenced the Vietnamese culture in many ways. The Chinese reign lasted from 111 B.C. to 939 A.D. After the Chinese reign, Vietnam went through a period called "Nine hundred years of Independence." At the beginning of this period, Vietnam was made up of only the Red River Delta, but the Vietnamese culture began to expanded south and adopted three different religions. They were Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
Although they were independent, Vietnam still modeled its political and social institutions after the Chinese. From the late nineteenth century until 1945, the French dominated much of Indochina, during which time Vietnamese culture went through many changes. Vietnam adopted French economic, political, and social systems. They also adopted the French educational models. Then, after World War II, Vietnam was declared independent.
Written By: Joe Gehrke
Sources:
Henkin, Alan and Thanh Nguyen, Liem. Between Two Cultures: The Vietnamese in America. R and E Publishers. Saratoga: California, 1981.
Groslier, Bernard. The Art of Indochina. England: Holle and Co., 1962