Antiquities and Dragons!

Dat Do Cemetery Dragon

It is indeed a sobering thought to be involved, even if only in such a fleeting way, with histories, traditions, cultures, artefacts and bold constructions that date back some 5000 years (and quite possibly even more!). In the line of time, French and Americans sorties are only recent and very, very short by comparison to a long history of Chinese rule, flexing boundaries and myriad migrations. This great mix however, makes the country what it is and has given the people incredible strength and resilience. Which somehow they need to cope with the modern day invasion - tourists!  Whilst I became obsessed with reading about Vietnam's ancient history, I really only want to set a rudimentary time-line to some interesting sites that we took in during our stay. For anyone interested in a more precise on-line account of Vietnam's history, wikipedia is a good starting point (and it has maps!). 

To set the scene, Vietnam's prehistory is a fascinating mix of legend and truths handed down over many generations and has many links with China. Shennong, a legendary ruler of China, is believed to be the father of Viets who were at the time, tribal agriculturalists living in the fertile Red River (Dong Song) area.

Cham Imperial Dragon

The Vietnamese believe they are descendants of the immortal (Yin) and the dragon (Yang). One of Shennong's descendants, Sung Lam, the Dragon Lord of Lac, is considered the first king of Vietnam. He married the beautiful princess Au Co. She was a descendant of the immortals from the High Mountains and together they produced 100 sons, giving rise to the Kingdom of Bach Viet with 100 principalities. Hung Vuong, their eldest son, was crowned King of Lac Viet in about 2879BC. He renamed the kingdom, Van Lang. It is believed to include much of today's north and central regions and its capital was located near present day Vinh. We quickly sped through Vinh as last light faded. We were on a mission to get to Hanoi - we'd already been in the bus 8 hours! - and as such, were totally oblivious to the ghosts of civilizations from so long ago.

Gorgeous Cham Ganesh

Whilst the Hung dynasty prospered, there is evidence of another established society that existed in an area near Thanh Hoa from 1000-1BC. We stopped there briefly for a meal break some 12 hours into our journey. The service was poor, the food cold and the chickens still had heads on (poor clucky). The Dong Son culture, is famous for its very fine bronze casting, particularly drums, which are still used by their Muong ancestors today, and its seafaring exploits. Obviously culinary skills, not!  

The Hung dynasty fell in 258BC to An Duong Vuong who renamed the kingdom, Au Lac and placed its capital at Co Loa (257BC), just north of Hanoi. Interestingly, Co Loa means old conch; perhaps a curious connection to an ancient past. Ramparts of that vast spiral citadel (so close to Hanoi) exist today.

Dragons, Temple Dogs & Bats...

Further south, the Champa Kingdom (192AD - 1832) was establishing and spreading roots. Originally believed to be Malayo-Polynesian settlers, they were later, in the course of their trading activities, influenced by Hinduism. They maintained a powerful coastal fleet for commerce along the spice route (supplying ivory & aloe!) and were renown for piracy. In the 4th century, they established their capital at Singhapura - the Lion City - near Danang and occupied a sizable area of current day central Vietnam. We visited the wonderful Cham Museum in Danang, which itself dates from 1915, to see sophisticated sculptures dating from 7-15th century. Nearby, we climbed (170 steps) up into the Marble Mountains. 

My Son Temple

These famous landmarks were once a site for Cham sacred rituals. I am not sure if the mountains were on the coast or in it at the time, but the area eventually silted up and became land-bound. My Son has ruins from a 4-13th century Cham religious sanctuary that are still in reasonable condition today. The site has temples, built of brick and 3 storeys high, dedicated to the worship of the usual Hindu pantheon including Shiva and Vishnu. The kingdom gradually crumbled, however as many attackers, including the famous Mongol forces of Kublai Khan (1283), driven by a desire for Champa's wealth and position in the sea trade routes, reduced its borders. As late as 1306, the Hai Van Pass formed the frontier (and a customs collection point even then!) between Vietnam and Champa.

View to the Hai Van Pass

Whilst the Chams were on the rise, the Mekong, River of 9 Dragons, was home to the Oc Eo civilization (1st - 5th century AD) that had settled in the Delta area. Now part of Vietnam, it was once Khmer country. The Oc Eo community established a major trading port with a well developed canal system for transportation and irrigation. There is evidence that they had extensive trading links with the Roman Empire, Persia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the ancient Chinese kingdom of Phu Nam (Funan). Unfortunately, there is little left to see with most of the artefacts under safe-keeping in museums. 
After gaining independence from the Chinese after an occupation lasting from 200BC to 938AD, the capital of the kingdom of Dai Viet became installed at Hoa Lu in 939 (100km south of Hanoi) by the successful Ngo dynasty leaders. It was probably midnight when we sped on by and most on our bus were either sleeping or dazed; some recovering from tummy problems!  However, it does bear thinking about how large the kingdoms were. It took us nearly 17 hours in a bus to get from Hue to Hanoi. How did they manage so long ago to cover so much territory?  This same road has probably been used for centuries and by countless peoples for all sorts of purposes from trading to warfare.

On the lookout for Golden Dragons

Hoa Lu remained as capital during a succession of dynasties until Ly Thai To arrived in Dai La, near present day Hanoi. He saw an enormous golden dragon rise from the lake and fly into the sky. Inspired by his vision, he moved the capital to Dai La in 1010 and renamed it Thang Long or "Ascending Dragon". The One Pillar Pagoda (1049), shaped like a lotus flower and constructed as an offering of thanks on the arrival of a son and heir, dates from this time, as does the Temple of Literature (1070). The latter acknowledging the teachings of Confucianism and the former, Buddhism, national religion of the time. Water puppetry also made its debut during the Ly Dynasty.
According to legend (in 1418 or so), hero Le Loi was given a magic sword by the divine Golden Tortoise that lived in Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake of the Restored Sword). After ten years of fighting against Chinese invaders and finally succeeding, Le Loi returned the sword to the turtle. He founded the Le dynasty (1428-1776) and became Le Thai To. The Le Dynasty saw the absorption of the remaining regions of Champa in 1471. This dynasty was the first to produce a documented history.

Tortoise in Legend