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Descending Dragon, Rising Tiger: A History of Vietnam
Outside of its war with the United States, Vietnam’s past has often been neglected and understudied. Whether as an aspiring subordinate or a rebel province, Vietnam has been viewed by most historians in relation to its larger neighbor to the north, China. Seeking to reshape these accounts, Descending Dragon, Rising Tiger chronicles the vast sweep of Vietnam’s tumultuous history, from the Bronze Age to the present day, in order to lay out the first English-language account of the full story of the Vietnamese people.
Drawing on archeological evidence that reveals the emergence of a culturally distinct human occupation of the region up to 10,000 years ago, Vu Hong Lien and Peter D. Sharrock show that these early societies had a sophisticated agricultural and technological culture much earlier than previously imagined. They explore the great variety of cultures that have existed in this territory, unshackling them from the confined histories of outsiders, imperial invaders, and occupiers in order to show that the country has been central to the cultural, political, and ethnic development of Southeast Asia for millennia. Unrivaled in scope, this comprehensive account will be the definitive history of the Vietnamese people, their culture, and their nation.
Drawing on archeological evidence that reveals the emergence of a culturally distinct human occupation of the region up to 10,000 years ago, Vu Hong Lien and Peter D. Sharrock show that these early societies had a sophisticated agricultural and technological culture much earlier than previously imagined. They explore the great variety of cultures that have existed in this territory, unshackling them from the confined histories of outsiders, imperial invaders, and occupiers in order to show that the country has been central to the cultural, political, and ethnic development of Southeast Asia for millennia. Unrivaled in scope, this comprehensive account will be the definitive history of the Vietnamese people, their culture, and their nation.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
272 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 17, 2019
***1/4
There is a dearth of general Vietnamese history* in English, which is partially hidden by the glut of books endlessly dealing and re-dealing with the period of the Vietnamese-American War. It seems that most of the Vietnamese history, like the grammars, remain in the Vietnamese language. This lack of Anglophone Vietnamese history texts automatically adds a full star to the rating of any which one is able to locate.
To read the shortest introduction first and move on to sources of greater depth to fill and amend the framework thus provided - this is my philosophy of learning in a field where I am already competent (in this case, history). That, and the fact this was the only history available written by a Vietnamese.
'Descending Dragon' partially rectifies this vacuum and fulfills this purpose, but is unsuited to provide the neophyte with a framework of interpretation he knows is trustworthy on which to hang further knowledge. There are many limitations inherent to covering more than two millennia of history in 272 pp., but this is not one of them. The book cites no primary sources and indeed has no footnoting, endnoting, or bibliography whatsoever.
The first chapters seem to provide, in 120 pp., a suitably panoramic - and equally undetailed - sweep of ancient VN history from the 5th c. BC to the 13th AD, and to a lesser degree through the Trịnh-Nguyễn war in the 17th c., though it is obvious from the form of the matter even to the unlearned that an uneven and vastly oversimplified picture has been presented, leaving not only the flesh off of the bones, but leaving the skeleton incomplete as well.
The narrative itself is of high quality, but as history the book begins to decline in value going in to the 18th c. This is perhaps one of those inherent limitations to a short book: as we move from the sparse records, archaeology, and tradition which comprise the sum of our knowledge of ancient times to the embarrassment of riches of more modern times, the compression ratio of a history must increase, leaving out ever more.
Hitting the 20th c., the work shifts entirely, becoming very subjective and narrated with much opinion and POV of the author and her experiences. I believe I will find more value in coming back to it after reading one of the more standard works.
*And none I can find on the Kinh specifically.
There is a dearth of general Vietnamese history* in English, which is partially hidden by the glut of books endlessly dealing and re-dealing with the period of the Vietnamese-American War. It seems that most of the Vietnamese history, like the grammars, remain in the Vietnamese language. This lack of Anglophone Vietnamese history texts automatically adds a full star to the rating of any which one is able to locate.
To read the shortest introduction first and move on to sources of greater depth to fill and amend the framework thus provided - this is my philosophy of learning in a field where I am already competent (in this case, history). That, and the fact this was the only history available written by a Vietnamese.
'Descending Dragon' partially rectifies this vacuum and fulfills this purpose, but is unsuited to provide the neophyte with a framework of interpretation he knows is trustworthy on which to hang further knowledge. There are many limitations inherent to covering more than two millennia of history in 272 pp., but this is not one of them. The book cites no primary sources and indeed has no footnoting, endnoting, or bibliography whatsoever.
The first chapters seem to provide, in 120 pp., a suitably panoramic - and equally undetailed - sweep of ancient VN history from the 5th c. BC to the 13th AD, and to a lesser degree through the Trịnh-Nguyễn war in the 17th c., though it is obvious from the form of the matter even to the unlearned that an uneven and vastly oversimplified picture has been presented, leaving not only the flesh off of the bones, but leaving the skeleton incomplete as well.
The narrative itself is of high quality, but as history the book begins to decline in value going in to the 18th c. This is perhaps one of those inherent limitations to a short book: as we move from the sparse records, archaeology, and tradition which comprise the sum of our knowledge of ancient times to the embarrassment of riches of more modern times, the compression ratio of a history must increase, leaving out ever more.
Hitting the 20th c., the work shifts entirely, becoming very subjective and narrated with much opinion and POV of the author and her experiences. I believe I will find more value in coming back to it after reading one of the more standard works.
*And none I can find on the Kinh specifically.
June 15, 2016
When you're in Vietnam and you realize that you actually don't know shit about Vietnam you can download this on your kindle and impress your friends.
No but actually, the first few chapters of this book are great. If you want to learn more about Vietnam pre-French occupation, this is your book. Once you get to the 20th century, the author starts inserting his personal experiences into the narrative and the later chapters really suffer as a result. Although the author does warn us in the prologue that he doesn't cite sources or include a bibliography ... so I probably should have expected that.
No but actually, the first few chapters of this book are great. If you want to learn more about Vietnam pre-French occupation, this is your book. Once you get to the 20th century, the author starts inserting his personal experiences into the narrative and the later chapters really suffer as a result. Although the author does warn us in the prologue that he doesn't cite sources or include a bibliography ... so I probably should have expected that.
July 9, 2019
I am a librarian at a private US mid-western university and I can't tell you how difficult it was to locate a comprehensive historical overview of Vietnam within our consortium of academic libraries. Most titles dealing with Vietnam focus on the Vietnam War, which is an incredibly myopic view, isn't it? In this work, Vu Hong has certainly met my requirement of a broad historical timeline of the country in a short 246 pages. In trying to cover over 2000 years of history in the limited space, it results in a very dry listing of political dynasties and warfare that defines present day Vietnam. What you lose is any sense of the culture of the people, and only a smattering of the country's geographical features or economic institutions. She does provide a comprehensive bibliography for further and more in depth study. At least this is a start, but I will have to look elsewhere to learn more about the people of this country that has played such a large role in American history and culture.
March 20, 2026
Short, dry history of Vietnam. Early chapters deal in extensive detail with all early dynasties. 20th century history in I
The last few chapters is more interesting.
The last few chapters is more interesting.
July 31, 2017
There is a unforgivable mistake in this book: the author assumed that people in continental East Asia used to have pig-tails. That's was indeed just a phenomenon between late 17th to early 20th centuries: when Manchus founded the Qing empire, they forced their subject to follow Manchurian hairstyles as a sign of submission. In most of the Vietnamese history, the clothing and hairstyle of the continental empire were similar to those of Vietnam, at least among the elite class.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews