Army and warfare made their first appearance in Vietnamese history during the 3rd millennium BC. Throughout thousands of years, wars played a great role in shaping the identity and culture of people inhabited the land which is modern day Vietnam. Vietnam is regarded as one of the most militaristic countries in Southeast Asia, there is even a higher level belief Vietnam might be the most militaristic nation in Southeast Asia, and one of Asia and the world's most militaristic countries. The military history of the

Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

began when Japan invaded French Indochina and soon defeated the French resistance. Since then, Vietnam has fought in many conflicts in Indochina.

Hong Bang period

Weapons are the most common Bronze Age artifacts found so far. The presence of arms in many tombs of upper-class people indicates the existence of a warrior class in Dong Son society during the Hong Bang period.

Classical period

Warfare during this 500-year period (938–1407) was characterized by a combination of amphibious and land assaults. Owing to the fragmented terrain and long coast line of the country, maneuvers by boats were favoured by most military forces who had fought in Vietnam. Small-scale coastal and border raids were frequent. Domestic violence as well as foreign incursions were equally common. It is possible that during this period that Vietnam was at its height of power, first by defeating the

Southern Han Southern Han (; 917–971), officially Han (), originally Yue (), was one of the ten kingdoms that existed during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was located on China's southern coast, controlling modern Guangdong and Guangxi. The ...

in 938 AD. Then they emerged and decisively defeated the neighboring Dali, Khmer Empire,

Champa Champa ( Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd ...

, and the

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

Mongol invasions of Vietnam

In the 13th century, the Vietnamese defeated the Great Yuan dynasty of the Mongol empire three times, and it was seen as one of the most famous historical victories of Vietnam. In an extent, the Vietnamese successful repelling of Mongol invasions, had been recognized as the main factor which would have saved all Southeast Asia from Mongols.

Early modern period

Vietnam adopted firearms from

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

at late 14th century. The conquest of Champa was contributed to

Later Lê Dynasty Later may refer to: * Future, the time after the present Television * ''Later'' (talk show), a 1988–2001 American talk show * '' Later... with Jools Holland'', a British music programme since 1992 * ''The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts'', or ...

firearm advantage. Around 15th-16th century, firearms started to gain dominance on Vietnam's battlefields. Rivaling feudal lords were quick to adopt these new deadly weapons. Tactics were changed to accommodate guns and cannons and soon the country had as many guns as it could afford. Throughout the time, the Vietnamese state also annexed the Southern region of the declining Khmer Empire which would become Vietnam today.

Tây Sơn period

Future Emperor

Quang Trung Emperor Quang Trung ( vi-hantu, 光中, 1753 – 16 September 1792) or Nguyễn Huệ ( vi-hantu, 阮惠), also known as Nguyễn Quang Bình ( vi-hantu, 阮光平), was the second emperor of the Tây Sơn dynasty, reigning from 1788 until 17 ...

, along with Nguyễn Nhạc and Nguyễn Lữ, had successfully united all Vietnam after a century being divided between the

Trịnh Lords The Trịnh lords ( vi, Chúa Trịnh; Chữ Nôm: 主鄭; 1545–1787), formal title Trịnh Viceroy (; ), also known as Trịnh clan (鄭氏, ''Trịnh thị'') or the House of Trịnh, were a noble feudal clan who de facto ruled Northern Viet ...

and

Nguyễn Lords Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元）is a different word and surname. By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this ...

. Following with it, the Vietnamese also successfully crushed the Siamese at the

Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút The Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút ( vi, Trận Rạch Gầm – Xoài Mút, th, การรบที่ซากเกิ่ม-สว่ายมุต) was fought between the Vietnamese Tây Sơn forces and an army of Siam in present-da ...

and decisively, the

Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa The Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa ( vi, Trận Ngọc Hồi - Đống Đa; ), also known as Victory of Kỷ Dậu ( vi, Chiến thắng Kỷ Dậu), was fought between the forces of the Vietnamese Tây Sơn dynasty and the Qing dynasty ...

against Qing force. Thus, this had been also registered as Vietnamese military victories.

Nguyễn period

French invasion of Indochina

Japanese invasion of French Indochina

The

Japanese invasion of French Indochina The was a short undeclared military confrontation between Japan and France in northern French Indochina. Fighting lasted from 22 to 26 September 1940; the same time as the Battle of South Guangxi in the Sino-Japanese War, which was the main ...

was a successful Japanese campaign against the French colonial power in Southeast Asia. The invasion was a part of a greater strategy which was meant to surround and isolate China. Following the fall of the French in Indochina,

Việt Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fron ...

began its campaign against the Japanese occupiers, using guerrilla tactics. The conflict ended when Japan surrendered to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, following the

bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...

Socialist period

;First Indochina War Following the allied victory in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, France was hoping to regain control over its former colony in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

, which was also claimed by the

Viet Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...

. France attempted to invade and reoccupy Vietnam, but after nine years of war and the subsequent military defeat in The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the French gave up and retreated from Indochina. This resulted in Indochina being divided into four countries under the terms of the 1954 Geneva Accords:

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist s ...

and Kampuchea. ;Laotian Civil War The

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...

began in 1953 when war escalated between the government forces and

Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group ...

, which received support from North Vietnam and China. In addition to their desire to support the communist movement in Laos, Vietnam also wanted to control the strategically important areas in Laos. The conflict ended in 1975, when Pathet Lao seized power in Laos, ending the

Kingdom of Laos The Kingdom of Laos was a landlocked country in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula. It was bordered by Post-independence Burma, 1948–1962, Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Kingdom of Cambodi ...

. ;North Vietnamese invasion of Laos The

North Vietnamese invasion of Laos North Vietnam supported the Pathet Lao to fight against the Kingdom of Laos between 1958–1959. Control over Laos allowed for the eventual construction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail that would serve as the main supply route for enhanced NLF ( ...

begun in 1958 as a mixed result of boundary disputes and the Hanoi Regime's desire to control the Ho Chi Minh-path. The invasion was a success, and North Vietnam secured control over important parts of Laos. ;Vietnam War Victory in Battle of Dien Bien Phu

The

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

started with the breach of the intended general election to unite the country by

and the

Việt Cộng , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

initiation of a

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics ...

in the south. This led to an American intervention which lasted until 1973, when they withdrew their forces from Vietnam following a

peace treaty A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surre ...

. The war went on, and in 1975 North Vietnam emerged victorious. ;Cambodian Civil War The

Cambodian Civil War The Cambodian Civil War ( km, សង្គ្រាមស៊ីវិលកម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ) was a civil war in Cambodia fought between the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (known as the Khmer Rouge, supported by North Vi ...

was a mixed result of the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 ...

's desire to establish a communist regime in Cambodia, eventually dragging Cambodia into the Vietnam War due to the North Vietnamese support for the Khmer Rouge and their use of Cambodian soil to stage attacks into South Vietnam. The US heavily bombed PVA, VC and Khmer Rouge position in Cambodia. Khmer Rouge was aided militarily by the North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, and won the war in 1975. ;Hmong Insurgency When the Laotian Civil War ended in 1975, the government of Laos started to persecute the Hmong-tribes, who had been fighting alongside the

in the

. Vietnam has participated in the persecution, which has led to thousands of Hmong fleeing to the United States and Thailand. Although the Hmong no longer poses a military threat to the government of Laos, they are still under suspect by Laotian authorities. ;Cambodian-Vietnamese War When the Vietnam War ended, the

, which then controlled

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

, claimed the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

being a historical part of Cambodia. When Vietnam refused to cede the delta to Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge responded by conducting several border skirmishes, infiltrations and sabotage. By the late 1978, Vietnam invaded Cambodia, and after two weeks of fighting, Vietnamese forces captured Pnomh Penh. Vietnam occupied Cambodia until 1988. ;Vietnamese border raids in Thailand The Vietnamese border raids in Thailand were a Vietnamese attempt to stop the Khmer Rouge from using

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

as a base when fighting against Vietnam and the Vietnamese-friendly regime in Pnomh Penh. This nearly led to a war, as Vietnamese troops often penetrated into Thai territory, chasing Khmer Rouge guerrillas. This often resulted in clashes between Vietnamese and Thai forces. However, this never led to a war. ;

Sino-Vietnamese War The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1978, which ended the rule of the C ...

In response to Vietnam's 1978 invasion and occupation of Cambodia (which ended the rule of the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge), the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

launched a brief punitive military campaign against Vietnam, lasting from 17 February – 16 March. Chinese forces entered northern Vietnam and captured several cities near the border. On March 6, 1979, China declared that the gate to

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...

was open and that their punitive mission had been achieved, before withdrawing their troops from Vietnam. Both China and Vietnam claimed victory in the war; as Vietnamese troops remained in Cambodia until 1989, it can be said that China was unsuccessful in their goal of dissuading Vietnam from involvement in Cambodia. ; Sino-Vietnamese border conflicts 1979-1990 After China withdrew from Vietnam in 1979, border conflicts continued to occur. These conflicts often involved cross-border raids and battles, and claimed thousands of lives from both sides. The conflict subsided in 1990, without an outbreak of war. ;Thai-Laotian Border War The Thai-Laotian Border War began in 1987, when Thailand invaded parts of Laos claimed by the former. Laos responded with force, and the Thai forces were pushed back to the border. During this brief war, Vietnam reinforced its communist ally, and helped them in their war against Thailand. The war ended with a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state ac ...

in 1988, when Laos had successfully regained all lost ground, and pushed the Thai forces out of the disputed territory.

Notable commanders

* Trưng Sisters * Bà Triệu *

Bùi Thị Xuân Bùi Thị Xuân ( vi-hantu, , d. 1802) was a Vietnamese female general during the Tây Sơn's era. Biography General Bùi Thị Xuân was born in Bình Khê District (now Tây Sơn District), Bình Định Province. She is said to have lear ...

* Lý Bí *

Triệu Việt Vương Triệu Việt Vương (Chữ Nôm 趙越王, 524–571), born Triệu Quang Phục (趙光復), was a king of the Vietnamese Early Lý dynasty in the 6th century. He was co-ruler alongside Lý Thiên Bảo from 548 until Lý Thiên Bảo's death ...

Ngô Quyền Ngô Quyền ( vi-hantu, 吳權) (April 17, 898 – February 14, 944), often referred to as Tiền Ngô Vương (前吳王; "First King of Ngô"), was a warlord who later became the founding king of the Ngô dynasty of Vietnam. He reigned from ...

Đinh Bộ Lĩnh Đinh Bộ Lĩnh (924–979) (r. 968–979), real name allegedly Đinh Hoàn ( 丁桓), was the first Vietnamese emperor following the liberation of the country from the rule of the Chinese Southern Han Dynasty, as well as the founder of the s ...

Lê Hoàn Lê Hoàn (10 August 941 – 18 March 1005), posthumously title Lê Đại Hành, was a Vietnamese emperor and the third ruler of Dai Viet kingdom, ruling from 981 to 1005. He first served as the generalissimo commanding a ten-thousand man ar ...

* Lý Thường Kiệt *

Trần Hưng Đạo Trần Hưng Đạo (; 1228–1300), real name Trần Quốc Tuấn (陳國峻), also known as Grand Prince Hưng Đạo (''Hưng Đạo Đại Vương'' - 興道大王), was a Vietnamese royal prince, statesman and military commander of Đạ ...

: notable for the repellion of Mongol invasions to Vietnam twice * Trần Quang Khải *

Trần Khánh Dư Prince Nhân Huệ Trần Khánh Dư (?–1339) was the adopted prince of the Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and a general of Đại Việt army in royal court of four successive emperors of the Trần Dynasty: Thánh Tông, Nhân Tô ...

* Lê Lai: the General who disguised as Lord Lê Lợi against the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

* Lê Lợi *

Nguyễn Huệ Emperor Quang Trung ( vi-hantu, 光中, 1753 – 16 September 1792) or Nguyễn Huệ ( vi-hantu, 阮惠), also known as Nguyễn Quang Bình ( vi-hantu, 阮光平), was the second emperor of the Tây Sơn dynasty, reigning from 1788 until 17 ...

, Nguyễn Nhạc and Nguyễn Lữ * Trương Định *

Võ Nguyên Giáp Võ Nguyên Giáp (; 25 August 1911 – 4 October 2013) was a Vietnamese general and communist politician who is regarded as having been one of the greatest military strategists of the 20th century. He served as interior minister in President ...

Gallery

File:Dong Son brozne armor 2.JPG, Late Đông Sơn metal lamellae (3rd - 1st century BC). File:Nanyue Armour.JPG, Armour of

Nam Việt Nanyue (), was an ancient kingdom ruled by Chinese monarchs of the Zhao family that covered the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern Fujian and central to northern Vietnam. Nanyue was establishe ...

''(with reconstructed replica)'' in the 2nd century BC File:VN rifles.jpg, Matchlock arquebuses, flintlock musket, percussion cap rifle and double barreled shotgun of medieval and early modern ages. File:ThuyenchienDaiViet2.JPG, Model of a 17th-century gunboat called "Mông Đồng". File:Tiger hunt.jpg, 17th century wood relief showing arquebusier alongside mounted archer. Hương Canh Communal house. File:Daovietnam.JPG, 18th and 19th century sabers. File:Bùi Thị Xuân.jpg,

Last General of Dai Viet, Tay Son Dynasty. Pictures of Vietnamese weapons from the

Pacification of Tonkin The Pacification of Tonkin (1886–1896) was a slow and ultimately successful military and political campaign undertaken by the French colonial empire, French Empire in the northern portion of Tonkin (modern-day north Vietnam) to re-establish order ...

were taken by westerners.http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f178/HappyAsian/sung-than-cong-hue.jpg http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f178/HappyAsian/vebinh.jpg http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f178/HappyAsian/guom.jpg http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f178/HappyAsian/hieu20lenh20va20binh20khi.jpg http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f178/HappyAsian/binh20khi.jpg http://images9.fotki.com/v178/photos/2/248599/2505348/Narmes_pris_aux_PavillonsNoirs-vi.jpg http://images14.fotki.com/v205/photos/2/248599/2505348/cNinh_le_lendemain_de_sa_chute-vi.jpg http://images14.fotki.com/v206/photos/2/248599/2505348/trailleuses_prises_aux_Chinois-vi.jpg http://images9.fotki.com/v186/photos/2/248599/2505348/ancaise_traversant_RiviereNoir-vi.jpg http://images14.fotki.com/v206/photos/2/248599/2505348/LStropher_armes_annamites-vi.jpg http://images14.fotki.com/v205/photos/2/248599/2505348/STSonTay_dans_la_citadelle-vi.jpg http://images14.fotki.com/v206/photos/2/248599/2505348/STporte_Est_citadelle_SonTay-vi.jpg http://images14.fotki.com/v205/photos/2/248599/2505348/STSonTay_le_soir_dela_prise-vi.jpg http://images14.fotki.com/v206/photos/2/248599/2505348/ns_reservoirs_citadelle_SonTay-vi.jpg http://images14.fotki.com/v205/photos/2/248599/2505348/QDPcanonniere_Eclair-vi.jpg http://images14.fotki.com/v206/photos/2/248599/2505348/orte_dela_citadelle_de_NamDinh-vi.jpg http://hinhxua.free.fr/autrefois/docteur-hocquard/page4/tirailleurs_tonkinois.jpg http://hinhxua.free.fr/autrefois/docteur-hocquard/page3/Absdeurs_chinois_ramenent_prisionn.jpg http://hinhxua.free.fr/autrefois/docteur-hocquard/page6/Tirailleur_saigonnais_tirailleur_annamite.jpg http://hinhxua.free.fr/autrefois/docteur-hocquard/page6/tirailleurs_tonkinois_Linh_Tap.jpg http://hinhxua.free.fr/autrefois/docteur-hocquard/page4/photo_docteur_hocquard_4_vn.htm http://hinhxua.free.fr/autrefois/docteur-hocquard/page3/photo_docteur_hocquard_3_vn.htm http://rusknife.com/uploads/monthly_05_2011/post-458-0-08882000-1305481640.jpg http://hinhxua.free.fr/autrefois/docteur-hocquard/page3/tropher_armes_annamites.jpg http://rusknife.com/topic/2184-%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D1%85%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BE/ http://images15.fotki.com/v1631/photos/2/248599/2505348/Narmes_pris_aux_PavillonsNoirs-vi.jpg Replicas of traditional bladed weapons serve as decorations in Vietnam.

Notes

References

*Cœdès, George. (1966)
''The Making of South East Asia''
(illustrated, reprint ed.). University of California Press. . Retrieved 7 August 2013. {{Asia in topic, Military history of History of Vietnam