Việt gian

Viet gian (; vi-hantu, 越奸; ) refers to a Vietnamese person who sells Vietnamese interests. It is similar to the Chinese term hanjian, meaning a Chinese traitor, and uses the same character for "traitor". This term has existed since the imperial era of Vietnam and was later used by both the North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese to refer to supporters of the other side.

North Vietnam

Since 1945, the Viet Minh have officially used it in legal documents to refer to the Vietnamese who cooperated or collaborated with French colonists. The policies of the Viet Minh include "arming the people, punishing the ''Việt gian''" and "confiscation of the assets of the French and Japanese imperialists and the ''Việt gian''." On January 20, 1953, Ho Chi Minh issued Order No. 133-SL in North Vietnam to punish the ''Việt gian''.

South Vietnam

It is sometimes interpreted that the term " Việt Cộng" is a contraction of the term ''Việt gian cộng sản'' ("Communist Traitor to Vietnam").

Notable people who are considered ''Việt Gian''

* Trần Ích Tắc (1254–1329), a prince of Đại Việt, the fifth son of emperor Trần Thái Tông of the Trần dynasty, and the younger brother of the Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and grand chancellor Trần Quang Khải. In the beginning of the Yuan-Tran war, Trần Ích Tắc surrendered to Kublai Khan's prince Toghan and thus became the highest-ranking official of the Trần dynasty to do so. However, later the Tran dynasty was ultimately able to defeat the Yuan invasion, partly because of the Tran dynasty's proficiency in gunpowder. The Tran and Yuan later restored diplomatic and trade relations, and Tran Ich Tac's name was restored over time—as a diplomat who solidified Tran-Yuan relations. The Yuan dynasty supported Trần Ích Tắc to become king of Annam but were unable to, so he continued to live in Ezhou, Hubei, China, where he lived the rest of his days.
* Lê Chiêu Thống (1765–1793), the last emperor of the Vietnamese Later Lê dynasty. He was overthrown by the Tây Sơn dynasty. He appealed to the Qing dynasty of China to help regain the throne but failed after losing the Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa. Afterwards, he no longer received support from the Qing Qianlong Emperor, relatives of the Later Lê imperial family were imprisoned in Vietnam, and he died in China. Furthermore, the Qianlong emperor banished the remaining members of the Lê family to border regions of the Qing dynasty such as Xinjiang and Heilongjiang.
* Gia Long (1762-1820), the founding emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last dynasty of Vietnam, which would rule the unified territories that constitute modern-day Vietnam until 1945.
* Hoàng Cao Khải (1850-1933), a viceroy of Tonkin (locally known as Bắc Kỳ), the northernmost of the three parts of Vietnam under French colonial rule. He is best known for his role in helping the French authorities to hunt down Phan Đình Phùng, the leading Vietnamese revolutionary of the time.
* Jean-Baptiste Petrus Trương Vĩnh Ký (1837-1898), a Vietnamese scholar whose publications helped improve understanding between colonial Vietnam and Europe. His works helped popularize the Vietnamese alphabet, chữ Quốc ngữ, leading to its officialization in the early 20th century. He served in the French colonial regime as a linguist and also translated many literary works into modern Vietnamese.Patricia M. Pelley ''Postcolonial Vietnam: New Histories of the National Past'' Page 128 2002 "Working with phenomenal energy, the Catholic converts Trương Vĩnh Ký and Huỳnh Tịnh Của, for example, translated literary works ."
* Khải Định (1885-1925), the 12th emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty in Vietnam, reigning from 1916 to 1925. He was an extremely pro-French.
* Bảo Đại (1913-1993), son of Khải Định, 13th Emperor of Đại Nam and then become Chief of State of an French collaborationist government.
* Nguyễn Hải Thần (1869-1959), a leader of the Việt Nam Cách mạng Đồng minh Hội (Vietnamese Revolutionary Alliance) and a political leader during the Vietnamese Revolution. He was also the first Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam for less than a year before fleeing to China.
* Hoàng Văn Hoan (1905-1991), a Politburo member of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1960 to 1976. Born in Nghệ An Province in 1905, Hoan was a crucial link between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the People's Republic of China, serving as ambassador to the country from 1950 to 1957 and Vice Chairman of the DRV's National Assembly Standing Committee in the 1960s. Known for his pro-Chinese stance, Hoan reached the peak of his career in the early 1960s when North Vietnam temporarily allied with China in the Sino-Soviet dispute.

See also

* Hanjian

References

Vietnamese words and phrases
Political pejoratives for people
History of Vietnam
Treason

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