The Birth of Vietnam [Paperback]

Keith Weller Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 24, 1991 | ISBN-10: 0520074173 | ISBN-13: 978-0520074170

Vietnamese history prior to the tenth century has often been treated as a branch of Chinese history, but the Vietnamese side of the story can no longer be ignored. In this volume Keith Taylor draws on both Chinese and Vietnamese sources to provide a balanced view of the early history of Vietnam.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An important addition to the growing library of Western literature on the history of Vietnam. For those who may be tempted to dismiss it as too scholarly a study of a period lost in the mists of time, one should also add that it is a good read." -- R. B. Smith, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies

"Taylor draws on myriad sources including Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese scholarship, Chinese and Vietnamese contemporary accounts of the period and archaeological and linguistic data. The result is an authoritative source for anyone interested in this period of Vietnamese history." -- Journal of International Law and Politics

"The period covered in Keith Taylor's ambitious and pioneering book has often been skated over lightly by historians of Vietnam, who seem unsure whether it belongs to Vietnamese or Chinese history. It stretches from the origins of the Vietnamese people . . . through eleven centuries of Chinese rule down to the tenth century, when the Vietnamese gained a fragile independence in the shadow of the Chinese empire. . . . With this work of meticulous scholarship, Taylor has put both Vietnamese and Chinese historians in his debt." -- Hue-Tam Ho Tai, Pacific Affairs Review

"This is an outstanding work. For researchers, it is a mine of historical sources interpreted and analyzed. To teachers, it provides a solid foundation for data on a period of history that hitherto yielded scanty conclusions. . . . Congratulations and many thanks to the author." -- Truong Buu Lam, American Historical Review

About the Author

Keith Weller Taylor is Associate Professor of Vietnamese Studies, Cornell University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 418 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (April 24, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520074173
• ISBN-13: 978-0520074170
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,001,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many kudos for KW Taylor., May 21, 2002

By 

alainviet "alainviet" (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Birth of Vietnam (Paperback)

This is, by far, the most authoritative work in English about the history of Vietnam from prehistory to 974 AD.

The Vietnamese (Lac people as they were called at the time) were part of the Dong Son civilization, which was characterized by its bronze drums depicting aquatic scenery. Over the years, they brought to the Asian culture the "pho", the "ao dai", various musical instruments, poetry, and so on.

But what defined the Vietnamese is their indomitable aspiration for freedom. They just wanted to be left alone, therefore, were not always seen as "actors", but "reactors" to events around them. Despite being dominated for along time by the Chinese and the French, they yearned to live in a free country.

Sandwiched between giant China in the north and the kingdoms of Champa and Khmer in the south, they knew a long time ago they were not Chinese and, therefore, refused to remain enslaved by them. The Trung sisters (see book of same name) revolted against the Chinese and reigned as the first and only Queens of Vietnam until 42 AD. Defeated by Ma Yuan, they fell back under Chinese influence until 939 AD until Ngo Quyen was brilliant enough to recover the country's independence.

The period covered by Taylor represented the difficult times the Lac people went through to mature into an organized society strong enough to free themselves from the Chinese. Besides the Trung Queens, many others had tried unsuccessfully over the years to free from the Chinese yoke. The birth of Vietnam was thus not a smooth and normal one: it was the result of a series of abortive rebellions until its final success in 939 AD.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best work available in either English or VNese on this topic, March 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Birth of Vietnam (Paperback)

I don't think one needs to engage in chest-thumping nationalism to praise Taylor's work. The book is a beautiful example of solid scholarship. Taylor uses both Chinese and Vietnamese primary sources and compares them to give a more realistic picture behind the nationalist myths that Vietnamese schoolchildren (both North and South) have been taught for decades. Taylor also draws upon a large body of secondary sources in Chinese, Vietnamese, French, English, and Japanese. I doubt that there is ANY scholarship on this period of Vietnamese history in either Vietnamese or English that is of a higher quality than this. A work of lucid writing founded on excellent research.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish Americans Read This Before The Vietnam War, March 13, 2004

By 

classicalmood "classicalmood" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Birth of Vietnam (Paperback)

To me, a Vietnamese, born and grew up in Vietnam but being educated from both countries, this book is amazing. I read it so many times and still see new aspect everytime I read it again. If you want to understand about Vietnamese history and culture, particularly their relationship to China - no matter you are a Vietnamese living abroad or a foreigner - I highly recommend you to take time reading this precious book. Thanks a zillion to Keith for his enormous effort and relentless interest in Vietnamese history.