Alternative History
Alternative History
State of Vietnam
Đại Việt Nam quốc
大越南國
Timeline: Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum
OTL equivalent: Vietnam
Flag of Vietnam (CPC) Coat of Arms of Vietnam (Myomi Republic)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: 
Tự do - Nhân văn - Hạnh phúc (Vietnamese)
("Freedom - Humanity - Happiness")
Anthem: 
Tiếng Gọi Công Dân

Location of Vietnam (Myomi Republic)
Location of Vietnam (in green)
CapitalHuế
Other cities Saigon; Hanoi
Official languages Vietnamese
Ethnic groups  Vietnamese; Khmer; Cham; Chinese
Religion Irreligion; Christianity; Buddhism; Folk religions; Islam
Demonym Vietnamese
Government Unitary state; Constitutional monarchy
 -  King Thành Minh
 -  Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam
Legislature National Assembly of Vietnam
Establishment
 -  Declaration of Independence from France March 13, 1945 
 -  Treaty of Fontainebleau April 11, 1949 
Population
 -   estimate 91,000,000 
Currency Vietnamese đồng (₫)(VND)
Time zone ICT (Indochina Time) (UTC+7)
Internet TLD .vn
Calling code +84

Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam; Hán tự: 越南), officially known as the State of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Đại Việt Nam quốc; Hán tự: 大越南國) is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. The name Vietnam translates as "South Viet", and was officially adopted in 1941. The country is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea (Vietnamese: Biển Đông, literally "East Sea") to the east. It covers a total area of approximately 331,210 sq km and has a population of almost 91 million. Its capital is Huế, while the largest city is Saigon and has a population of about 7.4 million inhabitants.

Vietnam is a middle power in global affairs and a founding member of ASEAN, and ranks high in the Human Development Index. It has the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia behind Indonesia and the 20nd-largest in the world by PPP. Vietnam is classified as a newly industrialized economy, being one of the fastest growing economies of the 21st century, with agriculture, manufacturing and tourism as leading sectors. It is part of international and intergovernmental institutions including the ASEAN, the APEC, the CPTPP, the Non-Aligned Movement, the French Community, the OIF, and the WTO. It has assumed a seat on the United Nations Security Council twice.

Politics and government[]

History[]

Revived Lê dynasty era (1527–1802)[]

Exile and restoration (1527–1600)[]

An Nan Lai Wei Tu Ce

Mạc Đăng Dung surrendered to the Ming army in Lạng Sơn, 1541.

In 1527, Mạc Đăng Dung, a high-ranking military officer, seized power in the weakened court of Đại Việt and proclaimed himself ruler after deposing the Lê monarch, Lê Cung Hoàng. The Mạc dynasty briefly restored peace and stability, promoted Vietnamese Buddhism, and encouraged folk religious practices. Vũ Văn Uyên rebelled against Mạc and set up his own government in Tuyên Quang, Hà Giang and northern Hưng Hóa. Meanwhile, Nguyễn Kim, a loyalist to the Lê dynasty, fled to Laos in 1529, where King Photisarath granted him administrative control of Xam Neua. In 1533, Nguyễn Kim declared Lê Duy Ninh, the son of the former emperor Lê Chiêu Tông, as the legitimate king of Đại Việt, gaining Photisarath's recognition and support. When the Ming emperor Jiajing sent troops in response to envoys denouncing Mạc Đăng Dung as a usurper, the Mạc court surrendered to avoid invasion, accepting reduced status under the Ming tribute system as the "Commissioner of Annan," a status that persisted even after the Mạc's overthrow in 1592.

Without Ming intervention but with the support of the powerful Nguyễn and Trịnh military clans from Thanh Hóa and Vũ clans from Tuyên Quang, the Lê family slowly regained power over the course of the sixteenth century. A rivalry emerged between Nguyễn Kim, the head of the Nguyễn clan, and Trịnh Kiểm (1503–1570), the leader of the Trịnh clan, despite their military alliance and familial ties through marriage. Trịnh Kiểm's personal ambitions, however, overshadowed these connections, and the balance of power shifted when Nguyễn Kim was assassinated by a surrendering Mạc general in 1545. Trịnh Kiểm consolidated his position by arranging for the assassination of Nguyễn Kim's eldest son, further weakening the Nguyễn clan. By the mid-sixteenth century, the Trịnh dominated the Revived Lê court in Thanh Hóa, sidelining the Nguyễn family. On other hand, the Vũ stayed neutral and consolidated their own rule as the Bầu lords.

The Court of the Choua or General of Tonqueen

An illustration of the court of Trịnh lords in Tonkin, ca. 17th century

To secure his own safety, Nguyễn Kim's younger son, Nguyễn Hoàng, sought advice from the scholar Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm and requested a governorship in the southern frontier territories. With support from his sister, who was married to Trịnh Kiểm, Nguyễn Hoàng was granted authority over Thuận Hoá and Quảng Nam in 1558, effectively removing him as a political threat to the Trịnh. This marked the beginning of a political division that would endure for over two centuries. In the south, Nguyễn Hoàng built a strong political and economic base, aided by loyal noble families who accompanied him into exile. Despite the growing division, the Nguyễn and Trịnh clans continued to collaborate militarily, culminating in the capture of Tonkin (Hanoi) from the Mạc in 1592. The Red River Delta was retaken, forcing the Mạc family into retreat in Cao Bằng near the Ming border.

A Nihonmachi in Hoi An, Vietnam (Ideogram AI generated)

A Nihonmachi district established by the Japanese merchants during the 16th century in Hội An.

The Nguyễn lords, unlike their northern Trịnh counterparts, were more invested in commercial activities, fostering economic growth in their territories. Hội An, under Nguyễn control, became a thriving hub and the most significant trading port on the South China Sea. By the 16th century, Vietnam and Japan had established trading relations, with Vietnamese merchants exchanging silk, sugar, spices, and sandalwood for Japanese silver, copper, and bronze, generating substantial profits for Japan. As Ming influence over the South China Sea declined, Japanese traders increasingly frequented Vietnam, leading to a rapid growth of Japanese settlements in Nguyễn-ruled regions during the 17th century. In 1592, Nguyễn Hoàng sent a diplomatic mission to Empress Go-Suikō of Japan to commend her for the successful Korean campaign, and later, in 1610, another mission congratulated Emperor Go-Konoe on his ascension.

Trịnh-Nguyễn rivalry (1600–1693)[]

Chaya Shinroku Kochi toko zukan áo đối khâm chẽn tay võ sĩ đàng trong

A Japanese painting depicting the soldiers of the Nguyễn lords in Quảng Nam, ca. 17th century.

In 1600, Nguyễn Hoàng broke from the Trịnh court and established control in the south. His son, Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên, succeeded him in 1613 and continued this defiance by refusing to pay taxes to the Tonkin court in 1620. Despite repeated demands and leadership transitions from Trịnh Tùng to Trịnh Tráng in 1623, Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên consistently rejected Trịnh authority. Open conflict erupted in 1627 when the Trịnh launched a four-month campaign against the Nguyễn but failed to overcome their forces. This struggle led to Vietnam's effective division, with the Trịnh ruling the north and the Nguyễn governing the south, separated by the Gianh River in Quảng Bình Province.

Tranh vẽ thời Lê-Trịnh (4)

The depiction of a naval battle between the Trịnh (right) and the Nguyễn (left) forces during the mid-17th century.

To defend their territory, the Nguyễn constructed fortified walls near Đồng Hới, stretching from the sea to the hills, which became key to repelling numerous Trịnh offensives between 1627 and 1672. The Nguyễn fortifications proved highly effective against attacks, even as the Trịnh mobilized vast armies with elephants and ships. In 1633, a Trịnh amphibious assault failed at the Battle of Nhật Lệ, and later, inspired by the Nguyễn's use of foreign technology, the Trịnh sought Dutch military aid around 1635. Despite deploying Dutch artillery and ships, their campaigns faltered, with a major offensive in 1642–43 breaching only the first Nguyễn wall before failing to break the second. At sea, the Nguyễn achieved a decisive victory over the Trịnh's Dutch-equipped navy using Chinese-style galleys.

In 1653, the Nguyễn launched a counteroffensive, capturing Quảng Bình and Hà Tĩnh provinces, but internal divisions weakened their momentum after Trịnh Tráng's death. The capable Trịnh Tạc led a counterattack, driving the Nguyễn back to their original border by 1656, and, when the final Trịnh assault in 1661 failed, the two sides reached stalemate; both the Trịnh and Nguyễn families eventually agreed to a ceasefire. The Trịnh forces, unable to push beyond the Gianh River to conquer Thuận Hóa, turned their attention to eliminating the remnants of the Mạc lords in Cao Bằng by 1677 and solidifying their control in the north. Similarly, the Nguyễn, unable to advance to Thăng Long, focused on campaigns against Champa and encroaching on Cambodia, which had been weakened by its own civil war.

The Grand Mosque of Hoa Thien (Ideogram AI generated)

The Grand Mosque of Hoà Thiện, one of the earliest mosques founded in Vietnam.

Following the Qing conquest of Li in 1662, Hui Muslims from Yunnan, known in Vietnam as the Hồi, migrated and settled around the present-day Kampot–Kiên Giang border region under the support of Sultan Ibrahim of Cambodia (1614–1671; r. 1642–1671), where they established the settlement of Hoà Thiện (和善), led by Tô Văn Bình (1630–1692; 蘇文平, Sū Wénpíng). After the Muslim rule in Cambodia was overthrown in 1675, Tô Văn Bình shifted its allegiance to the Nguyễn lords. Hoà Thiện and other Chinese settlements in the Mekong Delta became semi-autonomous fiefdoms of the Nguyễn domain in exchange for their tributes. Under the Hồi lords, Hoà Thiện served as a commercial intermediary between insular Southeast Asian Muslim states, such as Aceh and Johor, and mainland Southeast Asia.

The Hồi adopted an assimilationist attitude (入鄉隨俗 nhập hương tùy tục), embracing Kinh customs much like the Ming refugees of Han ethnicity (明鄉, Minh Hương). This allowed the Nguyễn to view the Hồi as more "civilized" compared to the Chams, despite the Hồi's Muslim faith. In 1681, Lord Nguyễn Phúc Tần assigned Văn Bình the task of administering the Chams of Panduranga, granting him the title Commander for the Pacification of Champa (征占將軍 Chinh Chàm Tướng quân). However, after Văn Bình's death, he was succeeded by his son, Tô Văn Nguyên (1661–1727; 蘇文元, Sū Wényuán), who had an ambition to expand the Tô family's influence. He seized an opportunity when King Po Saut of Panduranga attempted to regain independence from Vietnamese suzerainty in 1692, prompting a decisive Nguyễn military response.

Chiến Quốc period (1693–1802)[]

Artistic depiction of Tô Văn Nguyên (Microsoft Bing AI generated)

An artistic depiction of Tô Văn Nguyên (1661–1727), the Hồi lord of the Mekong Delta.

In 1693, Po Saut was captured by the Nguyễn, and Panduranga was annexed as Bình Thuận Province under Nguyễn control. However, Cham aristocrats, who continued to resist, persuaded Tô Văn Nguyên to rebel against the Nguyễn, promising their allegiance to him instead. By 1694, Tô shifted his loyalty to the Trịnh, and together they launched coordinated attacks that encircled the Nguyễn forces, catching them off guard with a sudden two-front offensive. In 1695, the Hồi forces succeeded in restoring the Principality of Panduranga after expelling the Nguyễn from the region. Meanwhile, the Bầu lord of Tuyên Quang, Vũ Công Tuấn, rebelled against the Trịnh and attacked Tonkin under the pretext of "liberating the Lê emperor," forcing the Trịnh to evacuate Emperor Lê Hy Tông to Thanh Hóa. These simultaneous conflicts plunged Vietnam into another full-blown civil war.

After Tô formally submitting to the Lê rule in 1695, Lord Trịnh Căn sent nobleman Đặng Đình Tướng to organize the region into the Four Provinces of the Southern Frontier (南疆四府 Nam Cương Tứ phủ): Hoà Thiện (和善)[a], Nam Biên (南邊)[b], Trung Hương (忠鄉)[c], and Phương Đức (芳德)[d]; Tô was assigned the governorship of all those four. This action provoked a wrath from King Chey Chettha IV of Cambodia as the Hồi control of Nam Cương meant detaching the area from his realm. In 1699, Cambodia invaded the Mekong Delta, attempting to regain control of the region, but was repulsed by Tô. In addition to Nam Cương, the Hồi lords also controlled Panduranga, which they reduced into a client state. As they consolidated control in the south, the Hồi famously banned pork consumption (吃豚禁令 Khật đồn cấm lệnh) in the regions under their control, which still influence southern Vietnamese cuisine up to present.

Nguyễn dynasty era (1802–1887)[]

Colonial Indochina (1887–1941)[]

References[]

Footnotes[]

Citations[]

Further readings[]

This article is part of Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum