In the period between 111 BC and 939 AD, Vietnam (which had earlier been established as a nation under its own kings) was brought under the control of the Chinese Han Dynasty and was made a part of the Chinese empire. The history of Vietnam during this period was that of several uprisings against the Chinese rule eventually culminating in independence for the Vietnamese people.

In the next millennium, the Vietnamese had to defend themselves against further attempts by successive Chinese dynasties to bring the country under Chinese influence once again.  The culture of Vietnam particularly in the north was, therefore, heavily influenced by the Chinese. In the relatively insulated parts of central and southern Vietnam there were, however, kingdoms like Champa which practiced Hinduism and had cultural contacts with the other Indo-Chinese States and India.

By the end of the 19th century, Vietnam was colonized by the French. In the 1920s, Ho Chi Minh started a struggle for national independence and founded the Communist Party of Indochina. During World War II, the Japanese forces occupied Vietnam and after their surrender, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on 2nd September 1945. However, the French were reluctant to give up their former colony and war ensued against the Communist forces of Viet Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam). On 7th May 1954, French were decisively routed by Viet Minh forces led by General Vo Nguyen Giap at Dien Bien Phu. South Vietnam nevertheless remained under French influence and under the Geneva Agreement of 1954, Vietnam was provisionally partitioned at the 17th parallel, creating the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north and the Republic of Vietnam in the South, with a provision for general elections to be held throughout the country by 1956.  However, the Chief of the armed forces in South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem displaced Emperor Bao Dai and proclaimed an independent state in South Vietnam. The United States thereafter became gradually involved in the war “to protect the South from the Communist North”.

Under the Paris Peace Accord of 1973, the United States agreed to pull out of Vietnam but the war in the south continued until the fall of Saigon in April 1975.  On 2nd July, 1976 the country was formally reunified and renamed as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.  Saigon was renamed as Ho Chi Minh City.