Vietnamese dynasties timeline
This chart puts 20 Vietnamese dynasties and states on one timeline in order, from Van Lang (c. 700 to 258 BCE) to Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976 CE to the present). On these dates, Later Le dynasty lasted longest, about 361 years.
See it on the interactive chart
- Van Langc. 700 to 258 BCE
- Au Lacc. 257 to 179 BCE
- First Chinese domination (Han)111 BCE to 40 CE
- Second Chinese domination43 to 544 CE
- Champac. 192 to 1832 CE
- Third Chinese domination (Sui and Tang)602 to 938 CE
- Ngo dynasty939 to 965 CE
- Dinh dynasty968 to 980 CE
- Early Le dynasty980 to 1009 CE
- Ly dynasty1009 to 1225 CE
- Tran dynasty1225 to 1400 CE
- Ho dynasty1400 to 1407 CE
- Later Le dynasty1428 to 1789 CE
- Mac dynasty1527 to 1592 CE
- Tay Son dynasty1778 to 1802 CE
- Nguyen dynasty1802 to 1945 CE
- French Indochina1887 to 1954 CE
- Democratic Republic of Vietnam1945 to 1976 CE
- Republic of Vietnam1955 to 1975 CE
- Socialist Republic of Vietnam1976 CE to the present
- Chinese
- Austronesian
- Austroasiatic
- Latin and Romance
In order
Van Lang
Kingdom of the Hung kings in the Red River delta, known only from much later texts. Tradition dates it to 2879 BCE, while a medieval chronicle places its founder in the reign of King Zhuang of Zhou (died 682 BCE). Historians link it to the Dong Son culture.
Au Lac
A kingdom known from a mix of legend and history. Tradition says An Duong Vuong united the Lac Viet and Au Viet in 257 BCE and built Co Loa near Hanoi, whose concentric ramparts resemble a snail shell. Zhao Tuo of Nanyue conquered it, traditionally in 179 BCE.
First Chinese domination (Han)
The Han dynasty ruled northern Vietnam as the commanderies of Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen and Rinan, at first governing leniently and indirectly. In the 1st century it raised taxes and pressed marriage and land reforms, and governor To Dinh's brutal rule led to the Trung sisters' revolt.
Second Chinese domination
Ma Yuan imposed direct imperial rule in 43, though much of the countryside was ruled indirectly from the 3rd to 6th centuries. Jiaozhi drew hundreds of Chinese scholars and Buddhism spread. Revolts were frequent, including Lady Trieu's in 248.
Champa
Cham kingdoms on the central Vietnamese coast traded across the South China Sea, built the brick temples of My Son and sacked Angkor in 1177. Dai Viet took Vijaya in 1471, and Emperor Minh Mang annexed the last Cham principality in 1832.
Third Chinese domination (Sui and Tang)
The Tang ruled the region as the Protectorate of Annam from 679. As Tang power collapsed, local Khuc and Duong families governed in China's name from 905 until Ngo Quyen's victory in 938.
Ngo dynasty
Ngo Quyen defeated the Southern Han fleet at the Bach Dang River in 938 and in 939 claimed the title of king, with his court at Co Loa. After his son Ngo Xuong Van died in 965 the realm broke up among twelve warlords.
Dinh dynasty
Dinh Bo Linh defeated the twelve warlords and named his state Dai Co Viet in 968, with its capital at Hoa Lu. He was murdered in 979, and the general Le Hoan took the throne.
Early Le dynasty
Le Hoan repelled a Song invasion in 981 and attacked Champa the next year. The dynasty ended when the court chose the official Ly Cong Uan as king in 1009.
Ly dynasty
Ly Thai To moved the capital to Thang Long, modern Hanoi, in 1010, and the country took the name Dai Viet in 1054. The Ly founded the Temple of Literature and defeated a Song invasion in 1077.
Tran dynasty
Dai Viet under the Tran defeated three Mongol invasions, the last at the Bach Dang River in 1288. Succession crises and wars with Champa weakened the dynasty, and the regent Ho Quy Ly took the throne in 1400.
Ho dynasty
Ho Quy Ly introduced paper money and land reform and built a new capital at Tay Do. The Ming Yongle Emperor invaded on the pretext of restoring the Tran and conquered the country in 1407.
Later Le dynasty
Le Loi founded the longest Vietnamese dynasty, and Le Thanh Tong conquered the Cham capital Vijaya in 1471. After 1533 the Le emperors reigned as figureheads while the Trinh and Nguyen lords ruled.
Mac dynasty
The general Mac Dang Dung usurped the Le throne in 1527. Le loyalists led by the Trinh retook Thang Long in 1592, and Mac remnants held Cao Bang until 1677.
Tay Son dynasty
Three brothers from Tay Son rose in revolt in 1771, overthrew both the Nguyen and Trinh lords, and routed a Qing invasion at Dong Da in 1789. Nguyen Anh, the surviving Nguyen heir, defeated them in 1802.
Nguyen dynasty
Gia Long ruled all of Vietnam from a new citadel at Hue. France seized the south from 1858 and made the rest a protectorate in 1883 to 1885, and the last emperor, Bao Dai, abdicated in 1945.
French Indochina
France joined Cochinchina, Annam, Tonkin and Cambodia into a federation in 1887, added Laos after 1893 and exploited it through taxes and near monopolies on opium, salt and rice alcohol. Defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 ended French rule.
Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence in Hanoi on 2 September 1945 and fought France until 1954, after which his state held the north. It backed the war in the south and reunified the country after Saigon fell in 1975.
Republic of Vietnam
Ngo Dinh Diem's US-backed republic fought the Viet Cong and North Vietnam. Diem was killed in a 1963 coup, US combat troops left in 1973, and Saigon fell to the North on 30 April 1975.
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Reunified in 1976 under the Communist Party, Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978 and fought a border war with China in 1979. The Doi Moi reforms of 1986 created a socialist-oriented market economy in which manufacturing has grown fast.
Major events
- Han conquest of Nanyue. Han armies take the Nanyue capital at Panyu, bringing northern Vietnam under Chinese rule for most of the next thousand years.
- Battle of Bach Dang. Ngo Quyen plants iron-tipped stakes in the Bach Dang River and wrecks the Southern Han fleet at low tide, ending Chinese rule over Vietnam.
- Dai Viet defeats the Mongols. Tran Hung Dao repeats Ngo Quyen's stake trap at the Bach Dang River and destroys the Yuan fleet, ending the third Mongol invasion.
- Dai Viet conquers Vijaya. Le Thanh Tong takes the Cham capital Vijaya, killing or capturing tens of thousands and reducing Champa to a southern remnant.
- Battle of Dien Bien Phu. The Viet Minh under Vo Nguyen Giap besiege and overrun the French base at Dien Bien Phu. The Geneva Accords, signed ten weeks later, lead to the withdrawal of French forces from Indochina.
- Fall of Saigon and Phnom Penh. The Khmer Rouge take Phnom Penh on 17 April, ending the Cambodian Civil War, and North Vietnamese forces capture Saigon on 30 April, ending the Vietnam War.
Questions
What is the order of Vietnamese dynasties and states?
By start date: Van Lang, Au Lac, First Chinese domination (Han), Second Chinese domination, Champa, Third Chinese domination (Sui and Tang), Ngo dynasty, Dinh dynasty, Early Le dynasty, Ly dynasty, Tran dynasty, Ho dynasty, Later Le dynasty, Mac dynasty, Tay Son dynasty, Nguyen dynasty, French Indochina, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Vietnam and Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Which of the Vietnamese dynasties and states lasted longest?
On this timeline, Later Le dynasty, at about 361 years (1428 to 1789 CE).
How many Vietnamese dynasties and states were there?
This timeline shows 20. Other lists count differently, depending on how they treat rival states and periods of division.
Which came first?
Van Lang, c. 700 to 258 BCE, is the earliest on this timeline.
Where do these dates come from?
Each row's dates were checked against the sources listed on that row's own page, mostly English Wikipedia articles, which cite the underlying scholarship. Dates that are uncertain are marked c.