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Vietnams Population and Settlement

In the beginning of Vietnams settlement they were first ruled by China, and it was
known as Nam Viet. The Vietnamese people were descendants of nomadic Mongols from China
and immigrants from Eastern Indonesia. Settlers were drawn to finding a new country, because
of the political instabilities and dynastic changes in China.
A well-known myth of the founding settlement of Vietnam was that the first
Vietnamese people originated from the marriage of a dragon father, and a fairy mother who had
100 sons. We all know and historians have proven that this was not the case. In the article, Early
History, by Karnow (1983), he shares information about the first settlers in Vietnam. He said,
Archaeologists link the beginnings of Vietnamese civilization to the late Neolithic, early Bronze
Age, Phung-nguyen culture, which was centered in Vinh Phu Province of contemporary Vietnam
from about 2000 to 1400 B.C, (Kernaw, 1983). Huong Vuong was the first Vietnamese ruler,
whom founded the nation in 2879 B.C. Throughout this time under Huong Vuongs rule, citizens
from Vietnam settled around the western mountain range eastern coastal locations. In the 19th
century Portuguese were the first Europeans to enter the country. The Vietnamese were sick of
trying to uphold peace with European countries, so the only gap they left open for them was a
Portuguese trading mission. Many rulers came and went for Vietnam, but today the leading ruler
is Truong Tan Sang. Settlement in Vietnam played a large role in their foundation as a country,
and still today is in effect.
Vietnam has very distinct settlement patterns. The settlers around the northern part of
Vietnam such as the Red River are grouped closely to one another. Where as, ones living on the
central coast of Vietnam are often situated in sheltered coves. In the article, Vietnam, Joseph
Buttinger said, In the Mekong delta in the south many settlements are strung out along

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waterways and roads; most are loose-knit clusters of farmsteads, with some of them scattered
among the rice fields, (Buttinger, 2015). This proves Jared Diamonds theory that Vietnams
civilization over time was due to geography and not different racial patterns or genes.
The Vietnamese culture learned from the Chinese on the proper ways to meet their
needs. They were shown how to accurately construct irrigation systems making it possible for
them to assemble their resources. In the early settlement, Vietnams staple food was rice. With
the irrigation system development in place, this helped the process of wet rice agriculture.
Vietnamese people were not content with just wet rice; therefore dry rice farming was put into
place and done in waterless upland fields. This process that was sought out by the Chinese is still
in tact and used today by the Vietnamese. In the book Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond
(1997) said, A prerequisite for living in settlements is either food production or else a
productive environment with especially concentrated resources that can be hunted and gathered
within a small area, (Diamond, 271). Buttinger also said, Through the 900 years of
independence, from the end of Chinese domination until the beginning of French colonial rule,
the Vietnamese economy remained almost exclusively agricultural, (Buttinger, 2015). Vietnam
was and still is the leading country with their agricultural advancements, which include rice.
Vietnams early settlement has had a large influence on the society and its country
today. They have always been a country that is impacted and influences by others in the sense of
settlement, resources, and patterns. Political and governing changes throughout China leads to be
the number one influence to the settlement and finding of Vietnam.

References
Buttinger, Joseph. "Vietnam." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2015. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
<http://corporate.britannica.com/privacy.html>.
Diamond, J. (1997). Guns, Germs and Steel (p. 271). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company
New York London.
Karnow, S. (1983). Vietnam. Early History. Retrieved September 13, 2015 from
http://countrystudies.us/vietnam/3.htm