Vietnam under Chinese rule or Bắc thuộc, is used by Vietnamese historians to describe the period when today's northern Vietnam was under Chinese dynasty rule. "Bắc thuộc" is considered to begin in 111 BC, when the Han dynasty conquered Nanyue and lasted until the fall of the Tang dynasty during the 10th century. A fourth, relatively brief, 20-year punitive invasion by the Ming dynasty during the 15th century is usually excluded by historians in discussion of the main, almost continuous, period of Chinese rule from 111 BC to 939 AD, as is the brief occupation of northern Vietnam by Kuomintang forces of the Republic of China at the end of World War II. The following describes each of the four periods and their respective upheavals:
The four periods of Chinese rule do not correspond to the modern borders of Vietnam but to Vietnam as a cultural entity. During the first three Chinese periods of rule, the pre-Sinitic indigenous culture was centered in the northern part of modern Vietnam in the alluvial deltas of Red River, Cả River and Mã River. Ten centuries of Chinese rule left a substantial demographic footprint, with settlement by large numbers of ethnic Han Chinese, while opening up Vietnam for trade and culture. The long period of Chinese rule introduced Chinese techniques of dike construction, rice cultivation, and animal husbandry. Elements of Chinese culture such as language, religion, art and way of life constitute an important component of traditional Vietnamese culture until modernity. This cultural affiliation to China remained true even when militarily defending Vietnam against attempted invasion, such as against Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty. Chinese characters remained the official script until the 20th century, despite in the aftermath of the expulsion of the Ming saw a rise in vernacular chữ nôm literature. Although 1,000 years of Chinese rule left many traces, the collective memory of the period reinforced Vietnam's cultural and later political independence.
