Vietnam and Human Rights - Subtext

Subtext

Jacobsen, Michael and Ole Bruun (edited by). Human rights and Asian values : contesting national identities and cultural representations in Asia

What I like about this book is that it discusses human rights in the broad aspect of Asian culture first. Then it goes on to consider in detail human rights in Vietnam in particular. It is one of the books that legally and culturally addresses the issues of human rights as a whole in the Asian culture.

Sidel, Mark. Book Review: New Directions in the Study of Vietnamese Law. Vietnam and the Rule of Law (Carlyle A. Thayer & David G. Marr eds.). Canberra: Australian National University, 1993. 189 pp.

In this review, Mark Sidel focuses on the “exchanges in constitutional law, legal theory, and law and society issues”. He focuses on these areas to see how they would improve the quality of legal study which would in turn give different perspectives on the legal reform of Vietnam.

Tai, Ta Van. Buddhism and Human Rights in Traditional Vietnam. Harvard Law School. Review of Vietnamese Studies 2004-2005
In this article, Tai presents most of the same ideas as he did in his book. The difference with this article is that he incorporated the influence that Buddhism had on the tradition of Vietnamese human rights. Even though he still relies a lot on the United Nations and its legal impact on the human rights, he really strives to make it clear where the Buddhist religion influenced Vietnamese tradition as well.
Young, Stephen B. & Nguyen Ngoc Huy. The Tradition of Human Rights in China and Vietnam. Yale Center for International and Area Studies. Council of Southeast Asia Studies
I found this source to be interesting because it out right addresses the issue of human rights in terms of China and Vietnam together. Like my main source, it uses the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to refer to how human rights were established in Vietnam.
http://www.internationalrelations.house.gov/110/38819.pdf: Human rights concerns in Vietnam : hearing before the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, first session, November 6, 2007
This document provides information about what is currently going in Vietnam regarding the issue of human rights. It also provides a number of statements that address the issue of how the law still authorizes arbitrary detention without trial amongst many other issues. I found this to be interesting because it discusses issues that were prevalent in the past and how they are still issues today.

Nguyen Cochinchina - Southern Vietnam in the seventeeth and eighteenth centuries

Context

“In the 17th century, Vietnam was divided between the Trinh lords to the north and the Nguyen lords to the south. The northern section was called Tonkin by Europeans, and the southern part called Cochinchina by most Europeans and Quinam by the Dutch . Cochinchina means southern region and the name is used to describe southern regions of Vietnam” (Wikipedia). The capital for Cochinchina was at Saigon. Southern Vietnam was divided into three parts during the French colonial period, Cochinchina, Annam and Tonkin. During the civil war the Chinese gave the Lê Dynasty and the Mac Dynasty rights to parts of land. The Lê rule ruled the southern part of Vietnam and the Mac Dynasty ruled the Northern part of Vietnam. In 1592 Trinh Tung and the Trinh army (Trinh lords) took over the Mac Dynasty in the North and in 1667 the Mac Dynasty was completely conquered by Trinh Tac. In the next few years the Nguyen fought in the civil war with the Trinh lords in the north. Near the end of the war Nguyen started focusing on taking over the south, building up their military force to do so. As Nguyen grew stronger with the help of their army in the south, they experienced a lot of changes with their government as the rule increased in the taxation system. Nguyen later had some success trading with foreign merchants, having Japan to be one of their important traders. They had some struggles with coinage and later decided to make their own. Their struggle with coinage caused them to go into inflation. Their misruling also caused them to go into poverty and famine. All of this would eventually bring the Tay son rebellion (Wikipedia).

Text

In Nguyen Cochinchina the author focuses on the rise of the Nguyen kingdom. Li Tana talks about the expansion of the south and the economic, social, and cultural features of Dang Trong. Vietnam in the seventeenth and eighteenth century was basically about resisting Northern China and expanding Southern China. The North was well established and had a strong state in which most of the land was controlled by the Trinh. The Trinh controlled more land than the Nguyen; about three to four times more than Nguyen. The Trinh controlled the Vietnamese and the Nguyen kingdom controlled the lands of Champa. The Nguyen had experienced seven campaigns by the Trinh and survived each of them. Not only did they survive these campaigns, but they also pushed their borders further south. Their political powers started increasing and they successfully challenged the North. The expansion of the south brought differences to China being two different kinds of Vietnamese making them distinct and equal. Vietnam was securing it’s independence from China. These changes made great differences in the Vietnam culture.
One of the reasons for the expansion towards the south from the Thanh Nghe region was famine and war. Large numbers of people had fled to the south. The migration would occur often and not all at once. The Vietnamese wanted peace and security that the Nguyen rule and Dang Trong offered and this encouraged them to migrate. But the newcomers to the south were often the minority of the land since there were a lot of non-Vietnamese people in Dang Trong. Dang Trong was populated with Chams, and other indigenous people. These people were the main sources of slavery in Dong Nai, and they also supported Tay Son. The Nguyen rule had affected the Vietnamese in ways such as armed forces used for the war with the Trinh and evolution of the fiscal system.
The main Nguyen power and principle was the army. During their many battles, their survival was due to their artillery military unit. Their army was the reason for the continued success in the war against the Lê/Trinh north. As time pressed on there were other changes in the Nguyen government, their kingdom became a civil type of government, people began seeing changes in the taxation system. The main tax was the head tax. This tax was worse in the seventeenth century than it was in the eighteenth century. The results in the taxation didn’t help the Nguyen government. In 1770 the government tried to raise taxes targeting the protection to their own income and interests and taking as much as they could from the people. The raising of taxes could have been the reason of the Tay Son rebellion that later brought down the Nguyen kingdom.
Nguyen was also involved in trading with foreign merchants. Their trading allowed people like the Japanese and the Red Seal merchants to buy Southeast Asian goods easily. The culture was another reason that trading was good. They had a lot of similarities with the people that made them feel comfortable to be around. Nguyen became Japan’s most important trading partner. The red seal trading with Japan helped the Nguyen economy, giving them access to buy expensive arms to fight against the North. “A separate Vietnamese state rested directly on its successful commercial and economic development in these crucial decades.” Trade helped develop the state and was one of the key factors that kept it running.
In the past Nguyen had no desire to create their own currency, but that changed in the eighteenth century when the Nguyen ruler Nguyen Phuc Tru tried the first coinage to meet the country’s needs for currency. Making coins became a struggle when the price of copper went up in China and Japan limited copper exports which created an urgent demand in Cochinchina for coins. Nguyen Phuc Khoat decided to make zinc coins instead to meet the demand for coins in Cochinchina. The quantity was 70 percent less than what the Dutch had been bringing in. In the eighteenth century all of the casting for coins had let them to inflation due to the weight and amount of coins. This led Nguyen to the decision of making their own coinage. Due to Nguyen’s vulnerability, their money supply struggled, which eventually ruined Dang Trong’s trade with foreign merchants.

Subtext

Edited by Nola Cooke and Li Tana. Water Frontier. 1st ed.
Rowman & Littlefield Publisher, Inc.

In this book the author partly talks about the junk trade between South China and Nguyen Vietnam in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The author mentions that the Chinese had a very active role in the junk trade with China and the ports of Southeast Asia. China also did a great deal of trading with Cochinchina. There were seven ports that were involved in the junk trading with China and Cochinchina. Those ports were Suzhou, Ningbo, Xiamen, Zhanglin, Guangzhou, Hainan Island and Macao. The junk trade was very important to the trading system. It “acted as an external component of this integrated trade system”. This trading system increased the commercial networks, commercial exchanges and the economic development for China and Cochinchina.

Bruce M. Lockhart, review, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 44, No. 4 (2001), pp. 610-612

This author reviews Li Tana’s book Nguyen Cochinchina. He basically summarizes what the Li writes about. This was the beginning of how Cochinchina took over the south; the issues Nguyen had with their government and the trading system with foreign merchants. He expresses that Li Tana had done a great job with describing the vital importance of trade and her discussion on the Tay son rebellion.

Vietnam and Human Rights - Text

Text
The main text used for this theme project was that of the suggested text, The Vietnamese Tradition of Human Rights. In this book, the author, Ta Van Tai measures Vietnamese human rights up to that of the United Nations and western culture. Though Tai is discussing his homeland, he seeks out to make this comparison in order to not appear to be biased on the topic. The author, Ta Van Tai, presents four main topics in this book and they go as follows: 1) The Integrity of the Person, 2) Equality or Discrimination, 3) Civil and Political Rights and 4) Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The first chapter, Integrity of the Person, appears to be one of the most important. Tai displays this subject as being the basis for everything else to come in the book. He questions the idea of arbitrary deprivation of life. Tai states that the punishment of the death penalty should only be given if a severe crime has been committed and can only be given by a proficient court. The freedom from bondage, more specifically the difference between slavery and servitude, was also discussed in this first chapter. This is perhaps one of the most interesting topics due to the fact that it appears that there is a difference between slavery and servitude. This is ironic because servitude is the state of being a slave, therefore, the terms are pretty much one in the same. The only real difference was that between a private and public serf. Private serfs might have the opportunity to buy their freedom if it was approved by the master but a public serf could never become free.
The second topic or chapter is much thought provoking as well. It questions the idea of equality or discrimination. Tai uses Article 7 and Article 2 from the Universal Declaration as his main basis to question the so called Vietnamese equalities. In summary, the articles state that everyone is considered equal before the law and they are entitled to the same protection of the law. The articles go on to state that everyone is entitled to these rights without regard to race, color, sex, language, religion, national origin or anything else (p. 99). Ta Van Tai uses the topics of family status, social status, sex discrimination and racial discrimination to establish the idea that in Vietnamese tradition, things are not as equal as they ought to be. For example, if a younger relative denounced or were to hit an elder they would be punished for such action. If the tables were turned and the elder did the same thing, there would be no punishment. The only way an action of punishment would be taken on the elder is if the action resulted in a serious injury or death.
The third chapter, Civil and Political Right, consisted of two focuses; the freedom of movement and the freedom of collective action. Tai, once again, approached these topics in the form of a question. Unlike the first two chapters, in this chapter the author did not present a completely different opposition to the questions posed. Take for instance the question of being able to freely move about. Instead of stating that mobility was not at all possible, Tai informed us that it was possible but there was particular procedure that needed to be taken. Freedom of assembly, also known as freedom of religion also had its limitations. Religious assembly was normally tolerated and slight limitations were only imposed when it was felt that large gatherings would jeopardize public order and in turn, governmental authorization may be needed. At one point, there was no specific regulation to this form of collective action. After the repression of the Catholics, the emperor implemented a policy that stated only assemblies consisting of more than one hundred people needed government authorization.
Lastly, the final chapter of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. As one could imagine, economic rights consisted of the right to an adequate standard of living in the terms of social security, health, hunger and property. As for social and cultural rights, those topics entailed the idea of family rights and educational rights. I thought it to be interesting that under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the traditional human rights as taught by the Vietnamese society, everyone has the opportunity to an education. With that right though, it is understood that even though everyone does have the right to an education, there is a parental right to choose the type education that their child should receive. Furthermore, I also find it interesting that this opportunity is open to everyone when I feel it is culturally known that women play a different role than men in the area of education and the Vietnamese society. Yes, men and women have the same opportunity to education but it is obvious that what may be done with that education differs between male and females.
Throughout this book, Tai does well in comparing the Vietnamese traditions to that of the United Nations and the western cultural. By using the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he provides examples of how the Vietnamese way of life is connected to that of the rest of the world; the western cultural in particular. He also does well in remaining unbiased by highlighting the positives and negatives of the human rights emphasized in Vietnam. Tai makes it evident that all of these topics and issues are imperative to the idea of Vietnamese human rights. Even though, Tai does well with what I would consider the political aspect, like some of Tai’s critics, I would have liked for him to elaborate on the cultural aspect as well. All in all, it almost appeared that he was just listing the laws that had been established in Vietnam as opposed to the true and innate human rights of the Vietnamese society. I would have valued his book and his opinion even more if he would have provided a more well rounded view of human rights in Vietnam.

Vietnam and Human Rights - Context

Context
Most of these sources reference the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to describe the human rights that exist in Vietnam. This document was one that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in order to provide an outline of human rights granted to all people. For this topic, Vietnam and Human Rights, it appears that the controversies or items in which the disagreements are based upon are more evident than any other. Most of the issues and subcategories that relate, that have been presented in the main source book are presented in the form of a question. Therefore the reader is lead to believe that what is normally presented as being factual is not the case at all. These questions almost feel to be rhetorical because the author turns around and answers it with what he may feel to be the more correct answer than what is normally presented. Ironically though, the main source is not the only one to bring attention to these controversies. Most of the sources I referenced addressed the legal aspect of human rights in Vietnam. One of the main questions or controversies that stick out is that of the topic that is discussed in the second chapter of the main book; “Equality or Discrimination?” This is also a heavy topic that is addressed in many of the other sources that speak to the subject of human rights in Vietnam. Throughout this course and the sources used, it has become very clear that family is a very important part of the Vietnamese cultural but in many of the outside sources I used to reference, they actually bring to light that inequalities do exist in many areas of the Vietnamese society. Overall, after reviewing my sources, it appears that there are two main disagreements that come into play regarding the issue of human rights. The first is the argument of the difference between what is said to be done with Vietnamese human rights and what is actually done. The second would be the lack of the cultural evidence that is provided when speaking of Vietnamese human rights. On the whole, the main debate would be the question of where Vietnamese human rights come from. After reviewing my sources, I think it is easy to say most people feel that Vietnamese human rights come from a legal influence with smaller influences such as religion and the overall culture playing a role as well.
From the sources used, it appears that most people agree that the author, Ta Van Tai, heavily compares the basis of Vietnamese human rights to the United Nations and the western culture. It is also agreed upon that Tai attempts to adopt the idea of the Vietnamese traditions being based on that of the United Nations in order to remain politically or culturally unbiased.

Vietnam and Buddhism

Vietnam and Buddhism

Context

Buddhism, the fourth most followed religion in the world, is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who lived during the fifth century BCE in what is modern day India. The legend says when he was born, a wise-man came to see him, claiming to his father he would be either a king or a holy man. Contrary to his father's hopes, upon leaving his estate as a young man, Guatama saw things which made him decide his life should be led as an ascetic. He gave up his possessions and went searching for enlightenment. Being taught by many religious teachers without the success of finding what he was truly searching for, Guatama came to the conclusion harming one's self could not be the way. Thus, he discovered what Buddhists call the middle path, or way of moderation, and was able to reach true enlightenment. Guatama spent the remainder of his life spreading what he had learned. Buddhism, in short, is based on finding inner peace, with the goal of attaining enlightenment in order to become one with the universe or reach Nirvana after death. Buddhists search for the good in all things, leading to a life of happiness guided by Karma - the belief that your actions in this life will influence your next incarnation. The entry of Buddhism to what is now Vietnam happened sometime during the first century CE and quickly established itself as one of the prominent religions. It is thought to have been brought by Indian monks traveling through the area to reach China, while some sources state it spread from the native Khmer or Champa. As with most religions, Buddhism has come to develop multiple sects. In Vietnam, these consist of Theravada, Mahayana, and Zen. Theravada is the oldest branch of Buddhism, therefore the first to establish itself in Vietnam. It is based on the study of literal readings of the religious texts along with meditation in order to reach enlightenment. This is the stereotyped Buddhism where enlightened ones have no earthly desires nor suffering. Theravada is the least practiced sect due to the belief that only those born in a position to become a monk or religious scholar can achieve enlightenment. This is the major difference between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is the school most followed since it claims anyone can achieve enlightenment with the guidance of a Bodhisattva - an enlightened soul which chooses to wait to enter Nirvana in order to help others reach enlightenment. Mahayana reaches for a "group salvation" and has a much more liberal take on the Buddhist texts. Mahayana spread to Vietnam after gaining a strong following in China, and is the most practiced form of Buddhism in Vietnam, as well as the rest of the world. The Zen tradition, in Vietnam referred to as Thien, is considered by some a separate sect, while others place it as a part of Mahayana Buddhism. The Zen belief followers do not rely on religious theory nor intense readings of sacred texts, but rather base their path to enlightenment around meditation and personal experiences. Zen is a much more personal form of the religion and no true doctrine or rules, and religious services are non-communal most times. It came about as a distinct branch of Buddhism in China in the seventh century CE, and is still highly practiced there and in Japan. It is commonly accepted that Zen came to Vietnam in 580CE, brought by an Indian monk who had been studying the Chinese Zen tradition. A strong Zen lineage was thought to be formed and maintained for many centuries, though this has recently been questioned. Buddhism developed a strong foothold as many government positions in the developing country were held by monks, as they would be educated as well as admired by the common people. However, it has flourished throughout Vietnam primarily because of the culture. With many social, economic, and environmental hardships during its history, it has provided acceptance for even those with little means. It allows hope for everyone of achieving enlightenment and reaching Nirvana. Strong spiritual beliefs and the fatalist mentality common among Vietnamese is welcomed in Buddhism rather than facing the opposition shown by most religions. Even in current times Vietnam keeps strong ties with the religion as one the most recognizable figures of Buddhism, especially in the West, is a Zen Buddhist monk from Vietnam named Thich Nhat Hanh.

Text

The compilation of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh in the early fourteenth century C.E. and its rediscovery in 1927 C.E. has provided a modern, commonly accepted authority on Buddhism in Vietnam from the sixth to the thirteenth century C.E. The Thien Uyen Tap Anh, commonly referred to as the Thien Uyen, is translated to literally mean "Outstanding Figures in the Vietnamese Zen Community" and is a collection of Vietnamese Buddhist monks' biographies and includes conversations, poems, and kes (a ke being the "the ultimate spiritual instruction a master can gave his disciplines before death"). Though the original author is unknown, many speculate it has been rewritten, added to, and taken away from during its compilation from the twelfth to fourteenth century, when it was finally put together as one work. Tran Van Giap, a scholar of Vietnamese Buddhism and discoverer of the Thien Uyen after almost five-hundred years of its absence, translated and chose the work as his new study. The Thien Uyen claims that during this time period three distinct schools of Zen were developed: the Vinitaruci, the Vo Ngon Thong, and Thao Duong; thus making Zen (Thien in Vietnamese) Buddhism the preeminent form of Buddhism throughout medieval Vietnam. However, though the Thien Uyen is brought together from multiple sources and is not thought of as a work of fiction, the credibility of the Zen aspect has come in to question.
The problem is with the lack of other materials and sources of Vietnamese Buddhism during the period of the Thien Uyen, Giap and interpreters of the work have accepted its literal translation without a critical evaluation of historical information pertaining to Buddhism in Vietnam during the sixth to thirteenth century. The publishing of Zen in Medieval Vietnam by Cuong Tu Nguyen is a direct contradiction of most, if not all, Zen existence in Vietnamese Buddhism throughout the years of the Thien Uyen. Nguyen's argument is that the stories of these schools and monks are not actually Zen in any way, claiming "the Zen tradition or school in medieval Vietnam was, more than anything, an imagined community." Zen in Medieval Vietnam begins with the Thien Uyen Tap Anh's place in Vietnamese Buddhist history. Nguyen discusses its compilation problems, as it seemed to be edited to fit the circumstances necessary to seem Zen in its work. Nguyen states Buddhism entered Vietnam, what was then Jiazhou, about the second century CE by way of traveling monks, though it was not able to gain a foothold until Vietnam established freedom from China during the tenth century. Without any other historical documents discussing the history of Buddhism or religion in general at this time, it is apparent why the Thien Uyen is the main source of historical and religious knowledge for this time period.

The book then takes a turn to the historical analysis of the Zen tradition in China and how it relates to that of Vietnam. Its concluded that the known history does not allow for the arrival of a Zen tradition prior to the time of the Thien Uyen. Nguyen cites events that are overlooked, such as the sudden conversion in China of Buddhist temples to Zen monasteries when the new school escalated. It is likely many Vietnamese Zen monasteries the monks from the Thien Uyen practiced at would have undergone a similar, almost instantaneous change some time after the lives of these monks. The inconsistencies of the three Zen lineages, especially in relation to each other, plays a major role in Nguyen's belief that they never even existed. To bring together his accusations against what probably didn't happen, the author turns to how Buddhism most likely existed in medieval Vietnam, working to show why Zen was not a part of it.

Readers are then given a complete translation of the Thein Uyen Tap Anh as to make the discussion more understandable to the audience, as well as let them build their own opinions. Nguyen then provides two full appendixes of supporting data for his earlier arguments, which after reading the actual translation, are very convincing. A final appendix gives us biographies and stories of some of the monks' in the Thien Uyen but from other sources for comparison. A strong ending for the book, which until reading through, seems very strangely put together. The author concludes with the original Chinese character version of the text for those whom wish to have it.

Overall, the author provides a very convincing argument, though proves not, that the Zen lineage of medieval Vietnam was probably not much more than elaborations of actual Buddhist monks' lives in order to better fit the times and give the Zen followers a tradition with which to relate. Zen in Medieval Vietnam should lead to a very critical evaluation of the Thien Uyen by scholars and religious elite alike, and in the future possibly establishing a history of Vietnamese Buddhism during this time without the inconsistincies and unlikely events, therefore increasing our knowledge of this vague period of the Vietnamese past.

Subtext

Mitchell, Donald. Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Here is the book to start with if you want to know anything about Buddhism. It starts with a biography of Gautama, then discusses in-depth all of his teachings. It explains the spread of Buddhism by the original followers, and has a complete section on Mahayana Buddhism, and we’re just getting started. The different schools of Buddhism are discussed in a complete chapter for each India, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. The chapter on modern Buddhism, as the book was just written, provides current happenings with the religion in all parts of Asia as well as a chapter on Buddhism in the West. Mitchell uses the Vietnam section of his Modern Buddhism chapter to briefly examine the beliefs and works of the Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Vietnamese influence in Buddhism in the United States is also presented in the chapter about the West where Mitchell mentions things such as the ever growing influence of Nhat Hanh and how the move of Vietnamese to America after the war led to the construction of over 160 Buddhist temples in the U.S.

Stevenson, Daniel B. "Reviews." Journal of the Economic and Social
History of the Orient 43.2 (2000): 211-213
A direct review of the book “Zen in Medieval Vietnam”, Stevenson, a University of Kansas associate professor who specializes in Buddhism in China and religion of southeast Asia, presents his opinion of Nguyen's work. Stevenson praises the idea of examining an unquestioned text as important as the Thien Uyen, especially through the critical, yet scholarly approach Nguyen takes. He discusses how little is known about medieval Vietnamese Buddhism, and applauds the evaluations of the Thien Uyen.
However, Stevenson stresses that it is not so simple to decide what is actually fact and what is fiction. Considering the ruling state of Vietnam homogenous while discrediting the homogeneity of the Zen clerics’ is not as easy as Nguyen makes it out to be. Also, the review discusses the unclear terminology of the definition of Vietnam and Zen at the time, something Nguyen tries to explain in the introduction. He concludes that these should not be taken as criticism, but rather open the door for future discussion of Zen in Medieval Vietnam's subject matter.

Nguỹên, Long Thành Nam. Hoa Hao Buddhism in the Course of Vietnam’s History. New York City: Nova Science Publishers, 2003.
Hoa Hao is a religion based on Buddhism which was founded by Huynh Phu So in 1939 in southern Vietnam. It quickly gained a following due to its Vietnamese nationalism idea under the colonial rule of France. The author discusses the rise of the Hoa Hao, its influence in French colonial policies, and its rise to prepare for an armed struggle against the French and later the communist party. The founder of Hoa Hao also founded the Vietnamese Social-Democratic party, and shortly after was assassinated. The book gives an interesting look at this branch of Buddhism, which played a huge part, especially with the rise of their own army, in Vietnamese politics for a brief period of time. Nguỹên writes about the continued, though lessened, influence of this religion of about one million after the integration of its army in to the national army and up to the present.

http://www.woodmoorvillage.org/2005/08/the_tu_hieu_lin.html. 08-07-2007
This Woodmoor Village webpage provides a summarized version of the debate about the introduction of Zen Buddhism to medieval Vietnam. It gives an overview of Tran Van Giap's interpretation of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh, as well as the argument of Nguyen. It also provides other sources on the topic, and a review of Zen in Medieval Vietnam. Finally, and most unique, it has a brief history of Thein (Zen) Buddhism's lineage through ancestral teachers in Vietnam.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm%2005-08-08
Religioustolerance.org is an excellent site for an objective look at views and practices of any religion. The Buddhism page allows for a quick reference to the basic belief of the religion as a whole, the beginning of Buddhism, and specifics of the main traditions. It also questions whether Buddhism is actually a religion, which is not an uncommon discussion on the topic. Something that sets this site apart from most generic sites is a comparison of Buddhism to Christianity – a unique attribute that is very helpful for those trying to understand Buddhism without dealing with all the difficult terminology.

Phan, Peter C. "A Review of Zen in Medieval Vietnam: A Study and Translation of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh." Journal of Buddhist Ethics 5 (1998)
The Warren-Blanding professor of religion and culture, Peter C. Phan gives us an overview of Nguyen's work, as expected with any review. Phan provides some background to Giap's discovery of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh and decides "The key issue at stake is then to determine the exact literary genre of the Thien Uyen." He also presents a view that if Buddhists take a historical-critical view it could easily strengthen the faith as opposed to destroying it as could easily be interpreted from reading Zen in Medieval Vietnam.

Schwamm, Jennifer, ed. A Lifetime of Peace: Essential Writings By and About Thich Nhat Hanh. New York, NY : Marlowe & Co., 2003.
The author and editor of A Lifetime of Peace puts together biographical data, interviews, and Nhat Hanh’s poetry to give us a look at the modern embodiment of a Zen monk. Banned from Vietnam in 1966 due to his being an activist for global peace, and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. for his stand against the Vietnam War, he has become the most recognizable Vietnamese Buddhist of this time. Schwamm shows us Buddhism is still very much a part of Vietnam, and will continue to be just that. The book is also a great way to see what Zen Buddhism strives for in our time, and provides a basis for comparison to monks of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh as to help form your own opinion on the legitimateness of the claimed Zen lineage.

Vietnam and China Subtext

Subtext

Tran, Nhung Tuyet, and Anthony Reid. Borderless Histories. 1st ed. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.

Borderless Histories provides another view on the debate over Vietnamese national identity. The introduction provided by Nhung Tuyet Tran and Anthony J. Reid gives excellent examples and insight into both sides of the debate over a Vietnamese national identity, the Sino-Chinese legacy and the more modern indigenous national identity. Tran and Reid provide a series of sources from people that they feel have generally been marginalized such as women and cosmopolitan misfits, but they also provide documents written from the state’s point of view and even a variety of foreign documents. They use these documents to explore the different ideas of the Vietnamese nation, the history of nation building, the debate with China, and the American and Australia perspectives on the Vietnamese identity. While not explicitly disagreeing with Kelly’s work in Beyond the Bronze Pillars, Tran and Reid provide a view that in some ways contrasts with Kelly. However, while providing some contrasts Tran and Reid provide a balanced approach to the idea of a national identity which is an indispensable tool when considering the ideas that conflict against the ideas that have been accepted as truth since the late 19^th century.

Gellner, Ernest. "Nationalisms and The New World Order." Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 47(1994): 29-36.

Gellner, a well respected philosopher and social anthropologist, has dedicated much of his work to creating a more solid definition and cause for nationalism. Gellner’s views in this article lend strong support to the argument that Vietnam has only recently developed an idea of nationalism and is projecting back onto past historical events to synthesize an idea of longstanding nationalist traditions. Gellner argues that nationalism is very much a byproduct of industrialization and the industrial age’s quest for ever increasing technology. With this logic Vietnam would necessarily have had to define itself with a more local sense of place and self identifying more with what is around them on a day to day basis. This would lead one to believe that village life and local customary traditions would have far exceeded any sense of combined identity, or for that matter an identity that is entirely based off of an imperial culture that has been put into place by China. Critics to Gellner have suggested that it is indeed possible for nationalism to develop without the need for high technology or industrialization, pointing to nations today that have a sense of national pride and identity without industrialization. However, I feel that Gellner’s points warrant consideration especially in concerns to how a Vietnam from the past may have viewed themselves, both in relation to a “national” identity and in relation to their large neighbor to the north China.

Whitmore, John. "Literati Culture and Integration in Dai Viet, c. 1430-c. 1840." Modern Asian Studies 31(1997): 665-687.

An article providing a further examination at the culture and lifestyle of the so called literati of Vietnam, this article takes a look to later times in the history of Vietnam, starting from 1430 and moving into 1840. Whitmore provides more background even from earlier periods than originally indicated in his study of these literati. There are details on the political and cultural climates that influenced these men during their ascent into high education. Further, Whitmore provides more details on the shifting trends of the literati that prove helpful in the establishment of exactly what these people meant to society and how representative they are of the Vietnamese people as a whole. Finally, in a small way this article also provides confirmation of the importance given to the Confucian and Neo-Confucian systems in the early parts of his study, giving support to the ideas that suggest China played an important role in the Vietnamese identity.

Taylor, Keith. "Surface Orientations." Journal of Asian Studies 57(1998): 949-978.

Taylor, a well respected scholar on East and South East Asia, provides another perspective on the Vietnamese national identity. In “Surface Orientaitons” Taylor challenges a common conception of the Vietnamese regionalism. While he acknowledges these regional distinctions as a firm reality in Vietnam, he also makes a strong argument that these regionalisms do not break apart any sense of nationalism or national identity that the Vietnamese may have. Taylor attempts to take his point slightly further by suggesting that these regionalisms may have even contributed to a stronger sense of nationalism. Thus, Taylor feels that there is a solid foundation of Vietnamese national identity, despite the many differences in foundation or source the people of Vietnam are still subject to a shared history and these regionalisms in many ways serve their own national needs.

Brook, Timothy, and Bob Tadashi Wakabayashi. Opium Regimes. 1st ed. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2000.

Brook and Wakabayashi both acclaimed authors and professors based in Toronto combine to edit this comprehensive work on the Chinese Opium trade and its consequences to the Chinese people and society. While this work emphasizes China and its endeavors with opium the book can also serve as useful tool in understanding the trade patterns of East and South East Asia. During the introduction and much of the first part Brook and Wakabayashi include a considerable amount of material on the economic entanglement that had been a long standing pattern in Chinese history. This well established trade system leads to a further discussion on the tributary nature of the economies surrounding China and ultimately how these economies were used to further exploit China by the European powers both as they first began their economic conquests into China and during the so called “Opium Wars”. Finally, the book provides excellent source material on the economic and cultural reliance created out of the trading practices with tributary countries, as it shows how the networks for so long had benefited China, but with the introduction of European parties came the downfall of trade for the once mighty nation.

Vietnam and China Text

Text

In Beyond the Bronze Pillars Liam Kelly makes use of a large collection of tributary envoys’ poetry to rethink the Vietnamese national identity. Kelly proposes that the Vietnamese culture has drawn extensively from a Chinese influence throughout their history, challenging the narrative put forth by modern day nationalists of a society that has retained its unique indigenous attitudes throughout its history. In his introduction and much of his first chapter Kelly introduces the idea and basic chronology in which the poetry he draws from takes place in. This chronology is a useful tool to put at the beginning so that the reader can draw a clear pattern in their mind of Chinese influence from start to finish.

In the first chapter Kelly lays out the idea of Ma Yuan’s bronze pillars being an important concept in the history or mythology of Vietnam. The pillars establish, at least for Kelly, a distinction between the territories of China and Vietnam, but they also provide for a constant reminder of Chinese presence within Vietnam through its history. Even after the supposed pillars have fallen they remain a cultural reference showing their importance and thus the Chinese importance within the Vietnamese mind. After this initial usage of the Bronze Pillars in his analysis of the relations between Vietnam and China the pillars become somewhat of a symbol and less a point of actual research, discussion, and discovery. Kelly instead chooses to focus on the more literary side of the relations between Vietnam and China, especially through his main case work of the envoy poets. After moving on somewhat from the Bronze Pillars, Kelly continues his chapter by detailing the historical confrontations with China and the literature that it brought with it. This literature as Kelly points out is primarily nationalist rhetoric with such speeches concerning the “pacification of the Wu”. However, Kelly is also quick to point out that many loyalist writings persist throughout this period and all the way into the time of French occupation. Kelly concludes this first chapter by including some information on the envoys, their language, and their background. While I feel that this particular information is indispensable it also works to weaken Kelly’s cause, as it separates the envoys from the general population. Thus, with this level of separation the subjects Kelly uses become vulnerable to questions of representation. Is it possible that these educated elites could represent an entire population of people who live in a cultural world encompassed by the village? Whether Kelly thinks so or not is debatable, the main point that he makes is that these literati are distinctly linked to the Chinese, and he continues this linkage throughout the work. With the doubt of representation or even possibly the need for such a representation of the population comes the issue of who constituted the “nation” of Vietnam at this time. If we are to follow Kelly’s argument further it becomes apparent that the government and the elites that operated within it constitute most of his idea of a nation at this time.

Kelly continues throughout Beyond the Bronze Pillars to establish further ties and the necessity for those ties between China and Vietnam. The sturdier points that Kelly makes detail how the various dynasties throughout the dynastic age sought legitimacy from the Chinese government by sending their envoys. A particularly emphasized case by Kelly in this regard is the Tay Son government’s quest for Chinese recognition. Kelly spends most of a chapter detailing the importance of the envoys receiving Chinese approval for a stable government back in China. Not only does this show that the Chinese still had considerable sway over the government of Vietnam at the time, but it also shows the cultural importance of China to the Vietnamese as it shows China’s unique importance in a filial relationship with Vietnam. Vietnam always sought to retain a solid relationship with China and very little information is given on Vietnam’s relationship and approval seeking of neighboring territories such as Thailand or Korea. Kelly even dedicates a part of a chapter to the idea that the Korean and Vietnamese envoys interacted in China during the tributary visits, and that these envoys got along very well as they were part of a similar cultural world. This represents two things for the Chinese position within Vietnam. First, it establishes that a cultural world based on the Chinese culture and society existed throughout a large portion of Asia of which Vietnam was most certainly a part of. Secondly, it shows despite the presence of similar cultures in other territories Vietnam still sought the approval of China first, showing that the Chinese aside from being a large economic and military power, had an important place in culture and government.

Throughout the work, Kelly provides a convincing argument that the Chinese played an important role in the formation and continuation of Vietnamese culture. He provides clear evidence of a link between the two groups, especially in regard to the elites of the two societies, and he pays special attention to setting up the filial relationship that existed between Vietnam and China during this time. The major draw back to Kelly’s work is that it is very open to the question of representation. The envoys led a distinctly different lifestyle from that of the average Vietnamese individual, as these envoys were often the most highly educated of the elites. If you move beyond the notion that a nation is comprised by the peasantry and the sum of all the individuals within the territory that is in many ways a modern idea of a nation, it is quite reasonable to follow all of Kelly’s arguments to the end that China indeed was a key player in the Vietnamese identity. However, even if you choose to use a definition of a nation that includes all people in your thoughts on the Vietnamese identity it is still important to take Kelly’s arguments into consideration on the narrative of Vietnamese history and identity. Combining the narrative provided by Kelly with that of the nationalist rhetoric that has been so preserved throughout Vietnamese history allows for a more clear understanding of the true events within Vietnamese history that has led to the formation of such an identity, an identity that is in many ways a hybrid of both Chinese and unique indigenous struggles.

Do you need another opinion?

Pelley, Patricia. "Review of Beyond the Bronze Pillars." The American Historical Review 3(2006):

Pelley, a Texas Tech professor of history, is fairly well known among the discussions of Vietnamese history and cultural identity. She has published two books on the nationalist identity of Vietnam. In her review of Kelly’s work she takes a distinctly different approach from Kelly. Immediately she points out the possible pitfalls among Kelly’s statements and examples, and even goes so far as to say the book is problematic. While she never overtly points out the key issue in Kelly’s logic it is clear she is nagging at the issue of representation that Kelly’s source so often lack. Pelley points out many of the lulls that occur in the work where Kelly dwells overly on issues that are not necessary to an understanding of Sino-Vietnamese relations or to the identity of Vietnam. However, with all of this in mind Pelley still condones and encourages Kelly’s work as innovative and deserving of being widely read because of this new and interesting position that he has taken.