--- product_id: 40040471 title: "Viet Nam: A History from Earliest Times to the Present Illustrated Edition" brand: "ben kiernan" price: "$115.98" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 12 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/40040471-viet-nam-a-history-from-earliest-times-to-the-present store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Viet Nam: A History from Earliest Times to the Present Illustrated Edition **Brand:** ben kiernan **Price:** $115.98 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Viet Nam: A History from Earliest Times to the Present Illustrated Edition by ben kiernan - **How much does it cost?** $115.98 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/40040471-viet-nam-a-history-from-earliest-times-to-the-present) ## Best For - ben kiernan enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted ben kiernan brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Viet Nam: A History from Earliest Times to the Present Illustrated Edition - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71OHyWktaBL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars A very intelligent and captivating approach to Vietnam history *by V***R on Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2017* This book is very interesting to read. It is the third comprehensive treatise of Vietnamese history by American/Canadian professors that I bought in the last few years . Although I cannot say I have read any of them in its entirety, I love them all. I am using them not only as reliable reference material to review, update and expand my knowledge about my own country of origin, but also as assessments, from expert outsiders, of our culture and our identity in relation to the world, to understand better what we were and where we came from, to reassess the nationalistic bias and prejudices inherent to the post-colonial education we had received in Viet Nam and our own politicized media in the last 60-70 years. Kiernan's so far is my favorite among the three books, particularly because of its extensive discussions about language, culture, minorities, which are wake up calls for Vietnam's Kinh majority like me who grew up unaware of the plurality of the different peoples who shared this S shaped country over the last several millennia. Thank you, Professor Ben Kiernan, for your dedication .PS: On page 170, first paragraph, a friend detected an error. Mongol General Toghan was not killed in battle as stated in the book, but survived and fled back to China.(in Vietnamese Wikipedia about Toghan:Trấn Nam vương Thoát Hoan (chữ Hán: 脱欢, ký âm Mông Cổ: ᠲᠣᠭᠠᠨ, Тогоон, Toγan; ? - 1301) là một hoàng tử và là tướng nhà Nguyên trong lịch sử Trung Quốc. Ông được biết đến trong lịch sử Việt Nam qua 2 lần mang quân sang đánh nước Đại Việt cuối thế kỷ 13 thời nhà Trần nhưng đều bị thất bại). Sogetu (Toa Đô, 唆都), another Mongol general was actually killed in battle. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and readable history of Vietnam *by T***Y on Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2020* The book starts with prehistory and continues through 2016. It is not for someone completely new to the history and geography of the region, but it is excellent for a reader with at least some acquaintance to the region's and Vietnam's history. It does a good job of setting out themes (e.g., water and mountains) that are carried through the book without seeming forced. The book is also quite good and balanced on post WWII political and economic history.I am sitting in my hotel room in Hoi An Vietnam, and I am glad to have read the book before and during my trip. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars The Authoritative One Volume History *by M***K on Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2018* Vietnam is far far more than a war. As a region that's been settled for thousands of years, and a trade nexus for the South China Sea, it has a long and complex history. No single volume could possibly cover the whole history of Vietnam, but Kiernan makes an able effort, trying to draw some cohesive themes out of a mass of history.Geography is destiny, and again and again water appears as a major theme. Rice based settled cultures flourished in the Red River delta in the north, the Mekong delta in the south, and the innumerable smaller rivers up and down the coast. Archaeological evidence records a culture that made great bronze drums and had complex chiefdoms. Vietnam enters the historical record roughly 2300 years ago as a province of China. The Vietnamese were ruled as internal vassals for roughly 1100 years, with intermittent rebellions, before finally breaking away under Ngô Quyen in 934. The next thousand years were a mess of feudal history, marked by the rise and fall of dynasties, civil wars, and a few great kings. The major trends of this era were the conquest of the southern Champa kingdom by firearms equipped Vietnamese armies, increasing trade across the region and with Europeans, and military victories over the Chinese, combined with an import of Confucian culture, and a system of scholarly exams based on knowledge of the Chinese classics.1887 marked the third turn in Vietnamese history, with the authoritative victory of the French over the Vietnamese, and the colonization of the last independent Vietnamese kingdoms. French rule was marked by exploitation, but also the introduction of the romanized Quoc Ngu alphabet, and the rise of a local vernacular culture rather than one based on Chinese classics. Journalists and revolutionaries agitated against the French, and syncreatic millenialist sects arose (the Cao Dai and Hoa Hao). The course of the first and second Indochina Wars are covered briefly, as well as Vietnam post-1975, with the slow redevelopment of the country postwar, and economic liberalization without political liberalization.Someone who knows more about the pre-1954 history of Vietnam might find something to criticize, and if you have strong opinions about the present government, you'll likely be disappointed. My biggest problem with this book is that it is very dry. I like this kind of stuff, and it still took me 10 days. Glad to have read it, even if I still can't remember the order of the dynasties. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/40040471-viet-nam-a-history-from-earliest-times-to-the-present](https://www.desertcart.us/products/40040471-viet-nam-a-history-from-earliest-times-to-the-present) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-04-26*