Ancient Vietnam - Changing Names

Changing Names

See also: Names of Vietnam and List of Vietnamese dynasties

For the most part of its history, the geographical boundary of present day Vietnam covered 3 ethnically distinct nations: a Vietnamese nation, a Cham nation, and a part of the Khmer Empire. The Viet nation originated in the Red River Delta in present day Northern Vietnam and expanded over its history to the current boundary. It went through a lot of name changes, with Văn Lang being used the longest. Below is a summary of names:

Period	Country Name	Time Frame	Boundary
Hồng Bàng Dynasty	Xích Quỷ	2879–2524 BC	Stretching from Dongting Lake (Hunan) to the southernmost area now called Quảng Trị, including the Kwangsi and Kwangtung provinces of China.
Hồng Bàng Dynasty	Văn Lang	2524–258 BC	Territory reduced to modern Northern Vietnam including the three modern provinces of Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh. The Red River Delta is the home of the Lạc Việt culture.
Thục Dynasty	Âu Lạc	257–207 BC	Red River Delta and its adjoining north and west mountain regions.
Triệu Dynasty	Nam Việt	207–111 BC	Âu Lạc, Guangdong, and Guangxi.
Han Domination	Giao Chỉ (Jiaozhi)	111 BC - 39 AD	Present-day north and north-central of Vietnam (southern border expanded down to the Ma River and Ca River delta), Guangdong, and Guangxi.
Trưng Sisters	Lĩnh Nam	40 - 43	Present-day north and north-central of Vietnam (southern border expanded down to the Ma River and Ca River delta).
Han to Eastern Wu Domination	Giao Chỉ	43 - 229	Present-day north and north-central of Vietnam (southern border expanded down to the Ma River and Ca River delta), Guangdong, and Guangxi.
Eastern Wu to Liang Domination	Giao Châu (Jiaozhou)	229–544	Same as above
Anterior Lý Dynasty	Vạn Xuân	544–602	Same as above.
Sui to Tang Domination	Giao Châu	602–679	Same as above
Tang Domination	An Nam	679–757	Same as above
Tang Domination	Trấn Nam	757–766	Same as above
Tang Domination	An Nam	766–866	Same as above
Tang Domination, Autonomy (Khúc family, Dương Đình Nghệ, and Kiều Công Tiễn), Ngô Dynasty	Tĩnh Hải quân	866–967	Same as above
Đinh, Anterior Lê and Lý Dynasty	Đại Cồ Việt	968–1054	Same as above.
Lý and Trần Dynasty	Đại Việt	1054 - 1400	Southern border expanded down to present-day Huế area.
Hồ Dynasty	Đại Ngu	1400–1407	Same as above.
Ming Domination and Posterior Trần Dynasty	Giao Chỉ	1407–1427	Same as above.
Lê, Mạc, Trịnh–Nguyễn Lords, Tây Sơn Dynasty, Nguyễn Dynasty	Đại Việt	1428–1804	Gradually expanded to the boundary of present day Vietnam.
Nguyễn Dynasty	Việt Nam	1804–1839	Present-day Vietnam plus some occupied territories in Laos and Cambodia.
Nguyễn Dynasty	Đại Nam	1839–1887	Same as above
Nguyễn Dynasty and French Protectorate	French Indochina, consisting of Cochinchina (southern Vietnam), Annam (central Vietnam), Tonkin (northern Vietnam), Cambodia, and Laos	1887–1945	Present-day Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Republican Era	Việt Nam (with variances such as Democratic Republic, State of Vietnam, Republic of Vietnam, Socialist Republic)	Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945–1976 in North Vietnam), State of Vietnam (1949–1955), Republic of Vietnam (1955–1975 in South Vietnam), Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976–present)	Present-day Vietnam.

Almost all Vietnamese dynasties are named after the king's family name, unlike the Chinese dynasties, whose names are dictated by the dynasty founders and often used as the country's name.

The Hồng Bàng Dynasty was a dynasty of the ancient Vietnamese nation before recorded history. The Thục, Triệu, Anterior Lý, Ngô, Đinh, Anterior Lê, Lý, Trần, Hồ, Lê, Mạc, Tây Sơn, and Nguyễn are usually regarded by historians as formal dynasties. Nguyễn Huệ's "Tây Sơn Dynasty" is rather a name created by historians to avoid confusion with Nguyễn Anh's Nguyễn Dynasty.