In the last century, after the completion of Vietnam's unification, its ambitions swelled rapidly in a vain attempt to build a large empire that included Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. To this end, Vietnam did not hesitate to launch a war of aggression against the other two countries, although Vietnam had thunderbolt means, relative to the strength of the two countries, but in the end it was a tragic defeat.
The imperial dream is not successful, Vietnam is also mired in the quagmire, until after entering the 21st century, Vietnam can be regarded as a real get rid of the debt of the last century, began to embrace the world, complete the transformation.
So, how did Vietnam's dream of a rapidly expanding empire come about? What are some of these factors that have led Vietnam to the path of expansion?
Relations between the three countries
The imperial dream of Vietnam's expansion did not belong to the flat land and rise from the sky, but had profound reasons, to be precise, historical problems. Because historically, Vietnam and Laos and Cambodia have had complex relations that are constantly cut and chaotic, so the basis of Vietnam's willingness to send troops to Southeast Asia and establish an empire is also based on this factor.
As early as the Qing Dynasty, the French arrived in Vietnam and occupied three countries in Vietnam, Laos, And Cambodia. At that time, it was the wave of Western colonization, because britain still occupied the Indian subcontinent, and France could not compete with britain in India, so it could only retreat to the Vietnamese region.
When the British pinched together the colonies in the Indian region to form a unified colonial system, the French also followed suit, bringing together the three countries they occupied and forming a French Indochina government, at this point, the three originally independent countries formed a new political system, which later Vietnam had great ambitions for the other two countries after independence.
Vietnam's energy
Vietnam in the last century can be said to have lived in complete blood and fire, and in its territory, the Vietnamese people of the last century have successively experienced wars against Japan, anti-France, anti-Americanism, and reunification.
Although the country is becoming more and more impoverished, there is no doubt that the Vietnamese people have gradually sharpened their strong will in the war, and their military quality, combat methods, etc., are all self-contained, and have passed through the stage from scratch, from small to large, from weak to strong.
Especially during the Vietnamese War to Resist the United States, in the face of the United States, the world's first-class military power, although the Vietnamese fought very hard and suffered heavy casualties, they resisted the steel cannons of the United States and finally drove the United States out. After driving out the United States, North Vietnam took South Vietnam effortlessly and completed reunification.
At this time, Vietnam's advantages are probably as follows:
There are plenty of soldiers, all the people are soldiers, and the quality is extremely high. Soviet support, including military advisers, weapons assistance, political solidarity, etc. Receiving U.S. weapons left over from the Vietnam War, military power expanded rapidly. National self-confidence has reached its peak, the people are united and the faith is firm. These characteristics are the real situation in Vietnam at that time, so although Vietnam is a country of partial contempt and poverty, it still boasts that it is the third military power in the world, although everyone knows that Vietnam is boasting and is not worthy of the name, but at least one thing is certain, that is, Vietnam at this time does have the capital to boast.
Based on this hard power, Vietnam at that time took the other two countries, formed a unified government, and completed the merger of territory and people. In fact, Vietnam also performed very well in the war of aggression launched later, effortlessly taking Laos, and then dividing the troops into multiple ways, using tactics such as dividing the attack and encircling the Cambodian army, jumping and encircling, and finally making a big effort, basically occupying the entire territory of Cambodia in a short period of time. However, under the influence of external factors, although Vietnam finally achieved occupation, it failed to achieve the purpose of reunification.
So, if Vietnam had really fulfilled its dream of establishing its Indochina Empire, what kind of identity would Vietnam stand on its own in Southeast Asia today?
It is certain that Vietnam's territory will be greatly increased, which is not only reflected in the increase in Vietnam's territorial area, but also in the increase in Vietnam's coastline and the expansion of the depth of the hinterland, which has an immeasurable effect on Vietnam's homeland security. The increase in population can also make Vietnam in a good situation of abundant manpower in Southeast Asia.
With the improvement of strength, Vietnam's influence in Southeast Asia will continue to expand, and it can reach the Philippines across the sea to the east, Malaysia to the south, and even form a certain pressure on Thailand to the west. Although this situation does not make Vietnam a world-class power, it is still very possible to make it a very important regional power in Southeast Asia.