28 December, Cat Ba Town
Hoang Gia Minh Hotel 240,000VND

Early Vietnamese history in brief – part I:

·       First independent Vietnamese state founded almost 5,000 years ago

·       111BC China annexed the Red River delta beginning 1,000 years of Chinese rule

·       938AD Chinese defeated by Vietnamese

·       1010 Hanoi founded as new capital of Vietnam

·       Early-1400s China reoccupied Vietnam

·       1428 Chinese defeated by Le Loi who became first in long line of Le dynasty emperors

·       1516 Portuguese land at Danang, set up trading post, convert some to Catholicism

·       1765 Tay Son Rebellion led by Nguyen brothers; Emperor Gia Long takes throne; Nguyen dynasty born ruling until 1945; country united for first time in 200 years

·       1825 Emperor Minh Mang imprisons and persecutes missionaries – gives French excuse to intervene

·       By mid-1880s French colonial empire in southeast Asia comprises Vietnam (Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South)), Cambodia and Laos

·       Start of 70 years of colonial control (active resistance throughout)

Rest day...

Cat Ba harbour

Cat Ba harbour