Vietnam Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Vietnam appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 29 different states, among them Đại Việt, Annam, Vietnam, Champa, French Indochina.
VietnamExplore the history of Vietnam in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Vietnam as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Vietnam, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 200 BC | Mon-Khmer 52% · Thai 28% · Nan-Yue 20% |
| 100 BC | Nan-Yue 24% |
| 1 BC | Han 50% |
| AD 100 | Han 50% |
| AD 200 | Han 50% |
| AD 300 | Jin 50% |
| AD 400 | Jin 50% |
| AD 500 | Jin Empire 50% · Champa 28% · Funan 17% |
| AD 600 | Sui Empire 39% · Champa 30% · Funan 15% |
| AD 700 | Tang Empire 39% · Champa 35% · Thai Kingdoms 15% |
| AD 800 | Tang Empire 30% · Champa 28% · Nan Chao 22% |
| AD 900 | Tang Empire 30% · Champa 28% · Nan Chao 22% |
| 1000 | Annam 33% · Champa 28% · Nan Chao 20% |
| 1100 | Đại Việt 33% · Champa 28% · Nan Chao 20% |
| 1200 | Đại Việt 33% · Champa City States 28% · Nan Chao 20% |
| 1300 | Đại Việt 30% · Champa 24% · Great Khanate 24% |
| 1400 | Đại Việt 30% · Champa 24% · Ming Empire 24% |
| 1492 | Đại Việt 52% · Ming Empire 24% · Cambodia 15% |
| 1500 | Đại Việt 52% · Ming Chinese Empire 24% · Cambodia 15% |
| 1600 | Đại Việt 85% · Cambodia 15% |
| 1650 | Đại Việt 85% · Cambodia 15% |
| 1700 | Đại Việt 85% · Cambodia 15% |
| 1783 | Đại Việt 91% · Cochin China 9% |
| 1800 | Đại Việt 91% · Cochin China 9% |
| 1815 | Annam 91% · Cochin China 9% |
| 1880 | Annam 91% · French Indochina 9% |
| 1900 | French Indochina 100% |
| 1914 | French Indochina 100% |
| 1920 | Annam 78% · Cochin China 22% |
| 1930 | Annam 78% · Cochin China 22% |
| 1938 | French Indo-China 78% · Cochin China 22% |
| 1945 | Annam 43% · Tonkin 39% · Cochin China 17% |
| 1960 | Vietnam 100% |
| 1994 | Vietnam 100% |
| 2010 | Vietnam 100% |
Historic cities in Vietnam
Famous people of Vietnam
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 – 1969 | Ho Chi Minh | Vietnamese revolutionary leader |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Battle of Dien Bien Phu |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Vietnam?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Vietnam belonged to Đại Việt, Annam, Vietnam, Champa, French Indochina, Han, along with 23 other states.
What was Vietnam part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Vietnam lay within Annam.
What was Vietnam part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Vietnam lay within Đại Việt.
What was Vietnam part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Vietnam lay within French Indochina.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.