The Bronze Drums and the Earrings

A Google search for a book on Vietnamese history will result in an overwhelming number about the war, which ended in 1975. This book offers an overview of Vietnamese history from prehistory to the present day and is written for people interested in history from a traveller's perspective. It specifically focuses on the period from 700 to 111 BCE. It briefly discusses the origin of the Vietnamese and the three characters who shaped its early history: the Hùng kings – the founders of Vietnam, An Dương Vương, Zhao Tuo, and the battles involved during the transfer of power from one to the next. The final battle ended the country's autonomy and placed the country under Chinese dynastic rule for one thousand years until the 10th century. It also tells the stories of the mythical Four Immortals, the bronze drums in the north, and the earrings in the centre and the south. It recounts the tragic love story of the Magic Crossbow, the 2200-year-old fort of Co Loa. It is written from a traveller's perspective and has 71 photographs, maps and diagrams.

Chapter 1 – Rivers, Mountains, and the Seas.

Chapter 2 – 2500+ Years of History.        

Chapter 3 – A Summary of this book.      

Chapter 4 – The Hùng Kings and the Yue.              

Chapter 5 – The Four Immortals.               

Chapter 6 – The Prehistory to the Hùng Kings – The Origin of the Vietnamese (Part II).      

Chapter 7 – Flying Egrets and Plumed Warriors.  

Chapter 8 – The Last Hùng King and the 2000-year-old Fortification.          

Chapter 9 – The Magic Crossbow and the Tragic end of the Man from Shu.             

Chapter 10 – A Time of War.        

Chapter 11 – The End of Autonomy.        

Chapter 12 – History Revisited.  

Chapter 13 – A Time to Trade.    

Chapter 14 – Conclusions.