The Penguin history of modern Vietnam

The Vietnamese are in the unusual situation of being both colonizers themselves and the victims of colonization by others.

Their country expanded, shrunk, split and sometimes disappeared, often under circumstances way beyond their control.

Despite these often overwhelming pressures Vietnam has survived and is universally recognized as forming one of Asia's most striking and complex cultures.

As more and more visitors come to this extraordinary country, there has been for some years a need for a major history.

Christopher Goscha, a leading expert on Vietnam, draws on the latest research and discoveries in Vietnamese, French and English.

It is a major achievement, describing both the grand narrative of Vietnam's story but also many of the remarkable byways and what ifs, and is particularly strong on the countless minority groups who have done so much over the centuries to define the many versions of Vietnam.