This is actually an illusion. Whether it is a world map or a single map of Southeast Asia, Vietnam does not blatantly include Laos and Cambodia into its own territory. The reason why we often see three countries having When the map was stuck together, it was caused by the special historical environment. In addition, the early Vietnamese leaders also thought this way. Even if they have not given up this idea now, but they are not strong enough, they can only "look at the map and sigh." ".
Vietnam has always appeared as a vassal state of the Central Plains Dynasty in ancient times. Even before the Song Dynasty, most of Vietnam's territory fell under the jurisdiction of our country. This place was called "Jiaozhi". The Qin Dynasty's army went south to conquer Baiyue. The area was brought under the rule of the Central Plains Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty established Jiaozhi County here.
From the Song Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, Vietnam had been a vassal state of the Central Plains Dynasty for thousands of years. However, during the late Qing Dynasty, the national power was weak, and the vassal country Vietnam could not resist the penetration of French colonists. As the suzerain , we had a war with France ( Sino-French War ) in 1885. Although the war was not failed, the government's corruption and incompetence still gave up its suzerainty over Vietnam and watched Vietnam become a French colony . France then used Vietnam as the basis to invade through and other various means, to incorporate Laos and Cambodia into the French colonial system in Southeast Asia, becoming the largest French colony in Southeast Asia - the French Indochina Colony, also known as the "Indochina Federation". France implemented a federal system in this area manage.
After the end of World War II, the strength of the old colonial empires such as Britain and France was greatly weakened. However, after the restoration of France, it was not willing to lose its Southeast Asian colonies and its power came back again. However, at this time, the Viet Cong established a regime in Vietnam and resolutely resisted the French invasion for 9 years. After many years, France was forced to withdraw from Vietnam in 1954, and the mess was taken over by the Americans. This is what we are familiar with as a great defeat of the United States - the 20-year Vietnam War . In 1975, the United States was forced to withdraw from this war in Vietnam. Quagmire, Vietnam also achieved the reunification of the north and the south.
The Vietnamese who won the war forgot about it and believed that they were the third most powerful country in the world. Like the Indians (successors of British India), they considered themselves the successors of the French Indochina colony and wanted to include Cambodia and Laos in their territory. , and sent troops to Cambodia and Laos to establish the Indochina Federation and become the strongest country in Indochina, and even Southeast Asia. Of course, this dream was eventually shattered by our self-defense counterattack.
It is precisely because of such a tortuous history that in recent historical information and maps about Vietnam, it is often seen that the map of Vietnam is actually stuck together with Cambodia and Laos.
