Secondary Unit 1 - THE PAST SPEAKS TO US: VIETNAM'S HISTORY

Major Themes
Time, continuity and change, Culture
Students explore ways in which they can use evidence around them to see the influence of the past still at work.

Outcomes

• describing and explaining lasting and changing aspects of Vietnam's history;
• constructing sequences and timelines;
• constructing ideas from evidence;
• interpreting and analysing representations of the past.

To explore additional ideas and resources for using this unit from Vietnam - Young People, Old Country: Secondary, click on the following

Teaching Ideas | WWW Links | Annotated Bibliography

Teaching Ideas
Here are a number of activities for teachers to use the resource sheets contained in this unit.

Resource sheet 1 Introduction

This page has been designed specifically to help students think about Vietnam by responding to statements about history. It could also be used by parents. Students could be asked to have their parents fill in the survey, as well as doing it themselves.

Alternatively, send home a newsletter informing parents about class activities in history. This will raise the profile of history in the school community as well as involving parents in their students' education.

Resource sheet 2 Images from Vietnam's history

This page could be used as an alternative introductory activity

• Students try and sequence the images, from oldest to most recent.
• Remove the captions and ask students to write them. Get them to work out what each image is showing.
• Give students the captions and ask them to compare them with their own efforts.
• Alternatively, put captions on different images. Students then match the image with the caption.

Ask students: if they only had these images, what could they say about Vietnam's history? This is an alternative way of establishing some of the themes of Vietnamese history.

Resource sheet 3 A time line of Vietnamese history

This document provides a useful summary of important events in Vietnam's history. The strategies suggested in the book ought to be considered carefully. The document will work best if students are expected to consider a few, possibly no more than 10, key dates and events so that they see the use of the time line, rather than just having it presented to them as a whole.

Resource Sheet 4 Vietnam's geography
Remove the captions to the maps before reproducing them for the students, and re-arrange their order. Ask the students to sequence the set.
Have students make three statements about Vietnam from the information on the Resource sheets. They can then hypothesise about some consequences which might follow from that statement. For example:

Statement	Possible consequences
Vietnam has several neighbouring countries.	Vietnam needs a large army. Vietnam will be influenced by those neighbours.
There are two rich agricultural areas in Vietnam.	Most of the population will be concentrated in those areas. If natural disasters hit those areas, it will cause great suffering for all.
Vietnam has a long sea coast.	Fish will be an important national resource.
Vietnam is very mountainous.	Large parts of Vietnam will have few people. Parts of Vietnam will develop differently to the rest. The way people live differs from area to area.

These possible consequences can be recorded and tested as other materials are looked at during the unit.
The time line can be used as the first extra resource for testing some of the possible consequences. Is there any evidence in the time line to substantiate or to challenge any of these hypotheses?
Alternatively, construct a series of True / False questions about Vietnam based on this information - similar to the set on Resource sheet 1. These can be tested as the unit progresses.

Resource Sheet 5 Vietnam's religions
Very little information is given here about each of the religions. Students can be set a research exercise to find out more. Information on Buddhism and other religions practised in Vietnam is available at

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/basic-guide.htm
http://www.askasia.org/teachers/essays/essay.php?no=5&era=&grade=&geo=

Resource Sheet 6 Vietnam's museums

• Have students underline or write in the key word which describes each museum's focus.
• Find the key events or mark them on the time line.
• Have students arrange the events in a time sequence.
• Remove the captions and have students suggest a caption for each of the 12 objects given, or re-arrange the captions and have students match the object with the appropriate description.
• Locate each object on the time line.

Duplicate sufficient copies of the illustrations for groups in the class. Remove two different illustrations from each of the pages. Have students cut out the illustrations they have left. Play a game of bingo, calling out the full set of illustrations at random until one group has matched all they have. Do not call out the name of the object, but give 'clues' which will make the students interpret the illustrations - eg 'I am a famous figure from modern Vietnamese history'.

Resource Sheet 7 Vietnam's heroes and holidays
Ask students to apply the ideas on this page to their own environment:

• What are street names in their area?
• Who are their heroes?
• Design a set of names for a new estate area.
• Research an existing local name.
• Design a plaque to go under each street name which gives some basic information and explanation about that street name.
• Draw up a table of Australian festivals and holidays and compare it with the Vietnamese one.
• Suggest a new festival or holiday which could be introduced into Australia.

Resource Sheet 8 Vietnam's national emblem and anthem
Have students identify and underline different sets of words in the Vietnam's national anthem: victory, struggle, success, attitudes.
If students only had this evidence, what could they say about Vietnam's past, the events at the time the anthem was written, and the attitudes and qualities of the people?
Discuss ideas of national identity, anthems, flags and symbols in a nation's life.

WWW Links

http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/van_kien/docs.html
This site inlcudes another translation of Vietnam's national anthem.
Students can be asked to compare the translations, and to discuss the problems that might arise in translating materials into another language. What meanings might be lost or changed as a result of different words?

Other historical documents available on this site include:
Abdication of Emperor Bao Dai (1945)
Declaration of Independence (1945)
Agreement on the Independence of Vietnam (1946)
Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1992)
The 8th National Vietnam Communist Party Congress Papers (1996). Extracts could be taken from these to identify the issues of concern in Vietnam.
Further links to Vietnam era documents, Vietnamese historical maps, and some illustrations of Vietnamese leaders are also avaialble at this site.

http://www.vietnamembassy.us/learn_about_vietnam/politics/constitution/
This site provides the full Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

http://www.viettouch.com/whois/
http://www.viettouch.com/hist/ngoquyen/
http://www.viettouch.com/hist/tranhungdao/
http://www.viettouch.com/trungsis/
These sites offer excellent historical summaries and timelines. Students could use some of the images provided as the basis for their own illustrations to add to their time line. They could also be asked what they might add to their time line from this collection.

Vietnam: Behind the Lines (scroll down to the bottom of the page and select the 'Vietnam: Behind the Lines' link)
http://www.fathom.com/feature/190228/
The first site is an exhibition of Vietnamese paintings from the Vietnam War while the second is a discussion of the exhibition. They could be the basis of an interesting exercise for some students in representations of history and the nation.

http://www.askasia.org/frclasrm/lessplan/l000073.htm
The Hmong people and their Story Cloth handicraft show how traditions are transmitted through folklore and art. There are examples, with exercises, of Hmong textile patterns. The site also provides a good museum lesson approach, using an artefact from Mongolia, but in a way which could be adapted for a Vietnamese artefact.

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/
The Blue Web site provides dozens of lesson plans and teaching ideas. The Biography Maker could be used to help direct research on Vietnamese historical figures.

http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/van_kien/leaders.html
Photos of Vietnamese leaders such as Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dien Diem are available on this site.

http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/ban_do/ban_do.html
The Coombs site provides a number of historical maps of Vietnam

Bibliography

Buttinger, J 1967, Vietnam: A Dragon Embattled, Praeger, New York
A good overview of Vietnam's historical development.

C K (Cao Duc Ki) 1984, My Country, Artlook Books, Perth
A short book covering aspects of Vietnam's history using sketches and Vietnamese and English text. Written by a Vietnamese refugee to Australia.

Dowling, David and Hooper, Beverley 1996, Contemporary Asia - A Research Guide, School of Asian Studies, The University of Western Australia
A comprehensive guide to sources of academic information on Vietnam.

Downie, Sue 1993, Down Highway One - journeys through Vietnam and Cambodia, Allen and Unwin, Sydney
A family's journey through modern (early 1990s) Vietnam. Good stories, descriptions and musings on the meaning of their experiences.

Higham, C 1989, The Archaeology Of Mainland Southeast Asia from 10 000 BC to the Fall of Angkor, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
An academic account of the archaeological remains of Vietnam. An excellent source of illustrations.

Hoskin, John and Hopkins, Allen W 1991, The Mekong, Post Publishing, Bangkok
Beautiful photographs accompany this comprehensive text on the history and course of the Mekong River.

Houghton, Graham and Wakefield, Julie 1987, Vietnam, Macmillan Melbourne
A useful general overview of the history of Vietnam.

Jamieson, Neil J 1995, Understanding Vietnam, University of California Press, Berkeley
A useful general overview of Vietnam's history, concentrating on the modern period.

Kalman, Bobbie 1989, The Land, People and Culture (series) Crabtree Publishing, New York
This series covers the land, culture and people of Japan, Vietnam, Canada, India, Mexico and Peru. A set of 3 books covers each country. Well indexed, with a glossary of activities, easy to read information, and beautiful colour photographs.

Kamm, Henry 1996, Dragon Ascending, Arcade Publishing, New York
A useful general overview of Vietnam's history, concentrating on the modern period.

Karnow, Stanley 1984, Vietnam: A History, Penguin, New York
A classic study of the American involvement in the Vietnam War.

Nguyen Khac Vien 1993, Vietnam: A Long History (Revised Edition), The Gioi Publishers, Hanoi
This is the official party history of Vietnam. There are 6 chapters (135 pages) on traditional Vietnam, and 11 chapters on the period 1858 - 1975. A good representation of history from the Communist Party viewpoint.

Nguyen Phu Trong, Tran Dinh Nghiem, and Vu Hien 1995,Vietnam From 1986,The Gioi Publishers, Hanoi
An official party line view, looking particularly at the policy of doi moi, Vietnam and the world.

Passage To Vietnam 1996, Against All Odds, New York
This CD ROM includes over 400 photographs of life in Vietnam today that can be accessed by theme or location. An excellent visual record of the country. Available for Macintosh and Windows.

Storey, Robert and Robinson, Daniel 1995, Vietnam: a travel survival kit, Lonely Planet Publications, Melbourne
An excellent overview of the history and cultures of Vietnam, as well as detailed descriptions and travel information.

Wier, Nevada and Yogerst, Joseph R 1992, Land Of Nine Dragons, Abbeville Press, New York
A general history of Vietnam.