Cambodia

• Chinese ruled over Vietnam for over a thousand years
• Kingdom of Nam Viet existed as an autonomous kingdom
• Chinese influenced the bureaucracy of the Kingdom of Dai Viet
• Le Loi, founder of the Le dynasty, led in ousting China’s Ming in Vietnam
• Pre-colonial History of Vietnam:

  • Development of a Confucian state and high culture modeled on China
  • Borrowed Organization, Confucian ethics, Mandarin bureaucracy
  • Southward expansion known as the "march to the south"
• Tay Son Rebellion was a 'revolution from below' that emerged during a period when Vietnam was partitioned into two parts along the Gianh River, with the Trinh family controlling the North and the Nguyen family governing the South due to heavy taxes and endemic corruption at the local level
• Gia Long was the first of Vietnam’s Nguyen emperors
• Minh Mang viewed Christianity as a threat to Confucianism
• Tu Duc implemented a policy towards the west, closing off the country to foreign influences both religious and commercial
• The Siege of Tourane led to the signing of the Treaty on the official conquest of the 3 provinces adjacent to Saigon in 1862
• In August 1863, the Cambodian King signed the treaty of protection agreement with France
• The French established the Indochina Union in 1887 with Saigon as its capital
• Luang Prabang became a protectorate of France in 1893, and the entire modern-day Laos became part of French Indochina Union in 1898
• The French Federal State of Indochina was an economic profitable enterprise with a government structure from top down, headed by a Governor General, French officials in local administrative levels, creation of the Bank of Indochina, introduction of French legal codes, and French legal judges
• Vietnamese Nationalist Party (Vietnam Quoc Dan Dang) was founded in 1927
• Communist Party of Vietnam was founded in 1930 by Nguyen Tat Thanh, also known as Ho Chi Minh, who founded the Viet Minh (League for Vietnamese Independence)
• Japanese occupation in Indochina led to the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in Hanoi on September 2, 1945, while the French controlled the South
• The Geneva Accord established the 17th Parallel dividing Vietnam
• Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978
• Doi moi, or ‘‘renovation’’ policy of 1986, saw the implementation of the communist system in South Vietnam
• Washington lifted its 30-year trade embargo on Vietnam
• Vietnam entered ASEAN in 1995, benefiting from a rapprochement with its regional neighbors
• Vietnam's economy doubled between 1995 and 2005, with GDP doubling
• In 2017, Vietnam was the world’s largest exporter of cashew nuts and black pepper, the second-leading country exporting coffee, and third in exporting rice and fish
• The French Federal State of Indochina

  • Indochina as economic profitable enterprise

  • Government from top down

  • Headed by Governor General

  • French officials in local administrative level

  • Creation of bank of Indochina

  • Introduction of French legal codes

  • French legal judges
• Communist system was implemented in South Vietnam
• 4 Pillars of Hun Sen’s Leadership:CPP’s firm control over the electoral process

  2. “institutionalized nepotism”

  3. co-optation and personalization are flanked by repression

  against opposition politicians, journalists, and civil society

  activist.

  4. the regime strives to legitimate its claim to power against its

  citizens and the international community
• Following two amendments in their constitution in 2004 and 2006, a newly constituted National Assembly can amend the constitution by majority, and the prime minister is elected by a majority of the members of parliament.
• Obviously, these amendments have reinforced the position of the

  parliamentary majority and served to formalize the factual distribution of power to the benefit of the ruling CPP and its leader, Prime Minister Hun Sen
• Hun Sen has been able to maintain his grip on power through a combination of political skill, patronage, and repression
• Cambodian People's Party (CPP) - The party that currently holds power in Cambodia, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen since 1985