Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"The period of Chinese domination was from 111 BC to 938 AD. The Monarchical period followed from 938 to 1858, including the Independent era (938-1407), the Warlord era (1527-1802), and the Unified era (1802-1858). The Modern period was from 1858 to present." [Wikipedia] "Vietnam's peculiar geography made it a difficult country to attack, which is why Vietnam under the Hùng kings was for so long an independent and self-contained state. Once Vietnam did succumb to foreign rule, however, it proved unable to escape from it, and for 1,000 years, Vietnam was successively governed by a series of Chinese dynasties . . . When Ngô Quy?n (King of Vietnam, 938–944) restored sovereign power in the country, the next millennium was advanced by the accomplishments of successive dynasties: Ngôs, Ðinhs, Early Lês, Lýs, Tr?ns, H?s, Later Tr?ns, Later Lês, M?cs, Tr?nhs, Nguy?ns, Tây Sons and again Nguy?ns. At various points during the imperial dynasties, Vietnam was ravaged and divided by civil wars and witnessed interventions by the Songs, Mongol Yuans, Chams, Mings, Siam, Manchus, and French." [Wikipedia]