The Mekong Delta, also known as the Western Region or South-western region, is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam, consisting of 06 provinces in total: Tây Ninh, Đồng Tháp, An Giang, Vĩnh Long, Cà Mau, and one central city – Cần Thơ City.

The local inhabitants of the Mekong Delta are spontaneous, straightforward, and hospitable, all have created a distinctive characteristic of the Mekong Delta. Now, let’s go with Viet Dream Travel to explore the Mekong Delta’s history, which has absolutely intrigued you.

The Mekong Delta’s history over the course of time

The Mekong Delta was likely inhabited by the Funan and Chenla civilizations for centuries. This is the cradle of the Óc Eo culture, which flourished in the early years of the AD era. In particular, agriculture and commerce at this time were quite developed, with a range of evidence, including ancient irrigation works, canals that both irrigate and transport, handicraft products, metal coins, jewelry, seals made of precious stones, glass, and many imported products. Researchers believe this ancient state existed in Southeast Asia from the 2nd to 6th centuries and has been recorded many times.

Vietnamese period

In 1658, Lord Nguyễn Phúc Tần helped a royal relative of Chenla, Batom Reachea, to the throne. In response to the new king of Chenla, who signed an annual treaty of tribute to Lord Nguyễn and allowed the Vietnamese to own the reclaimed land in Saigon, Đồng Nai, and Bà Rịa (currently Ho Chi Minh City). In these areas where the Vietnamese population was increasingly crowded, the Lords of Nguyễn had to send a strong army to maintain security, place rulers, and collect taxes.

In 1698, Lord Nguyễn Phúc Chú sent Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in the Chenla region. He divided the Chinese-controlled land of Đông Phố into districts and then sent a mandarin to rule. Lord Nguyễn also recruited exiles from Quảng Bình to establish villages and reclaim land here.

In 1680, Mạc Cửu, a native of Guangdong, moved with his family members and relatives to Chenla when the Qing Dynasty toppled the Ming Dynasty. He established, expanded, and governed the land of Hà Tiên, Rạch Giá, and Phú Quốc (currently An Giang Province), which at that time belonged to Chenla; however, the king could not control these areas. In 1708, in order to avoid the frequent pressure of Siam (Thailand), Mạc Cửu offered these lands to Lord Nguyễn Phúc Chú.

During the Nguyễn Dynasty, Emperor Gia Long continued to complete the administrative system and unify management nationwide. In 1836, Emperor Minh Mạng ordered the registration of all provinces in southern Vietnam. In the 19th century, the Nguyễn emperors built a system of defensive fortresses along the border to protect national sovereignty over the southern land.

During the resistance war against France and America

In December 1845, the three countries of Vietnam, Siam (Thailand), and Cambodia signed a treaty that recognized that these six southern provinces belonged to Vietnam.

In 1859, the French defeated the Nguyễn army and forced the ceding of the three southern Vietnamese provinces of Biên Hòa (now a part of Dong Nai City), Gia Định (Ho Chi Minh City), and Định Tường (now a part of Dong Thap Province) in June 1862.

By the end of 1867, the French controlled all provinces of southern Vietnam, and later named it “Cochinchina”.

In 1889, France and Cambodia signed a series of legal documents to plan and demarcate the border between Cochinchina and Cambodia, affirming that Cochinchina belonged to Vietnam.

From 1941 until 1945, Cochinchina was occupied by Japan during World War II. After the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Communist-front Viet Minh had declared a provisional government (a Southern Administrative Committee) in Saigon. In June 1946, France declared Cochinchina a republic, separate from the northern and central parts, and began the French Indochina War on 19 December 1946.

In 1948, Cochinchina was renamed the Provisional Government of Southern Vietnam. The whole area was merged the next year with the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam, and the State of Vietnam, with former emperor Bảo Đại as head of state, was then officially established. After the First Indochina War and the temporary partition of Vietnam agreed at Geneva, with French and American patronage, Cochinchina was merged in 1955 with Annam south of the 17th parallel to form the Republic of Vietnam, “South Vietnam”, under the presidency of Ngô Đình Diệm.

During the war with America, there were many conflicts and disputes over the border between the Saigon regime and the Cambodian government. On May 9, 1967, the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia issued a statement calling on countries to respect Cambodia’s territorial integrity within the current border. In response to Cambodia’s call, on May 31, 1967, and June 8, 1967, the Central Committee of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam issued statements recognizing and committing to respect Cambodia’s current border. By the end of 1968, 34 countries had issued declarations expressing respect for Cambodia’s independence, sovereignty, neutrality, and territorial integrity within its current borders.

Since the day of peace and unification of the country (April 30, 1975), the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the People’s Republic of Cambodia have signed the following treaties:

– Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Cooperation between the two countries signed on February 18, 1979.

– Treaty on land border, signed on February 20, 1983.

– National border planning treaty between the two countries, signed on December 27, 1985.

– Additional treaty to the 1985 Border Planning Treaty, signed on October 10, 2005, between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The above treaties affirm the national sovereignty of the two countries, Vietnam and Cambodia, with the southern part of the country falling under Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty.

On September 7, 2006, representatives of the Governments of the two countries commenced construction of the first international milestone at the Mộc Bài border gate (Vietnam) – Ba Vet (Cambodia), and the two Governments were determined to reach the beginning of the year 2008, completing the marking of the land border between Vietnam and Cambodia.

If you have any chance to visit Vietnam, don’t forget to come explore the Mekong Delta’s history and cultural value. And we are willing to support your Vietnam holiday trips.