Mr. Geetesh Sharma get your history straight: There was no Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City 2,000 years ago!

Dear readers,

The following article contained serious historical errors. I agree with comments by one Ki-Media who said:
“The fourth paragraph of the article reads “Ties between India and Vietnam date back to more than 2,000 years when Hindu traders from the Bhagalpur region established the ancient Champa kingdom in central Vietnam, Sharma says.”

This article and Sharma’s book contained serious historical errors. Saigon, formerly the Khmer city of Prey Nokor, only fell under Vietnam’s control in around 1630. 2,000 years ago it was a Khmer city, so the Indian traders at that time established contacts with Khmer, not Vietnamese. About the Ramayana (Reamker in Khmer), it was performed by Khmer Krom, not Vietnamese and the name Po Liem was a mispronunciation of the name Preah Ream (King Rama)and Demon Riep (Ravana) and Hanuman are all characters in theKhmer version of the Ramayana called Reamker.

And Kaundinya, known in Cambodian as Preah Thorng and in Chinese as Hun Tien, was a Cambodian traders who came to Cambodia, probably 2,000 years ago, and married a Cambodian princess (Nagi) called Preah Neang Soma, known as Liv Yi in Chinese and founded a Cambodian kingdom. At that time, 2,000 years ago, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) was a Cambodian city known as Prey Nokor. It only fell under Vietnam’s control in around 1630 so Indian traders at the time established ties with Cambodian people and traders, not Vietnamese because 2,000 years ago the Vietnamese people were still settling in Yunan in China and Tonkin in the most northerly part of territories nearly Hanoi.”

I support the above commenter 100% that there was no Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,000 years ago because 2,000 years ago, Ho Chi Minh City was a Khmer outpost called Prey Nokor and it was populated by Khmers. Prey Nokor (Saigon) was part of Kampuchea Krom and Kampuchea Krom was only annexed by Vietnam in aroun mid 17th century. The name of the characters in the Ramayan play were all Cambodian names like Preah Riem (Po Liem in the article), Riep, Hanuman are all characters in theKhmer version of the Ramaya which is called Reamker in Khmer.

If you think the article is a misrepresentation of the historical facts, please write to the author, Madhusree Chatterjee, at madhu.c@ians.in
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South Indians were the ancient money bags in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh city (IANS Books)

05-Mar-2010
Source: Madhusree Chatterjee

New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) Vietnam – the bloody stage for a 30-year-war with France and then the US – was once home to a bustling Hindu settlement devoted to Shiva and Vishnu.Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, was the business hub of the South Indian Chettiyar community that set up money-lending businesses.

‘The relation between India and Ho Chi Minh city dates back to more than two centuries when the Chettiyars, the trading community from south India, first came to the city to establish their money lending business.

‘Subsequently, when they flourished, they entered the retail trade and formed a place for themselves in local society. They were followed by several other trading communities and religious groups fromIndia ,’ writes veteran journalist, scholar and social activist Geetesh Sharma in his new book, ‘Traces of Indian Culture in Vietnam’.

Ties between India and Vietnam date back to more than 2,000 years when Hindu traders from the Bhagalpur region established the ancient Champa kingdom in central Vietnam, Sharma says.

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