Vietnam's Social and Political Development as Seen through the Modern Novel

Novels can provide insight into the socio-political evolution of a country. The Vietnamese modern novel made its first appearance in the 1920's during the French domination. As a looking glass of the social and political world, it mirrored the realities of the times. In the beginning, the novel reflected the Westernization of the country, the various social classes, the people's sufferings and struggles against foreign rule, and their longings and aspirations. Vietnamese novelists presented pictures of the First Indochina War (1946-1954), and the Second Indochina War up until 1967. Then the novel became a tool for political indoctrination in the northern half of the nation while the southern half struggled for survival.