Article by Madhusree Chatterjee Concerning Indian Relationship with Ho Chi Minh City

Dear Mr. Madhusree Chatterjee,
( e-mail: madhu.c@ians.in)

I would like to bring to your attention the multiple errors I found in your article “South Indians were the ancient money bags in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh city (IANS Books)” that was posted in the Khmerization website (http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2010/03/mr-geetesh-sharma-get-your-history.html) .

It was historically inaccurate when you stated that India’s relationship with Ho Chi Minh City dated back to over 2000 years. Furthermore, you erroneously stated that “The Vietnamese adaptation of Ramayana, 'Ms Sita', is woven around the lives of local prince Po Liem, a local version of king Rama and his wife Sita”.

Firstly, Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam did not exist in the southern part of Southeast Asia two thousand (2000) years ago. Until about the 15^th century, the southern frontier of Vietnam extended only as far as the northern frontier of Champa (Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champa). After Vietnam conquered Champa (a Hindu state that later converted to Islam) around the 15^th century, it continued its marched further south by taking over the southeastern part of the Khmer empire (known as Kampuchea Krom, meaning Lower Cambodia. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Krom) in the 17^th century, which is the current South Vietnam that includes Ho Chi Minh City. Kampuchea Krom did not fully become a Vietnamese state until 1954 after the French awarded the Khmer territory and granted independence to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City was previously called Prey Nokor (meaning Forest City) by Khmer people when Kampuchea Krom was still a Khmer territory.

Secondly, the Ramayana play that you mentioned was not performed by the Vietnamese but rather by the Cambodians (known as Khmer Krom) who numbered about 14 million people and still living in South Vietnam today. The adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana is called Reamke in Khmer (http://www.khmerthesis.com/index.php/tutorials-mainmenu-34/social-sciences/history/67-reamke-in-khmer-culture.html). Our Khmer Krom people are currently being persecuted by the Vietnamese authority.

I would like to recommend the following books for your reading about the relationship between the Khmer Empire and India. These books were written by historians who were/are experts in Southeast Asian history. Just to name a few, I would like to recommend you the following books:

1. By the Indian historian NN Bhattacharya Adhir Chakravati

a) India and South East Asia Socio-Econo-Cultural Contacts (1998)

b) Royal Succession In Ancient Cambodia: The Asiatic Society Monograph Series (ISBN: 003987-153)

c) New Light on Saiva Tantrika Texts Known in Ancient Cambodia (Journal of the Asiatic Society, Vol XV, Nos 1-4, Calcutta, 1973)

2. By the French historian and epigraphy George Coedès:

a) The Indianized States of Southeast Asia

3. By the United States Consul in Indochina Lawrence Palmer Briggs:

a) The Ancient Khmer Empire

4. By the American historian Professor John F. Cady of Ohio University:

a) Southeast Asia: Its Historical Development

I hope that after reading these books you would be kind enough to make a correction concerning the erroneous statements you made in your article.

Sincerely Yours,

Kenneth So