Why might Korea have been better able to maintain its independence compared to Vietnam?

Answer 1

Answer to the Multiple Choice Question
This seems like a version of this multiple choice question:

Based on a map of Asia, why might Korea have been better able to maintain its independence compared to Vietnam?

1. Located between powerful neighbors, Korea can rely on one to defend against the other.
2. As a peninsula, Korea has a natural advantage as a naval power.
3. Korea is further away from Japan than Vietnam is.
4. Korea is surrounded mostly by water, making it difficult to invade.

The problem with this question, as opposed to reality, is that it wants an analysis purely according to geography and not according to history or culture. As a result, the desired answer is (4) demonstrating the strength of Korea's position as a peninsular country as opposed to Vietnam as bordering land on all sides. However, this fails to acknowledge the history of either country. Japan was consistently the greatest threat to Korea's independence, invading it by sea, and Vietnam had its longest foreign occupations in the last thousand years be those of France, the United States, and Japan (World War II), all of which invaded Vietnam by water.

Answer in Reality
Both Korea and Vietnam were able to maintain their independence quite effectively over the centuries and both took vastly different approaches. Both of these countries maintained borders with China, which was the most powerful country in the region by far, both militarily and economically.

The various Korean Dynasties (Goguryeo, Silla, Goryeo, and Joseon) maintained independence by securing a vassal-lord relationship with China. Chinese Emperors considered Korea to be an incredibly loyal vassal and would often treat Korean foreign domestic issues as direct concerns of the Chinese Empire. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi of Japan launched an invasion of Korea, China called up soldiers to fight across the Korean peninsula and preserve Korean independence. Meanwhile, Koreans focused on preventing Japanese ships from disembarking at all by using cunning naval strategies. When China was put in a very weak position, such as when Genghis Khan defeated northern China or from Western Imperialism in the 19th century, Korea, accordingly, was overrun and conquered. In the modern period, Korea maintains a strong economic relationship with China, but only North Korea maintains a vassal relationship with China. South Korea maintains a military alliance with the United States.

While Vietnam has a long Western land border, most of this border is highlands and mountain ranges, which meant that Vietnam was really only open to land invasion from its northern and southern borders. Given that the regimes to Vietnam's south and southwest were weaker than it was, Vietnam was continuously expanding into their territory and they proved to be a minimal issue. However, China was a serious issue for Vietnam, especially before 1010 C.E., when Vietnam was usually considered a province of China. In contrast to Korea being considered a loyal vassal, Vietnam was seen as the eternally rebellious son. China often sent soldiers to the south with the intent of reconquering Vietnam, but the Vietnamese used the difficulty of the jungle and mountainous terrain to their advantage. The Chinese advantages of large armies were not effective in an environment where generals can not readily communicate with all divisions and where jungle diseases multiply with large encampments. As a result, Vietnam had to continually fight for independence, making it a rather martial state and cultivated a strong national identity which resisted Sinification (Chinese-ifying) and foreign influence during the French Occupation. This galvanized the Vietnamese independence movements.