Vietnam: Did you mean...?

A map illustrating the military campaigns and the expansion of Mongol territory under the leadership of Genghis Khan after the founding of the Mongol Empire in 1206 until his death in 1227. Genghis Khan (1162-1227) rose from relative obscurity...

Austronesian sail types: A: Double sprit (Sri Lanka) B: Common sprit (Philippines) C: Oceanic sprit (Tahiti) D: Oceanic sprit (Marquesas) E: Oceanic sprit (Philippines) F: Crane sprit (Marshall Islands) G: Rectangular boom lug...

Kirin (Qilin), bronze statue at the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. Here, the qilin has a dragon-like head with two horns, cloven hooves, and fire emanating from its chunky, scaled body. Throughout history, the qilin can be found...

A statue of Vishnu riding Garuda. Cham culture, Vietnam, 8-9th century CE. (Musée Guimet, Paris)

This lovely apsara comes from the city of My Son in what now present-day Vietnam. It was created while the region was ruled by the kingdom of Champa. It is made of sandstone and dates from the 10th century CE. (Museum Rietberg, Zürich).

Mot Cot Pagoda is a pagoda in the center of Hanoi. It was built in 1049 CE by Li Thanh Tong King. The temple is constructed of wood on a single stone pillar 1.25 m in diameter, and it is designed to resemble a lotus blossom, which is a Buddhist...

The Mongol Empire (1206-1368) was founded by Genghis Khan (r. 1206-1227), first Great Khan or 'universal ruler' of the Mongol peoples. Genghis forged the empire by uniting nomadic tribes of the Asian steppe and creating a devastatingly effective...

The Song (aka Sung) dynasty ruled China from 960 to 1279 CE with the reign split into two periods: the Northern Song (960-1125 CE) and Southern Song (1125-1279 CE). The Northern Song ruled a largely united China from their capital at Kaifeng...

Marco Polo (1254-1324 CE) was a Venetian merchant and explorer who travelled to China and served the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan (l. 1214-1294 CE) between c. 1275 and 1292 CE. Polo's adventures are recounted in his own writings, The Travels...

Zheng Yi Sao (aka Ching Shih, Cheng I Sao, Ching Yih Saou or Mrs Cheng, d. 1844) was the chief of a massive pirate confederation which plundered the South China Sea in the early 19th century. She inherited the role from her late husband...