And there was no doubt that one thousand years of Chinese rule left a lasting imprint on the Vietnamese culture. But Chinese occupation did not extinguish the Vietnamese view of themselves as a separate and distinct people.
4. The system of Chinese rule was eventually snuffed out after a series of popular uprisings that were meant to drive out the foreign intruder. Finally, in the mid-tenth century A.D., Vietnamese rebels took advantage of the chaotic conditions in China, drove out the Chinese and restored independence. The new state which called itself Dai Viet, soon became a major force in Southeast Asia. Although politically independent, Vietnam's new rulers found Chinese institutions and values useful in building a disciplined and powerful state.
5. In Vietnam, the Chinese influence was actually used to some extent in political institutions. The Vietnamese liked these values because, they believed that they were important in building a disciplined and powerful nation in Southeast Asia. For several hundred years, Vietnamese political and social institutions continued to be based on Chinese models.
6. Confucian philosophy and ethics emphasized the importance of the family and the community over the private interests of the individual. This concept reinforced the position of the monarch (who now called himself emperor on the Chinese pattern) and the centralized power of the state. But the power of the emperor was not absolute. While in many Southeast Asian societies the ruler was a god-king with unlimited powers, the Confucian system stressed that the behavior of the ruler was bound by a set of broad political principles (called in Chinese, the Tao, or Way) that required compassion and concern for the needs of his people. Should he fail to live up to those standards and oppress the people, then he would lose the "Mandate of Heaven- and could be deposed. The Confucian system also was unique in its concern for the selection of talented and virtuous individuals to serve in the bureaucracy.