Vietnamese

The Vietnamese are a Southeast Asian civilization based on various dynasties in Vietnam before the European colonization. They are featured in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas as an archer civilization with decent teamwork and team bonuses (a trash unit upgrade, a 500 gold tribute to the entire team and the revelation of enemy positions).

Historically, the Vietnamese were known as one of the few nations who successfully resisted the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. This is mostly attributed to the resistance of the Vietnamese army that mostly consist of peasants and volunteers that were quickly deployed in the battlefield to resist against enemy invasions. To reflect on the Vietnamese peasant army, they get free Conscription once they reach Imperial Age. The Vietnamese were also masters of guerilla warfare, using the Vietnamese jungle and cliffs as their advantage for traps and striking their enemies through the shadows of the Vietnamese jungle. Such guerilla tactics were used against enemy invaders and occupiers that withered down the enemy forces and the guerilla tactics were even used against the American troops in the modern times during the Vietnam War. To reflect on the Vietnamese mastery of guerilla warfare, they have a unique upgrade for the Elite Skirmisher, the Imperial Skirmisher, which is available as a team bonus for Vietnamese allies.

The Vietnamese were known to be skilled in archery, and one of their known bows were made of Rattan, a light-weight wood used to make bows. The light-weight material of the Rattan allowed their archer to wear heavier armor in battle. To reflect this, the Vietnamese gain extra HP for their archery range units and their unique unit, the Rattan Archer is an archer with incredibly high pierce armor. The Vietnamese were also known to breed elephants that were larger than most other elephants in the region, and deploy them in battle, which is reflected with their unique technology, Chatras, which gives extra HP for their Battle Elephants.

Even though the Vietnamese have resisted the Ming Dynasty's occupation and overthrew the Ming rulers in Vietnam, China has a strong influence in the region that shaped the Vietnamese culture. To reflect on China's influence, their unique technology, Paper Money, is a team-based unique tech that grants each Vietnamese ally gold. Finally, the Vietnamese relied on peasant spies and infiltrators to locate enemy camps in order to setup surprise ambushes in the enemy camps. This is reflected with their civilization bonus where enemy Town Centers are revealed in the start of the game.

Overview
The Vietnamese are an Archer civilisation with 3 team bonuses that can help them shine in situations with multiple players. They are the closest to a support civilisation in Age of Empires II, as their advantages are evident when they play in a team. To begin with, they can reveal enemy positions at game start, which combined with Cartography reveals enemy Town Centers to the entire alliance, especially beneficial to rushing tactics. In the Imperial Age, their status as a team civilisation is further cemented, as they grant Imperial Skirmishers to the entire team, and they can also research Paper Money in order to provide a gold tribute to all allied players.

As far their military is concerned, they draw their main strength from the Archery Range; they have access to all archer units except Hand Cannoneers, and only lack Parthian Tactics among archer-related upgrades. Their Archery Range units receive extra HP per Age, allowing them to withstand more attacks and fight back longer, at all stages of the game. Cavalry Archers are especially boosted, as they boast HP second only to Sipahi-boosted Cavalry Archers. Their first unique unit is the Rattan Archer, an archer with high pierce armor, decent speed and a good attack that allow him to withstand units with pierce damage, such as Scorpions and Arbalests, and fight effectively other archer units. The second is the Imperial Skirmisher, an upgrade to the Skirmisher line, with slightly improved stats, that can provide an advantage in trash wars to the entire team, being their main Team Bonus. They also have complete infantry lines, but they lack Blast Furnace, and their cavalry is unremarkable (lacking among others Husbandry), relegating their melee units into support role, mainly for guarding missile units. Conscription is free in the Imperial Age, saving some time and resources, while also giving a Vietnamese player a speed advantage to quickly train some extra units. Their Battle Elephants are used as meatshields, rather than offensive units, with the Chatras technology granting them a +30HP bonus, in order to better shield missile units against units that can harass them. They have a below-average siege, lacking all final upgrades to their siege units (but receive Siege Engineers and Bombard Cannons), and their structures are tied with the Aztecs' for the frailest in the game (lacking Masonry and Architecture), necessitating use of archers in defence, though at least, they receive Arrowslits, Bombard Towers, Keeps and Hoardings, meaning they will still boast powerful if fragile base defences.

Because of the lack of good early game economic and their civilization bonuses and Paper Money is really team dependent, the Vietnamese is not an ideal civilization in 1v1 matches, especially against civilizations with strong early game rushing potential such as the Aztecs, Huns, Malay, and Vikings. Conversely, the excel in teamgames and are a formidable lategame foe to archer civilizations such the Chinese and the Mayans, due to their strong anti-archer capacity with Rattan Archers and Imperial Skirmishers.


 * Unique Unit: Rattan Archer (heavily armored archer)
 * Unique Technologies: Chatras (Battle Elephants +30 HP), Paper Money (Tributes 500 gold to each Ally)


 * Wonder: Bút Tháp Pagoda

Civilization Bonuses

 * Reveal enemy positions at game start
 * Archery Range units +10% HP Feudal, +15% Castle, +20% Imperial Age
 * Free Conscription
 * Team Bonus: Have access to the Imperial Skirmisher upgrade

In-game dialogue language
Their in-game language is anachronistically modern Vietnamese, not Middle Vietnamese spoken during the feudal era (e.g. "heaven" is pronounced "trời" instead of "blời" as attested in the 15th-century's Quốc Âm Thi Tập-Anthology of Poems in [Our] Nation's Sounds by Nguyễn Trãi, Lê Lợi's retainer).

Villager

 * Dân nữ xin chờ lệnh. (I'm waiting for order - female) 民女吀䟻令
 * Thảo dân xin chờ lệnh. (I'm waiting for order - male) 草民吀䟻令
 * Dạ bẩm, có dân nữ. (Yes, Here I am - female) 唯稟、固民女
 * Dạ bẩm, có thảo dân. (Yes, Here I am - male) 唯稟、固草民
 * Bái kiến điện hạ. (I bow to your highness) 拜見殿下
 * Điện hạ có gì sai bảo? (Does your highness have any order?) 殿下固咦差保
 * Dân nữ đến ngay. (I'll be right there - female) 民女𦥃𣦍
 * Thảo dân đến ngay. (I'll be right there - male) 草民𦥃𣦍
 * Dân nữ xin làm ngay. (I'll do it right away - female) 民女吀爫𣦍
 * Thảo dân xin làm ngay. (I'll do it right away - male) 草民吀爫𣦍
 * Tuân mệnh. (As you wish) 遵命
 * Dân nữ đã rõ. (I understand - female) 民女㐌𠓑
 * Thảo dân đã rõ. (I understand - male) 草民㐌𠓑
 * Tiều phu (Lumberjack) 樵夫
 * Lao dịch (Miner, lit. drudge-work) 勞役
 * Dân phu (Builder, lit. common worker) 民夫
 * Ngư dân (Fisherman) 漁民
 * Thợ săn (Hunter) 𠏲獜
 * Nô tì (Shepherd - female, lit. slave) 奴婢
 * Nô tài (Shepherd - male, lit. slave) 奴才

Military Unit

 * Xin phụng mệnh. (I will obey your order) 吀奉命
 * Điện hạ có gì sai bảo? (Does your highness have any order?) 殿下固咦差保
 * Có tiểu nhân. (I am here) 固小人
 * Xin tuân lệnh. (I obey) 吀遵令
 * Tiểu nhân làm ngay. (I'll do it right away) 小人爫𣦍
 * Tiểu nhân đã rõ. (I understand) 小人㐌𠓑
 * Các huynh đệ, Giết! (Brothers, kill!) 各兄弟、折！
 * Xông lên! Giết! (Onward! Kill!) 衝𨖲！折！
 * Tiến công! (To battle!) 進攻！

Monk

 * Xin tuân lệnh. (I obey) 吀遵令
 * Phụng theo ý trời. (As Heaven wills) 奉蹺意𡗶
 * Bẩm, có bần tăng. (Here I am) 稟、固貧僧
 * Dạ bẩm, điện hạ có gì chỉ giáo? (Does your highness have any instruction?) 唯稟、殿下固咦指教
 * Bần tăng xin đi làm ngay. (I'll do it right away) 貧僧吀𠫾爫𣦍
 * Bẩm vâng, thưa điện hạ. (Yes, your highness) 稟邦、疎殿下
 * Bần tăng xin đến ngay. (I'll be there right away) 貧僧吀𦥃𣦍
 * Bẩm, đúng vậy. (Correct) 稟、中丕

King

 * Trẫm ban cho khanh. (I give you) 朕頒朱卿
 * Sao khanh lại phiền đến trẫm? (Why do you disturb me?) 𡫡卿吏煩𦥃朕
 * Mau đến hộ giá! (Come quickly to protect me!) 𨖧𦥃護駕
 * Khanh có điều gì thỉnh cầu? (Do you have any request?) 卿固條咦請求
 * Trẫm sẽ ân chuẩn. (I will approve) 朕𠱊恩準
 * Trẫm sẽ ân chuẩn điều mà khanh thỉnh cầu. (I will grant your request) 朕𠱊恩準條𦓡卿請求
 * Như khanh đã dâng tấu. (As you've reported) 如卿㐌揚奏
 * Bằng ân điển của trẫm. (By my grace) 憑恩典𧵑朕

Trivia

 * Alongside the Berbers, the Vietnamese are the only civilisation that technically offers more than one team bonus (the Imperial Skirmisher, revelation of enemy positions and a 500 gold tribute unique technology), and the one with the most team bonuses (three, whereas Berbers have two: the Kasbah unique technology and the Genitour).
 * They are also the third civilisation to provide a unique unit to their allies, after the Italians and Berbers (though technically, the Imperial Skirimisher counts as an upgrade to a generic line and thus does not suffer bonus damage from Samurai, almost like the Indian Imperial Camel).
 * One of their unique technologies, Paper Money, is likely based on Ho Quy Ly's monetary reform in the 1400s, where he replaced metal coins with paper money as the mean of transaction.
 * Despite the Vietnamese using the Southeast Asian architecture, Vietnamese architecture in real life strongly resembles to Chinese architecture (or East Asian in AoE2's parlance) due to China's strong cultural influence in Vietnam throughout medieval Vietnam's history.
 * The Vietnamese wonder, Pen Tower Pagoda, is such a Vietnamese architecture's sample.
 * According to the developers, the use of Southeast Asian architecture for the Vietnamese is supposed to reflect on the Dai Viet and Champa kingdoms in South Vietnam.
 * However, developers' explanation does not solve historical anachronisms. The Vietnamese campaign took place during the Fourth Chinese Domination (1407-1427), & the post-Trần-Hồ's Dai Viet did not include the majority of Champa territories; not until Lê Lợi's grandson Tư Thành would conquer two Champa principalities & reduce the third one to a vassal tributary. Even after the conquest, whenever Vietnamese settlers moved into southern territories they always built Sinicized towns (e.g. Hội An in former Champa lands).