Around 3000 BCE, Austronesian-speaking peoples began migrating from Taiwan into the Philippines and Indonesia, eventually spreading across the Pacific and as far as Madagascar.
Approximate date.
According to Vietnamese historiographical tradition, the Hồng Bàng dynasty was founded in 2879 BCE and the Hùng kings ruled Văn Lang; the date is legendary.
Bearers of the Lapita culture, known for their dentate-stamped pottery, settled islands from the Bismarck Archipelago to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, laying the foundations of Polynesian societies.
A Bronze Age and early Iron Age culture of the Red River valley and north-central Vietnam, famous for its bronze drums.
Thục Phán (An Dương Vương) unites the Âu Việt and Lạc Việt into the kingdom of Âu Lạc, with its capital at Cổ Loa; 257 BCE is the traditional date.
Zhao Tuo, king of Nanyue, conquers Âu Lạc and incorporates it into Nanyue; traditionally dated to 179 BCE.
The Han dynasty conquers Nanyue in 111 BCE and establishes the commanderies of Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen and Rinan, beginning a long period of Chinese rule.