Vietnamese — Counters & Civilization Overview

How to play against the Vietnamese — plus bonuses, unique units, unique techs and the full tech tree.

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Vietnamese emblem

The Vietnamese are an Archer civilization in Age of Empires 2. Their unique units are the Rattan Archer, Imperial Skirmisher. Below: what counters the units they bring, where their tech tree runs out, and the full civilization overview. Jump to the Vietnamese tech tree.

How to counter the Vietnamese

Their unique and regional units are the part of the matchup a generic army does not prepare you for. Hard counters beat the unit decisively and win even at a cost disadvantage — usually through bonus damage, area damage, conversion or a speed advantage it cannot escape. Soft counters win the fight too, but only with good numbers and positioning.

Rattan Archer Castle Age · Castle

Vietnamese unique Foot Archer with exceptional pierce armor.

Countered by

Imperial Skirmisher Imperial Age · Archery Range

Anti-archer Skirmisher that cannot attack at close range.

Countered by

Fire Lancer Castle Age · Barracks

Gunpowder Shock Infantry that fires a short ranged firearm before engaging in melee comba…

Countered by

  • Crossbowman hard No pierce armor — melted by ranged attacks
  • Hand Cannoneer hard No pierce armor, plus bonus vs. infantry
  • Long Swordsman hard Stronger in melee; Fire Lancer has no anti-infantry edge
  • Monk soft Conversion (expensive gold unit)
  • Mangonel soft Clumps up, only 65 HP

Battle Elephant Castle Age · Stable

Slow but durable Cavalry.

Countered by

  • Monk hard Conversion – elephants are expensive
  • Pikeman hard Attack bonus vs. cavalry/elephants
  • Camel Rider hard Attack bonus vs. cavalry
  • Mameluke UU hard UU (Saracens) – Ranged anti-cavalry
  • Flaming Camel UU hard Attack bonus vs. elephants (+130)
  • Genoese Crossbowman UU hard Attack bonus vs. cavalry (+5)
  • Kamayuk UU hard Attack bonus vs. elephants (+20)
  • Scorpion hard Attack bonus vs. elephants (+7)
  • Mangonel soft Area damage
  • Camel Archer UU soft UU (Berbers) – Kites elephants, no bonus damage

What the Vietnamese are strong against

The other side of the matchup: these are the fights their own units are built to win. Walking one of these into them plays to their strengths.

What the Vietnamese cannot answer

Every civilization is missing something. What matters in a match is which of those gaps you can actually attack. Below are the Vietnamese gaps that change how a fight plays out — the economic ones are left out on purpose.

Mounted units

  • Paladin — Their heavy cavalry stops at the Cavalier — no Paladin, so it stays noticeably softer and your Halberdiers keep the upper hand in Imperial.
  • Hussar — No Hussar — their Light Cavalry never reaches the last tier, so it stays a weaker raider and a weaker answer to your Monks.
  • Parthian Tactics — No Parthian Tactics — their Cavalry Archers keep base armour and no bonus damage against your Spearman line, so Pikemen still trade into them.

Gunpowder

  • Hand Cannoneer — No Hand Cannoneer — the Vietnamese never get gunpowder infantry, so massed melee infantry keeps working against them deep into the Imperial Age.

Blacksmith and unit upgrades

  • Blast Furnace — No Blast Furnace — their melee units never reach the last attack upgrade, so every melee trade goes a little further in your favour.
  • Gambesons — No Gambesons — their infantry stays a pierce armour short, so archers and Skirmishers cut through it faster.

Siege

  • Siege Ram — Their rams stop at the Capped Ram — fewer hit points and fewer garrison slots, so your Castle and your own siege kill them faster.
  • Siege Onager — Their Onagers never become Siege Onagers — no single shot that clears a whole group of your units, and no felling of your walls from range.
  • Heavy Scorpion — Their Scorpions stay at the base tier — less range, attack and accuracy, so your archers out-range them.

Monastery and conversion

  • Redemption — No Redemption — their Monks cannot convert your siege or your buildings, so a Trebuchet parked outside their base is safe from the Monastery.
  • Heresy — No Heresy — units your Monks convert stay converted instead of dying, so a Monk push against them pays double.
  • Fervor — No Fervor — their Monks move at base speed, so any cavalry you have runs them down before they reach your army.

Defensive buildings

  • Masonry — No Masonry — their buildings keep base hit points and armour, so your rams and Trebuchets break through sooner.

Navy

  • Fast Fire Ship — Their Fire Ship line stops before the Fast Fire Ship — slower and weaker in exactly the close-range fights fire ships are built for.
  • Siphons — No Siphons — their Fire Ships never gain the explosive charge attack, so they close on your fleet with nothing but their standard attack.
  • Incendiaries — No Incendiaries — their Fire Ships simply sink instead of detonating, so killing one costs your fleet nothing extra.
  • Shipwright — No Shipwright — their warships cost more and build slower in the Imperial Age, so a replaced fleet comes back later than yours.

Everything the Vietnamese do and do not have, unit by unit, is in the Vietnamese tech tree further down.

Vietnamese: Civilization and Team Bonuses

Civilization Bonuses

  • Enemy Town Centers are revealed at the start of the game
  • Economic upgrades cost no wood and research +100% faster
  • Archery Range units and Fire Lancers +20% HP
  • Conscription free

Team Bonus

Imperial Skirmisher upgrade available in Imperial Age

Unique Units

Rattan Archer
Rattan Archer · Foot ArcherVietnamese unique Foot Archer with exceptional pierce armor. Strong vs. Archery Units and Infantry. Weak vs. Cavalry, Skirmishers and Siege Weapons.
Imperial Skirmisher
Imperial Skirmisher · SkirmisherAnti-archer Skirmisher that cannot attack at close range. Strong vs. Ranged Soldiers and Spearman-line. Weak vs. units at close range. Trainable by Vietnamese and their allies.

Unique Technologies

ChatrasBattle Elephants +100 HP
Paper MoneyLumberjacks slowly generate gold in addition to wood

Vietnamese Tech Tree

The full Vietnamese tech tree in Age of Empires 2 — every unit, upgrade and technology they can research, and everything they cannot. Units are shown as their upgrade lines, followed by the technologies available at each building. Greyed-out entries are missing from the Vietnamese tech tree.

Barracks

  1. Militia D
  2. Man-at-Arms F
  3. Long Swordsman C
  4. Two-Handed Swordsman I
  5. Champion I
  1. Spearman F
  2. Pikeman C
  3. Halberdier I
  1. Fire Lancer C
  2. Elite Fire Lancer I
  1. Arson F
  1. Gambesons C
  1. Squires C

Archery Range

  1. Archer F
  2. Crossbowman C
  3. Arbalester I
  1. Skirmisher F
  2. Elite Skirmisher C
  3. Imperial Skirmisher I
  1. Cavalry Archer C
  2. Heavy Cavalry Archer I
  1. Hand Cannoneer I
  1. Thumb Ring C
  1. Parthian Tactics I

Stable

  1. Scout Cavalry F
  2. Light Cavalry C
  3. Hussar I
  1. Knight C
  2. Cavalier I
  3. Paladin I
  1. Battle Elephant C
  2. Elite Battle Elephant I
  1. Bloodlines F
  1. Husbandry C

Siege Workshop

  1. Battering Ram C
  2. Capped Ram I
  3. Siege Ram I
  1. Mangonel C
  2. Onager I
  3. Siege Onager I
  1. Scorpion C
  2. Heavy Scorpion I
  1. Siege Tower C
  1. Bombard Cannon I

Castle

  1. Rattan Archer C
  2. Elite Rattan Archer I
  1. Petard C
  1. Trebuchet I
  1. Chatras C
  1. Paper Money I
  1. Hoardings I
  1. Conscription I
  1. Sappers I
  1. Spies/Treason I

Dock

  1. Fishing Ship D
  1. Transport Ship D
  1. Fire Galley F
  2. Fire Ship C
  3. Fast Fire Ship I
  1. Galley F
  2. War Galley C
  3. Galleon I
  1. Hulk F
  2. War Hulk C
  3. Carrack I
  1. Demolition Raft F
  2. Demolition Ship C
  3. Heavy Demo Ship I
  1. Trade Cog F
  1. Cannon Galleon I
  2. Elite Cannon Galleon I
  1. Fishing Lines F
  1. Medium Warships C
  2. Heavy Warships I
  1. Gillnets C

Monastery

  1. Monk C
  1. Devotion C
  2. Faith I
  1. Redemption C
  1. Atonement C
  1. Herbal Medicine C
  1. Heresy C
  1. Sanctity C
  1. Fervor C
  1. Illumination I
  1. Block Printing I
  1. Theocracy I

Blacksmith

  1. Padded Archer Armor F
  2. Leather Archer Armor C
  3. Ring Archer Armor I
  1. Fletching F
  2. Bodkin Arrow C
  3. Bracer I
  1. Forging F
  2. Iron Casting C
  3. Blast Furnace I
  1. Scale Barding Armor F
  2. Chain Barding Armor C
  3. Plate Barding Armor I
  1. Scale Mail Armor F
  2. Chain Mail Armor C
  3. Plate Mail Armor I

University

  1. Masonry C
  2. Architecture I
  1. Fortified Wall C
  1. Ballistics C
  1. Guard Tower C
  2. Keep I
  1. Heated Shot C
  1. Murder Holes C
  1. Careening C
  2. Dry Dock I
  1. Clinker Construction C
  2. Carvel Hull I
  1. Siphons C
  2. Incendiaries I
  1. Treadmill Crane C
  1. Chemistry I
  2. Bombard Tower I
  1. Siege Engineers I
  1. Arrowslits I
  1. Shipwright I

Market

  1. Trade Cart F
  1. Caravan C
  1. Coinage C
  2. Banking I
  1. Guilds I

Mill

  1. Horse Collar F
  2. Heavy Plow C
  3. Crop Rotation I

Lumber Camp

  1. Double-Bit Axe F
  2. Bow Saw C
  3. Two-Man Saw I

Mining Camp

  1. Gold Mining F
  2. Gold Shaft Mining C
  1. Stone Mining F
  2. Stone Shaft Mining C

Town Center

  1. Villager D
  1. Feudal Age D
  2. Castle Age F
  3. Imperial Age C
  1. Loom D
  1. Town Watch F
  2. Town Patrol C
  1. Wheelbarrow F
  2. Hand Cart C

D Dark F Feudal C Castle I Imperial · struck through = not available for the Vietnamese

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you counter the Vietnamese?

The Vietnamese field Rattan Archer, Imperial Skirmisher, Fire Lancer and Battle Elephant. Mangonel, Knight and Huskarl counter most of what they build. Their tech tree also leaves out Paladin, Hussar and Parthian Tactics.

What is the Vietnamese tech tree missing in AoE2?

Their heavy cavalry stops at the Cavalier — no Paladin, so it stays noticeably softer and your Halberdiers keep the upper hand in Imperial. No Hussar — their Light Cavalry never reaches the last tier, so it stays a weaker raider and a weaker answer to your Monks. No Parthian Tactics — their Cavalry Archers keep base armour and no bonus damage against your Spearman line, so Pikemen still trade into them.

Which units do the Vietnamese have that other civilizations do not?

Rattan Archer: Vietnamese unique Foot Archer with exceptional pierce armor. Imperial Skirmisher: Anti-archer Skirmisher that cannot attack at close range. Fire Lancer: Gunpowder Shock Infantry that fires a short ranged firearm before engaging in melee comba… Battle Elephant: Slow but durable Cavalry.

Not sure what counters this unit?

Playing against the Vietnamese? Look up any of their units in the interactive app to see exactly what counters them — with bonus-damage values.

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