Dai Viet/Strategic Overview

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===Strengths===
Strong economic parameters, unique units have stealth ability, excellent for guerilla warfare.
===Weaknesses===
Limited tech tree; unique units aren't always the best ones in the game, no cavalry mercenaries.
A nation perpetually at war with outsiders as equally as it is with itself, Dai Viet is feared vastly by many factions for its early-game edge - stealth. The Vietnamese way of war thus is about using stealth and subterfuge on the defensive, as opposed to set-piece battles like those fought by China or Germany. Not only are Dai Viet's unique units tougher, they are also capable of becoming cloaked when not fighting.
Although Dai Viet possesses a fairly formidable navy — it can recruit European-style heavy warships, supplemented by many cheaper boats like canoes and fire ships, the main power of Dai Viet's army is in its infantry. Dai Viet's signature unit, the Jungle Runner, is actually a melee unit that can function as a Pioneer, and is capable of turning invisible when not moving. Swords, however, are insufficient for modern wars, and so Dai Viet also has a unique light infantry line — the Regulars. These are fairly cheap line infantry which can be amassed quickly. Although they do not always have the best weapons on hand, these cheaper gun infantry can lend opportunities for some early raiding, and their upgrade times are also fairly quick, thus an upswing in production and techning can keep your opponent on the back foot while your economy expands faster than his own. Like many Asiatic empires of this era, your faction's economy will be based on one thing: food. Dai Viet has no issue with food, because it begins with some additional food in most games. Equally, thanks to its Confucianist traditions, the research of Civic technologies tends to be cheaper, making it faster to expand quickly.
Dai Viet's main weakness, however, is its lack of technological advancement, leaving it at the mercy of factions which have successfully teched up from muskets and swords to gatling guns and ironclads.
Equally, its inability to access technologies from wonders or build any national projects other than the National Bank means that Dai Viet easily starts to lose steam in the middle of the game when other factions have begun "teching up". If you are playing against Dai Viet, you must remember to always have light infantry on hand at all times, and keep an eye out with Pioneers. Additionally, expansion is always necessary - you must expand your cities further and attempt to limit the amount of area in which Dai Viet's forces may expand. Later, your superior technology should allow you to counter Dai Viet's units - artillery for war elephants, and gatling guns for everything else. Asiatic factions such as Siam and the Bamar are good for use against Dai Viet, because of their combination of different styles of combat, ranging from the cheap spear fodder of early eras ranging all the way to access to powerful weapons like airplanes and machine guns.
Category:Spoiler
Category:Rise of the Moderns factions