old alternative name for Vietnam, from Chinese, literally "pacified south," the name given to the old nation of Nam Viet by the Chinese after they conquered it 111 B.C.E. From an "peace" + nan "south." It was discarded upon restoration of Viet independence in 939 C.E., but it stuck in Western geographies and was reapplied to the region c. 1790 by the French.[Annam etymology, Annam origin, 英语词源]