(VOVworld)- The Imperial Archives of the Nguyen dynasty have been officially recognized as a Documentary Heritage of the 2014 UNESCO Memory of the World Register for the Asia Pacific region. The Imperial Archives consist of original administrative documents concerning social and economic activities developed during the Nguyen dynasty. They provide valuable research material on the Nguyen dynasty in the 19th and early 20th century.
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The Imperial Archives consist official administrative documents of 11 of the 13 Kings of the Nguyen dynasty between 1802 and 1945. They include reports, proclamations, royal decrees, and petitions to the King which were approved and annotated with red ink by the King. They address political, military, diplomatic, economic, cultural and social issues. Archives’ 800 volumes, 85,000 documents and 200,000 pages provide a mountain of research materials on the guidelines, viewpoints, policies, and administrative systems of the Nguyen dynasty. Ha Van Hue is Director of the National Archives Center No 1: “The Imperial Archives of the Nguyen dynasty is a collection of numerous documents under preservation. Through these documents, history researchers can study all aspects of the Nguyen dynasty. The archives are of great international significance as well”.
The Imperial Archives of the Nguyen dynasty bear typical characteristics of standard administrative management documents of the Vietnamese monarchy. The system of the management and reporting of the royal documents was very strict and confidential. According to the royal documents, there were a lot of epidemics during the Nguyen dynasty. The royal documents of the 21st Minh Menh regime in 1840 reported an epidemic in Thanh Hoa province that killed more than 1,000 people. The royal documents also recorded trade exchanges between Vietnam and other countries in the region and the development of agriculture, the key economic sector under the Nguyen dynasty. Nguyen Thu Hoai is Head of the Han Nom Division of National Archives Center No I: “Agriculture is fully reflected in the documents because Vietnam is an agricultural country. Kings of the Nguyen dynasty paid special attention to agriculture. Localities made monthly reports to the royal court reporting on weather conditions and rice prices. According to the document, frequent floods damaged crops and impacted people’s lives, so, the royal court asked localities to make monthly reports so it could provide food aid and seedlings or tax relief to affected communities”.
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The Imperial Archives of the Nguyen dynasty includes a number of documents that regard Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty. These documents confirm that the Nguyen dynasty included Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos under a state management system. The archives also contain documents reporting on missions sent to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa to survey and map those sea areas. These documents include the King’s decision to send survey missions to Hoang Sa archipelago and royal letters praising contributors to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. These provide especially important documentation of Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. Mr. Ha Van Hue again:“The content of the Imperial Archives of the Nguyen dynasty is rich and diverse. The archives contain documents reporting Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. The Imperial Archives are valuable not only for historical research but also a tool in our political struggle, for sea and island sovereignty”.
The authenticity, uniqueness, rich content and regional and global relevance of the Imperial Archives of the Nguyen dynasty was recognized by UNESCO in including the Archives in the 2014 UNESCO Memory of the World Register of the Asia Pacific region.
Lan Anh