“Quoc trieu chanh bien toat yeu” is an important reference source about the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945) as it recorded numerous ups and downs in the history of the last feudal dynasty in Vietnam, especially the French invasion in the middle of the 19th century.
The book features brief records of events from the reign of King Gia Long (1762 - 1820), the first king of the dynasty, to the era of King Dong Khanh (1864 - 1889). The first chapter, covering the period from 1778 to 1802, focuses on military rebellions, while the next seven chapters show the development and the prime of the new dynasty and then its uncertainties.
In 1923, it was translated into the national script and distributed to schools as ordered by King Khai Dinh (1885 - 1925). Today, it remains a useful source of information for both researchers and ordinary readers.
“Quoc trieu chanh bien toat yeu” provides an objective panorama of Vietnam’s economic, political, cultural, and military affairs during more than a century. Together with other historical documents compiled throughout the Nguyen Dynasty, it is also an important source of information about the national sovereignty.
Its new version is published by the Nha Nam Culture and Communication Company.
The Nguyen Dynasty’s Institute for National History, put into operation in 1821 under the reign of King Minh Mang (1791 - 1841), was the organ in charge of studying and storing historical materials and making official historical records of the dynasty.