The book about the life, career and achievements of Governor Hoang Dieu

On March 19, at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam in Hanoi, the Hanoi National University Publishing House and the Hong Chau Hanoi Cultural Heritage Association (Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association) jointly organized a seminar to introduce the book "The life and career of Governor Hoang Dieu and the work of defending Hanoi citadel" by two authors Nguyen Quang Ha and Ha Thi Thanh.

Scene of the discussion and book introduction. Photo: VH

Governor Hoang Dieu (1829-1882) had many contributions to the construction of the Nguyen Dynasty, serving the nation and the people. During the second attack on Hanoi by the French colonialists, due to the imbalance of forces, Hanoi fell. Governor Hoang Dieu drafted a will to explain to the court and then went to Vo Mieu to commit suicide, leaving a tragic example in the history of the struggle to protect the Fatherland.

For that reason, for a long time, authors Nguyen Quang Ha and Ha Thi Thanh have cherished the intention of compiling a book about the Governor who heroically sacrificed his life in the fight to defend Hanoi citadel.

The book "The life and career of Governor Hoang Dieu and the defense of Hanoi citadel". Photo: VH

According to Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Quang Hai, former Director of the Institute of History, former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Historical Research, with the book "The life and career of Governor Hoang Dieu and the defense of Hanoi citadel", the authors have carefully and meticulously researched rich and diverse historical sources, including many ancient documents, especially Han Nom historical sources including Nguyen Dynasty records, steles, records in official histories, especially records under King Tu Duc. These are official sources of documents, with high value and reliability.

It can be said that the book "The life and career of Governor Hoang Dieu and the defense of Hanoi citadel" is the most comprehensive and elaborate work about Governor Hoang Dieu to date.

With a length of 376 pages, excluding the Introduction, Conclusion, References and Citations, the book is divided into 5 chapters arranged in chronological order and according to the following main issues: Historical background and hometown of Governor Hoang Dieu; his life and career as an official; the responsibility of overseeing the Hanoi and Northern regions; the work of defending Hanoi and the sacrifice of the Governor; poems and essays of gratitude, relics, and "red addresses" honoring the Governor.

In particular, the book has more than 100 pages of appendices including photo documents, some Han Nom works related to the Governor and some excerpts of ancient funeral orations about the fall of Hanoi and Governor Hoang Dieu.

A page of content in the book "The life and career of Governor Hoang Dieu and the defense of Hanoi citadel". Photo: VH

The authors shared: “The book also updates and synthesizes the research of other authors on Governor Hoang Dieu through monographs, assessments and comments on Hoang Dieu and the defense of Hanoi citadel shown through textbooks and general research on the Nguyen Dynasty. The books presenting the historical process of Vietnam, the dictionary of Vietnamese historical figures... have also been initially compiled by the authors in a relatively complete and rich manner.”

Through this book, the authors have initially deepened and clarified the great contributions of Governor Hoang Dieu, the national hero who heroically sacrificed himself to protect Hanoi citadel; at the same time, made proposals and research to promote the heritage value of the famous Governor Hoang Dieu in the present and the future.

It is known that authors Nguyen Quang Ha and Ha Thi Thanh are also compiling a book about Governor Nguyen Tri Phuong and the campaign to defend Hanoi citadel in 1873, and will try to launch the book in time for the 225th anniversary of Governor Nguyen Tri Phuong's birth.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/cuon-sach-ve-cuoc-doi-su-nghiep-va-cong-lao-cua-tong-doc-hoang-dieu-696255.html