Many valuable documents of the Nguyen Dynasty are about to be published for the first time.

Over 143 years of existence (1802-1945), the Nguyen Dynasty (the last monarchy in Vietnamese history) left its mark in history on unifying the country, establishing sovereignty, diplomatic relations, building the capital, culture and education, social life, administrative institutions, legal systems, examinations and books... All of these historical marks are clearly reflected in the Nguyen Dynasty's Royal Records.

The Minh Mang 19th year (1838) records that from then on the national name of our country was Dai Nam. (Source: National Archives Center I)

The Nguyen Dynasty's Royal Records show King Tu Duc's concerns for his soldiers on the battlefield, written in the 12th year of Tu Duc (1859). (Source: National Archives Center I)

The Nguyen Dynasty's Imperial Records is a system of administrative documents created during the state management activities of the Nguyen Dynasty's government apparatus, including documents issued by the Emperors and documents submitted by agencies in the government system to the Emperor for approval in red ink.

This system of documents was assigned to the Nguyen Dynasty Cabinet to collect and manage in a unified block of court documents. This is a valuable block of original documents with highly reliable information, the content reflecting almost every aspect of Vietnamese society under the Nguyen Dynasty.

A corner of the exhibition space of Nguyen Dynasty Records – Memories of a Dynasty. (Photo: National Archives Center I)

The remaining Nguyen Dynasty Imperial Records today include more than 86,000 original documents of 11 Nguyen Dynasty kings: Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc, Kien Phuc, Ham Nghi, Dong Khanh, Thanh Thai, Duy Tan, Khai Dinh and Bao Dai. Of these, 10 kings left their approval in vermilion ink on the documents. The two kings who did not have Imperial Records were Duc Duc and Hiep Hoa.

Nguyen Dynasty cavalry. (Photo: S.T.) — Nguyen Dynasty cavalry. (Photo: ST)

Currently, the Nguyen Dynasty's Royal Records are the only original administrative documents in Vietnam and among the few in the world that still retain the direct approval of the emperors on the documents.

In 2014, the Nguyen Dynasty Royal Records were recognized by UNESCO as a Documentary Heritage of the Asia-Pacific region. In 2017, with its special values in content and form, the Nguyen Dynasty Royal Records were recognized by UNESCO as a World Documentary Heritage.

Examination school under Nguyen Dynasty. (Photo: S.T.) — Examination school under Nguyen Dynasty. (Photo: ST)

From the above contents, the exhibition of Royal Records of the Nguyen Dynasty – Memories of a Dynasty will introduce to the public hundreds of pages of outstanding documents selected from the Royal Records of the Nguyen Dynasty – World Documentary Heritage and many typical artifacts. Among them, there are many important Royal Records of the Nguyen Dynasty published for the first time.

One of the notable points of this exhibition is the impressive design space combining projection technology and installation art to highlight the value of the Nguyen Dynasty's Royal Records. The exhibition area is especially suitable for students, providing young people with useful historical lessons from the Royal Records, thereby supplementing and enriching knowledge about history and culture in schools.

In addition, to bring viewers vivid experiences, visitors will be able to directly interact to learn and discover more useful and interesting historical information from the exhibition Nguyen Dynasty Records - Memories of a Dynasty .

The exhibition of Nguyen Dynasty Records – Memories of a Dynasty took place on November 17 at National Archives Center I, No. 5 Vu Pham Ham Street (Yen Hoa Ward, Cau Giay, Hanoi).

"The Nguyen Dynasty's Royal Records are a cultural heritage with dual value, both tangible and intangible, priceless, not only rare but also unique and one-of-a-kind preserved to this day," said Professor, People's Teacher Phan Huy Le.

“The use of the Royal Records to study Vietnamese history in the 19th and 20th centuries is undeniable. Many ambiguous points will be clarified in these documents, although they are flawed, but many truths accepted to date will be challenged when confronted with the Royal Records” , Professor Nguyen The Anh.

(Source: tienphong.vn)

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