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| Đại Nam thực lục | |
|---|---|
| Title | Đại Nam thực lục |
| Native name | Đại Nam thực lục |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Language | Classical Chinese |
| Subject | History of Vietnam |
| Period | Nguyễn dynasty |
| Published | 1841–1902 |
Đại Nam thực lục is the official annals of the Nguyễn dynasty compiled in the 19th century, recording reigns of emperors from Gia Long to Bảo Đại and events across Vietnamese history. Commissioned by imperial courts and produced by court scholars, the work functions as a primary source for historians studying the Tây Sơn rebellion, French colonization of Vietnam, and diplomatic relations with Qing dynasty China and France. Its compilation involved figures from the Viện cơ mật, Ngự tiền văn phòng, and provincial mandarins, and it has informed scholarship at institutions such as the École française d'Extrême-Orient.
The project began under Emperor Minh Mạng following precedents set by Chinese historiography in the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty, drawing on models like the Ming Shilu and Qing Shilu. Imperial edicts from Gia Long and Minh Mạng mandated contributions from scholars attached to the Ngự tiền văn phòng, the Lục bộ ministries, and the Viện cơ mật. Leading compilers included members of the Đình thần and prominent literati such as Phan Thanh Giản, Nguyễn Văn Tường, and Trương Như Cương. The compilation process relied on court archives, provincial reports from Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina, and tribute correspondences with the Qing court and Siam. It responded to crises like the Lê Văn Khôi rebellion, episodes involving Nguyễn Huệ and the Tây Sơn dynasty, and later, interactions with the French Second Republic, Second French Empire, and Third Republic of France.
The annals are organized into imperial reign annals (thực lục), imperial biographies (chiếu dụ and thiên hạ), and supplementary records akin to Veritable Records traditions of East Asia. Entries chronicle events such as the Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Hòa Mạc, the Treaty of Saigon (1862), and missions to the Qing dynasty court in Beijing. The work integrates reports from envoys to Beijing, exchanges with Portugal, encounters with Dutch East India Company, and incidents involving Chinese pirates and Mỹ Tho. Editorial divisions include chronological annals, memorials to the throne, and administrative decrees from institutions like the Lễ bộ and Bộ Hình. The content spans military engagements such as the Sino-French War, internal reforms under Tự Đức, and cultural matters involving examinations by the Trình độ mandarinate.
Initial compilations occurred under imperial supervision with woodblock print editions produced at court workshops and provincial presses in Huế. Later 19th-century editions were reproduced and circulated among mandarins and foreign observers including agents from the British Empire, French colonial administration, and scholars from the École française d'Extrême-Orient. Twentieth-century efforts involved reprints in Hà Nội and collaborative projects with institutions like the Viện Hán Nôm and libraries in Paris and Kyoto. Modern editions include annotated renditions used by historians such as Ngô Thì Sĩ-era commentators and later researchers at Viện Sử học. Critical editions and microfilm collections are held by archives including the National Library of Vietnam and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The annals served as the canonical narrative legitimizing the Nguyễn monarchy and shaped historiography about figures such as Gia Long, Minh Mạng, Tự Đức, and Duy Tân. Scholars in the Indochina period and postcolonial historians have debated its portrayal of rebellions like the Cần Vương movement and responses to French protectorates established by the Treaty of Huế (1883). French orientalists including Paul Pelliot and Gaston Maspero referenced it, while Vietnamese nationalists and reformers such as Phan Bội Châu critiqued its imperial perspective. Contemporary historians at Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội and Đại học Huế use it alongside sources from the Royal Archives to reassess policy, diplomacy, and law during the 19th century.
Written primarily in Classical Chinese with excerpts and annotations in Vietnamese chữ Nôm and later Quốc Ngữ, the annals reflect multilingual bureaucratic practice. Court historians employed conventions from Sinitic historiography such as annalistic year entries, reign titles like Nhâm and Bính, and posthumous temple names. Editorial protocols invoked institutions such as the Ngự tiền văn phòng and the Hàn lâm viện, and used documentary genres akin to edicts (chiếu) and memorials (tâu). Collation drew on provincial gazetteers, examination rosters of the Hội đồng and records from the Đề đốc offices overseeing coastal provinces.
Original woodblock plates and manuscript copies survive in archives at the Quốc Tử Giám collections, the National Archives Center branches in Huế and Hà Nội, and international repositories such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the British Library. Digitization projects by the Viện Hán Nôm, the École française d'Extrême-Orient, and university libraries in Kyoto and Harvard University have produced searchable images and transcriptions. Conservation efforts address deterioration of bamboo paper and woodblocks; cataloging initiatives link entries to metadata standards used by the International Council on Archives and digital humanities platforms at Đại học Quốc gia TP. Hồ Chí Minh.
Category:Nguyễn dynasty Category:Vietnamese historical texts