Nghe An is a land closely associated with the Tay Son Dynasty in general and Emperor Quang Trung in particular. This is a place with an important geopolitical position of strategic significance, so King Quang Trung chose Yen Truong - Dung Quyet in Nghe An to build the capital of the new dynasty with the name Phuong Hoang Trung Do, and the name of the town remained Nghe An without any change. However, some major geographical records of the Nguyen Dynasty said that under the Tay Son Dynasty, the name "Nghe An" was changed to "Nghia An".
Nghe An was the name that replaced the name Hoan Chau in 1036 when King Ly Thai Tong built a palace here. Ly Thai Tong was a typical Confucian scholar of the Ly Dynasty, well-versed in many historical anecdotes in classic books, so he used the two words "Nghe An" with the meaning of peace and prosperity in the book.Historyto rename Hoan Chau with the wish for a locality that is always peaceful and prosperous. Specifically, in the 52nd Biography (volume 112) is"Biography of the Marquis of Binh Tan and his wife"There is a saying:"During the Han Dynasty, more than sixty years ago, the seaNghe An, the treasury was full of food" (At that time, the Han Dynasty had been prosperous for more than 60 years, the world was peaceful, and the granaries were full)
And in the 12th Century (volume 12) is"The Chronicles of Xiao Wu"There is also a saying:"In the first year of Han Dynasty, more than sixty years have passed since then, the worldNghe An"(In the first year, the Han Dynasty had flourished for more than 60 years, the world was at peace)
The name Nghe An began in the summer of April, Binh Ty year, Thong Thuy year 3 (1036) of the Ly dynasty. In the summer of April, Dinh Suu year, Quang Thai year 10 (1397), the Tran dynasty changed the name "Nghe An" to "Lam An", and this name existed for a short time, until the early Le dynasty, when it returned to the old name "Nghe An".
As for the Tay Son dynasty changing the name "Nghe An" to "Nghia An", the bookDai Nam Nhat Thong ChiThe section about Nghe An province clearly states:
“The Tay Son Wei changed the name to Trung Do, and also wrote Nghia An (see Bang giao luc). In the first year of the Gia Long reign, it was changed back to Nghe An town.
Perhaps it is from the information source from this national history that currently in the historical relic records in Nghe An province, or most recently the projectHistory of Buddhism in Nghe An AnIt is also believed that under the Tay Son dynasty, "Nghe An" was renamed "Nghia An".
The existence of the name "Nghia An" in many modern books and documents implicitly confirms that there was a change in the name of Nghe An under the Tay Son dynasty, and more specifically, King Quang Trung himself created that change.
However, according to contemporary written documents, it is possible to reconsider this issue in another direction, to come to the conclusion that the above information is completely incorrect, because:
According to Nguyen Dynasty historical records:
InDai Nam Nhat Thong Chiclearly state:“In the first year of Gia Long reign, it was changed to Nghe An town.We have found in the most important official history of the Nguyen Dynasty thatDai Nam Thuc Luc,However, there is no record of changing the name "Nghia An" back to "Nghe An", but only important events associated with "Nghe An", for example:
“Year of the Dog, the first year of Gia Long [1802]:
In the fall, in the seventh month, bronze seals were issued to the towns.Nghe Anto the North. Trieu Dang Tran Thuong arrived at the palace. He ordered the commander-in-chief of the Royal Army, Hoang Viet Toan, to take the position of Governor.Nghe An, The Deputy Minister of Finance, Ho The Hoc, took over the position of Hiep Tran"... "In December, the King ordered the localities toNghe AnIn the North, all the land of the displaced people must be clearly demarcated by the local authorities, divided and given to the military and officials to cultivate and be exempted from taxes. Neighboring villages are not allowed to cultivate.
Besides, we looked up another famous history book under the Nguyen Dynasty.National Dynasty Official CompilationThere is also no mention of changing the name "Nghia An" back to "Nghe An".
Or like historyNational historycompiled by Phan Thuc Truc to supplement events that the national history of the Nguyen Dynasty had omitted or mentioned incorrectly, and also mentioned many times events related to Nghe An.Dai Nam Thuc Lucno records, such as:
“Nham Tuat, Gia Long year 1, May 1, Canh Ngo day, The To changed the era name, advanced to take the town.Nghe An. The minister Dang Tran Thuong asked to change the year name and marched to attack and take over.Nghe An, The To listened, and changed that date to the 63rd year of Canh Hung as the first year of Gia Long. The deputy general of Than Vu Quan, Vu Duc Hau, both brought troops and elephants to attack.Nghe An, can be broken"
Thus, through the major historical books under the Nguyen Dynasty, there is no mention of the Tay Son Dynasty changing the name "Nghe An" to "Nghia An" nor of the fact that in the first year of the Gia Long era, "Nghia An" was changed to "Nghe An".
According toState Affairs:
In the notes about changing the name "Nghe An" to "Nghia An" in the bookDai Nam Nhat Thong ChiIt is noted that this is recorded atState of affairs. State of affairs.is a book that records documents, materials, and conventions on the interactions between Vietnamese and Chinese dynasties: edicts, decrees, royal decrees, proclamations, memorials, letters, poems, etc. compiled and prefaced by Le Thong in the 18th year of Gia Long. This book first records the Viet Thuong family offering white pheasants to the Zhou Dynasty, ending with the diplomatic mission of Hoang Kim Hoan, Nguyen Trong Vu, and Nguyen Huu Nhan in the 5th year of Dao Quang (1826). This book was supplemented with diplomatic events after the year the author edited and prefaced (1819).
In addition, there is also a set ofDai Viet Quoc Thuis a file including both the State Letter and official documents during the period of King Quang Trung and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (from the 54th year of Emperor Qianlong (1789) to 1790) letters exchanged during the period when King Quang Trung (fake) went to China to express gratitude; and the letters of King Quang Trung traveling with Qing officials, sent back and forth along the journey from Guangxi to Rehe. In addition, there are also official documents prepared before the Qing envoy came to perform the coronation ceremony for King Quang Trung. However, in these books we still do not see any mention of "Nghe An" being changed to "Nghia An".
According toThe Unified Annals of the Le Dynasty:
Chronicle of the Unified Le Dynastyis a novel written in the form of chapters, the content talks about the unification of the Le dynasty at the time when Tay Son destroyed the Trinh family and returned power to King Le, until Nguyen Anh defeated Tay Son and unified the country. This is a work written in the form of a chronicle - a style of writing that records things and events, written by a number of authors in succession at different times over a long period of time from the end of the Le dynasty to the beginning of the Le dynasty.Nguyen Dynasty. Although this is only a literary work that focuses on historical narrative, and has some fictional details, the authors were contemporaries, so they had quite vivid descriptions and recorded very realistically the changes in feudal society at the end of the 18th century, in which the descriptions of the Tay Son dynasty were quite vivid. However, Hoang Le Nhat Thong Chi never recorded that under the Tay Son dynasty there was the name "Nghia An" but only "Nghe An". As in the part about Nguyen Hue pacifying Bac Ha and building Phuong Hoang Trung Do:
King Quang Trung thought thatNghe AnLocated in the middle of the country, the roads from the South to the North are equal, and his ancestral homeland is also there, so he ordered the requisition of many workers, transporting wood, stone, bricks and tiles, to build palaces and castles. He built a surrounding earthen wall and ordered soldiers to dig up local laterite to build the inner wall. He built a three-story Dragon Tower and two corridors of the Thai Hoa Palace, to be used during court ceremonies (when officials come to pay their respects and congratulate the king). This citadel is called Phuong Hoang Trung Do or Trung Kinh Phuong Hoang Thanh".
According to administrative documents of the Tay Son dynasty:
Although the Tay Son Dynasty existed for a short period of time and there was no national history to record the real records. However, many administrative documents of the court as well as the local government at that time are still preserved. Through these documents, we will determine whether the Tay Son Dynasty used the name "Nghe An" or "Nghia An" at that time. Regarding the construction of the capital in Nghe An as mentioned above, even in the years before ascending the throne, Long Nhuong General Nguyen Hue had paid attention to Nghe An as the new capital of the dynasty. After inviting La Son Phu Tu to rule the country together, Long Nhuong General Nguyen Hue assigned La Son Phu Tu to inspect and select the land that converged all the most favorable factors in Nghe An to build the capital. Regarding this, Long Nhuong General sent a letter to La Son Phu Tu on June 1, the 11th year of Thai Duc (1788), with the following content (in Nom script):
The royal edict was passed to La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep to know. Previously, Phu Tu was entrusted to return.Nghe AnThe general of the land was made the capital in time for this return. Why did he not see anything when he got there? So he returned to Phu Xuan and retired the soldiers. So he issued an edict to Phu Tu to quickly consider and work with Tran Thu Than to build the capital at Phu Thach. The palace was built in the back near the mountain. The exact location was based on the people's residence, or where was the good land that could build the capital, only Phu Tu's professional eyes could judge. Quickly pick the city (choose it soon)! Entrust Tran Thu Than to quickly build the palace (build the palace early). It should be completed within 3 months, convenient for the royal procession. Therefore, Master, please do not delay and refuse to see. Please listen! Special order."
Thai Duc 11th year, 6th month, 1st day (June 1st, 11th year of Thai Thu).
More than 2 weeks later, on June 19, Long Nhuong General Nguyen Hue sent another letter to La Son Phu Tu, the content of which was as follows:
(Translation)The edict was sent to La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep to inform him: on June 19 of this year, I read Phu Tu's decree. In it, there was a full description of the good and bad terrain along with the suffering of the people. (Phu Tu) also used famous sayings and stories of the ancients to advise. That logic was like a good medicine that was very much in line with my ideas. (But) in the beginning, when the country was just established, the people's hearts followed, (if) not inNghe AnTo constantly control the upper region, where can we control the inside and outside? (I) Surely Phu Tu also understands this clearly. Now I am very happy to hear Phu Tu's words, so let's postpone the great construction accordingly. But the place where I am going cannot be without early planning to carry out. Please Phu Tu take charge of the matter and choose the date. If it is completed, it will also be a plan to protect the country. Please Phu Tu make a plan. Listen carefully. Special order.
June 19, 11th year of Thai Duc. (Seal) Quang Van treasure.
Thus, even King Quang Trung himself sent a letter to La Son Phu Tu using the name “Nghe An” and never mentioned the name “Nghia An”. Most notably, in the letter, the Governor of Nghe An during the Tay Son period, Than Truc Marquis Nguyen Van Than, sent to La Son Phu Tu to urge the quick implementation of all tasks related to the construction of the capital. The content is as follows:
(Translation)The Imperial Commissioner of the Town, Than Truc Hou, respectfully writes to La Son Phu Tu for review. Now [we] respectfully obey the imperial edict to establish the capital. In it, the districts and communes have been ordered to complete the excavation and construction. We respectfully invite (Phu Tu) to move his jade steps to the palace, to clearly determine the direction for the construction period, to avoid causing the people to stay for a long time and cause waste. Now respectfully write.
July 4, 11th year of Thai Duc (1788). (Press)Nghe AnTown Hall Chapter.
In this text, the first sentence clearly states “The Imperial Commissioner of the Garrison (is) Marquis Than Truc"and most notably, the red seal stamped on the letter is square in shape, measuring 6.8 x 6.8 cm, with 5 Chinese characters written in Seal script as "Nghe An"Seal of the Town Prefecture" (seal of the town prefecture)Nghe An)tells us that this is a document sent by the Governor of Nghe An. Than Truc Marquis Nguyen Van Than Khi was appointed by Nguyen Hue as the Governor of Nghe An when he went to the North for the first time in mid-1786, and he held this position throughout the existence of the Tay Son Dynasty. Unfortunately, history books do not record much information about him. But through the red seal "Nghe AnIn the above document, we see that under the Tay Son dynasty, the name "Nghia An" did not exist, but only the name "Nghe An".
Among all written documents, the documents stamped with the Triệu Sơn seal have a very high credibility value because they have been confirmed by the feudal government to ensure the authenticity and legal validity of the issued documents. The king's granting of seals to officials in the towns is an authorization on behalf of the emperor to rule the common people. Therefore, the seal is also a symbol of power and prestige.
Besides the documents bearing the Thai Duc era name mentioned above, the documents bearing the Canh Thinh era name in the early 19th century also never recorded the name "Nghia An". The Canh Thinh year 9 (1801) of the Deputy Year of the Canh Thinh era name was sent by the Royal Censor Hoang Nghi Marquis to his hometown in Nghe An to mobilize military provisions for the Tay Son court, with the following content:
(Translation) “The city is adjacent to the residence of the Imperial Censor-in-Chief, Hong Nghi Marquis. Deputy to Trung Can Hieu Uy Quan Su, (title) Nhung Tai Hau ... therefore, this deputy was assigned to this officer to urge the army back to their hometown in the town.Nghe Anto mobilize military provisions. Within a month, he must return to the capital Phu Xuan to assign public affairs...
April 3, Canh Thinh 9th year (1801)
Thus, through documents from the letters of Long Nhuong General Nguyen Hue to the Governor of Nghe An, through the reigns from Thai Duc to Canh Thinh under the Tay Son dynasty, it is shown that there is only the name "Nghe An" but does not confirm the existence of the name "Nghia An".
In the 10th year of Quang Thai (1397), the Tran Dynasty changed Nghe An town to Lam An town and Dien Chau town to Vong Giang town. Thus, after changing the name of Hoan Chau to Nghe An, at the end of the Tran Dynasty, the name "Nghe An" was only changed once to another name "Lam An" and it only existed for a short time.
From the early Le Dynasty until today, Nghe An has not recorded any other name changes. Therefore, “Nghe An” is the locality with the oldest name in our country. This name is much older than other localities, including provinces in the Red River Delta, such as: Hai Duong - established in 1469, Ninh Binh - 1822, Nam Dinh - 1822, Bac Ninh - 1822, Hanoi - 1831, Hung Yen - 1831, Hai Phong - 1888, Ha Nam - 1890...
Nghe An, as a locality with a rich culture, has always been the subject of research and compilation by many great authors in many valuable geographical works. Each document has its own interpretation and viewpoint on a certain information or event in history, such as the assertion that under the Tay Son dynasty, “Nghe An” changed its name to “Nghia An” is one of them.Dai Nam Nhat Thong ChiAlthough it is the largest and most important national historical record of our country's geography under the feudal period, highly appreciated for its serious compilation method and abundant historical sources, this is only a work written in the period after the Tay Son period. Therefore, in the case of wanting to correctly perceive the events that took place in history, specifically to identify the characters and events of the Tay Son dynasty, we need to provide evidence with high reliability - that is, the original documents (Primary source) of the same period. The above-mentioned Tay Son-era documents are all original written artifacts recorded at the exact time they appeared. This is truly original evidence (Original evidence) that has never been copied or rewritten by later generations. Therefore, it can be affirmed that under the Tay Son period, the name "Nghia An" did not exist.