The place and time when the Tale of Kieu was written

(Baonghean)For Nguyen Du, The Tale of Kieu is the culmination of a lifetime's work, conceived in various regions (Bich Cau ward (Thang Long), Hoa Thieu (Dong Ngan), Hai An (Quynh Coi), and Tien Dien (Nghi Xuan)... and then revised through many stages and in many places throughout the author's life. However, the primary place where the author undertook this work was on the banks of the Lam River at the foot of Hong Linh mountain, at the latest between 1796 and 1802, when To Nhu was between thirty and thirty-six or thirty-seven years old.

Later, Tran Trong Kim wrote in his book *A Brief History of Vietnam* that: “In the year Tan Mui (1811), he (King Gia Long) ordered officials to find unofficial historical books about the Le Dynasty and the Nguyen Tay Son Dynasty to revise the national history… stories such as “Hoa Tien” by Nguyen Huy Tu and “The Tale of Thuy Kieu” by Nguyen Du were also discovered at that time.” Thus, “The Tale of Thuy Kieu” was discovered in 1811, meaning it belonged to the category of “unofficial historical books about the Le Dynasty and the Nguyen Tay Son Dynasty” – that is, it was written before King Gia Long ascended the throne.

In his article "Nguyen Du and the village of Tien Dien," in *Anecdotes and Documents about Nguyen Du and The Tale of Kieu* (Nghe Tinh Publishing House, 1983), Thai Kim Dinh wrote: "At the beginning of the year of the Dragon (1796), Nguyen Du returned to Tien Dien, ending his years of hardship in Thai Binh and staying there until 1802… It is possible that during the short six years in Tien Dien, Nguyen Du wrote most of his works. Among them are two famous Nôm texts that elevated him to the status of a literary master: *The Invocation of Souls* and *The Tale of Kieu*." In the section "Regarding The Tale of Kieu," under Point 3: "Some Nôm versions still known today," Thai Kim Dinh wrote: "The first printed version was woodblock printed by Hoa Duong Pham Quy Thich in Hang Gai Street, Hanoi (around 1796-1825), often called the Hoa Duong version, the first village version." 1796 might be too early, but it's certain that The Tale of Kieu was printed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This aligns with the findings of scholar Tran Trong Kim.

Vu Ngoc Khanh (from Nghi Xuan) also agrees with Thai Kim Dinh about where Nguyen Du wrote The Tale of Kieu, although according to him, the period of To Nhu's stay in Tien Dien was different. He wrote in his book Three Hundred Years and More: "Since Quang Trung's death (1792), the Sung Chinh Institute disbanded without a public announcement, everyone went home. Nguyen Thien returned to the village to enjoy his fields, gardens, and books; with Uncle To Nhu returning to the village, these people were overjoyed…". According to this, Nguyen Du spent about ten years in his hometown in Nghi Xuan.

Nguyen Tai Can has long maintained that The Tale of Kieu was written by Nguyen Du in the late 18th century. Recently, in issue 61 of the Nghe An Culture and Arts Magazine, June 2005, based on the avoidance of taboo words in ancient Nôm versions of The Tale of Kieu published by Duy Minh Thi, Lieu Van Duong, Quan Van Duong, Thinh My Duong, and two original versions from Hue by Lam Noa Phu and Kieu Oanh Mau, he concluded: "The Tale of Kieu was composed in the late 18th century, before the reign of Gia Long. Some previous researchers have also reached this hypothesis." The Lao Dong newspaper, issue 92, published on April 3, 2005, also featured an article by Nguyen Tai Can and Ngo Duc Tho with similar content.

Now, Nguyen Tai Can notes at the end of the article printed in the Nghe An Culture Magazine that: "Scholars such as Hoang Xuan Han, Dao Duy Anh, and Truong Chinh have also provided some evidence to prove such a point." He also speculates, following Nguyen Thach Giang's suggestion: "The draft of The Tale of Kieu was probably known when he (Nguyen Du) was still in Thai Binh, but it probably began to become famous and widely copied after he had settled permanently in his hometown (Tien Dien)... Evidence for him completing the work in Tien Dien is that all the ancient Nôm versions of The Tale of Kieu contain some traces of the Nghe dialect, whether few or many. These traces must have spread from the first copies distributed from Nghe Tinh. Nguyen Hanh's poem mourning his uncle (1820) says: 'Uncle was famous as the 'most talented of his generation' 19 years ago,' which further confirms this." In *Nguyen Du Chronology and Works* (Culture and Information Publishing House, 2001, p. 37), Nguyen Thach Giang and Truong Chinh wrote: "The Tale of Kieu was further revised during the time spent in his hometown" (before 1802).

In his article "Was The Tale of Kieu composed during the reign of King Le and Lord Trinh?" published in the Nghe An Culture Magazine, issue 62, July 2005, Nguyen Khac Bao, after presenting numerous pieces of evidence, concluded: "The time when Nguyen Du wrote The Tale of Kieu must have been before the reign of Gia Long, but it could not have been during the reign of King Le and Lord Trinh... That time was approximately after Nguyen Du was captured by the Tay Son army and then released to live in his father's hometown...". In the Ha Tinh Culture Magazine, issue 172, November 2012, in the article "Some opinions on restoring the original text of The Tale of Kieu," Nguyen Khac Bao further wrote: "It is necessary to have a firm grasp of the archaic vocabulary of the time when Nguyen Du composed The Tale of Kieu (from 1796 - 1801...) in order to select and transcribe the correct Quốc ngữ (Vietnamese) words."

In the article "Contributing to the Time When Nguyen Du Wrote The Tale of Kieu" published in the Military Arts and Literature Magazine (2005), Vuong Trong wrote: "I would like to quote Nguyen Hoang Son's concluding statement in the book 'Literary Circle, Current Events and Commentary' to summarize: ...From 1943 to the present, Dao Duy Anh, Hoang Xuan Han, and Truong Chinh have all agreed that The Tale of Kieu was written before Nguyen Du went on his diplomatic mission, even before he became an official under Gia Long." Vuong Trong then continued: "Nguyen Hoang Son also agrees with Nguyen Tai Can, Dao Thai Ton... that Nguyen Du wrote The Tale of Kieu before Gia Long's time, specifically in the years 1776-1802."

These predictions are somewhat consistent with many of Nguyen Du's thoughts in his Chinese poems when he lamented the ten years of the Le dynasty's loss of imperial power, as well as the ten years he spent ill at the foot of Hong Mountain.

Thus, although there are still many differing opinions that need further discussion, the majority of researchers in the field of Vietnamese studies on the Tale of Kieu agree that Nguyen Du continued and completed the Tale of Kieu sometime between 1792 and 1801 in Tien Dien, a bright spot and also rich in cultural heritage of Nghe An province.

CHU TRONG HUYEN (Vinh City)