The Borderland Province of Cao Bằng

Presentation

Located at the northern border of Vietnam and marked by rugged terrain, the province of Cao Bằng, land of the Tày, was long regarded as a remote, backwards, and potentially dangerous region by the Kinh people from the delta. To govern this border zone, the sovereign had to accept the rights of indigenous leaders while maintaining both his own prerogatives and symbolic aspects. Beginning in 1820, however, Emperor Minh Mạng (1820-1840) launched a policy aimed at eliminating the power of the local chieftains over the borderlands. This reform represented the first, and most violent offensive by the central government against the indigenous leaders of the mountainous region. 

This monograph shines a light on the relationship between the monarchy and the local power holders of Cao Bằng, from its origins to the aftermath of Minh Mạng’s reform, including the political rivalry between chieftains on a local level. This retrospective study offers a new perspective on the process of integrating the northern Vietnamese borderlands and on the difficulties encountered by the Court of Hue in its efforts to govern the borderlands.

Interview

Author

Nguyễn Thị Hải is a lecturer and researcher at the Thái Nguyên University of Education (Vietnam) and obtained her doctorate in history and civilizations from Paris Diderot University in 2016. She pursues research on regions on the borders of Vietnam and China.

292 pages
16 x 24 cm
Publication: 01/09/2019
ISBN: 9782858312832