Top 10 Fascinating Historical Records of Vietnamese Feudal Kings

• Longest Reign: King Ly Nhan Tong ruled for 56 years (1072 - 1127)

King Ly Nhan Tong was the eldest son of King Ly Thanh Tong. He ascended the throne at the age of 7. Supported by Empress Yi Lan, Chancellor Ly Dao Thanh, and Grand Marshal Ly Thuong Kiet, the kingdom thrived under his reign. He promoted education and Confucian exams, inaugurating the country's first imperial examination in 1072 and establishing the National University in 1076. Despite ruling for many years and having many consorts, Ly Nhan Tong did not have a direct heir. He designated his nephew, Ly Duong Hoan, as crown prince. Upon his passing, Duong Hoan ascended the throne as King Ly Than Tong.

• Shortest Reign: King Tien Le Trung Tong ruled for 3 days (1006)

King Tien Le Trung Tong reigned during a period of intense power struggles among princes. After just 3 days on the throne, he was assassinated by his half-brother, Le Long Dinh. He was 22 years old at the time of his demise.

• Longest Lifespan: King Bao Dai lived to 85 years (1913 - 1997):

Bao Dai was the 13th and final monarch of the Nguyen dynasty. He was also the last emperor of the Vietnamese monarchy. After years in exile and living in France, Bao Dai passed away on July 31, 1997 at the Val-de-Grace Military Hospital, at the age of 85.

• Shortest Lifespan: King Le Gia Tong lived to 15 years (1661 - 1675):

Le Gia Tong was the 8th emperor of the Le Trung Hung dynasty. He ascended the throne on November 19, 1671 at the age of 10. Described as handsome and generous, he ruled for only 4 years before passing away at the age of 15.

• Youthful Ascension: King Le Nhan Tong ascended the throne at 1 year old (1442)

King Le Nhan Tong (1441 – 1459) was the third king of the Later Le dynasty. He ruled for 17 years from 1442 – 1459. Queen Tuyen Tu acted as regent for King Le Nhan Tong when he ascended the throne at 1 year old, until he assumed full power in 1452. King Le Nhan Tong demonstrated wisdom and benevolence from a young age. However, he met an untimely demise in 1459 due to assassination by Le Nghi Dan.

• Elderly Ascension: King Tran Nghe Tong ascended the throne at 50 years old (1370)

King Tran Nghe Tong was the last supreme ruler of the Tran dynasty, credited with overthrowing Duong Nhat Le and restoring stability to the Tran dynasty. However, he was also criticized for allowing the Tran dynasty to fall into the hands of outsiders like Le Qui Ly. Despite his achievements, Tran Nghe Tong was deemed weak and yielding by historians. He ruled for 2 years (1370 – 1372) before becoming the retired emperor for over 20 years (1372 – 1394).

• First Queen: Trung Trac, also known as Trung Sisters, reign from 40 – 43.

The Trung Sisters led the famous uprising against Northern invaders. Trung Trac established a kingdom with its capital in Me Linh, lasting until 43 when it was defeated by Eastern Han forces.

• Only Queen: Ly Chieu Hoang Buddha's Gold (1224 – 1225)

Ly Chieu Hoang ascended the throne amidst political turmoil, becoming the 9th and final ruler of the Ly dynasty. Within a year, she was arranged by the Regent Tran Thu Do to abdicate in favor of Tran Thai Tong.

• King with the Most Reign Titles: King Ly Nhan Tong had 8 reign titles

King Ly Nhan Tong also holds the record for the longest reign titles. Among his 8 titles, 5 contain 4 characters each, namely: Anh Vu Chieu Thang (1076 - 1084), Long Phu Nguyen Hoa (1101 - 1109), Hoi Tuong Dai Khanh (1110 - 1119), Thien Phu Due Vu (1120 - 1126), Thien Phu Khanh Tho (1127).

• King with the Longest Reign Title Usage: King Le Hien Tong

King Le Hien Tong used the reign title Canh Hung for 47 years (1740 – 1786). He ascended the throne in 1740 and throughout his reign, he exclusively used the title Canh Hung.

• King with the Most Sons Becoming Kings: Tran Minh Tong and Le Than Tong, both had 4 sons become kings.

First is Tran Minh Tong, father of Tran Hien Tong, Tran Du Tong, Tran Nghe Tong, and Tran Due Tong.

Second is Le Than Tong, father of Le Duy Huu (Chan Tong), Le Duy Vu (Huyen Tong), Le Duy Coi (Gia Tong), and Le Duy Hop (Hy Tong).

• King with the Most Sons-in-law Becoming Kings: Le Hien Tong had 3 sons-in-law become kings.

Le Hien Tong's 3 sons-in-law who became kings were Nguyen Hue (married to Princess Le Ngoc Han), Nguyen Quang Toan (married to Princess Le Ngoc Binh), and Nguyen Anh (also married Ngoc Binh).

• King with the Most Children: Minh Mang (1790 – 1840) had 142 legitimate children.

King Minh Mang had a total of 142 children in his lifetime, including 78 princes and 64 princesses.

• King with the Most Queens: Ly Thai To had 9 queens.

Ly Thai To was the founder of the Ly dynasty, ruling from 1009 until his death in 1028. He had a total of 9 queens, 6 of whom were appointed in 1010 and 3 in 1016.

• King with a Western Wife: Le Than Tong

For political and international trade purposes, King Le Than Tong married several foreign women. Among his 6 high-ranking wives, aside from Queen Ngoc Truc and a queen of Muong ethnicity, the others were consorts from Siam (modern-day Thailand), Han (China), Ai Lao (modern-day Laos), and Hoa Lan (the Netherlands).

The king's Dutch wife was the daughter of the Dutch governor of Taiwan. In 1630, during a Dutch trade mission to Vietnam, Ms. Orona met King Le Than Tong in Thang Long. Following her father's wishes, she stayed in Vietnam and became the queen consort of King Than Tong.

Tu Duc composed over 300 poems and writings. Tu Duc was a king who valued Confucianism. He was deeply passionate about learning and had extensive knowledge, particularly in poetry and literature. Every night, he would read books until late. He wrote many poems in Chinese characters, including the Ngự Chế Việt sử tổng vịnh, which praised hundreds of figures in Vietnamese history. Additionally, he also wrote books in Vietnamese Nom script to make them more understandable for the people, such as Luận Ngữ diễn ca, Thập điều, Tự học diễn ca...

There are numerous legends about Tu Duc, especially about his interactions with contemporary writers and scholars. The king had a great interest in history and set up the Tập Hiền Viên and Khai Kinh Diên for discussions with officials on books, poems, or political matters. He also instructed the compilation of the comprehensive historical work Khâm Định Việt Sử Thông Giám Cương Mục, covering from ancient times to the end of the Le Dynasty, where he provided many commentaries himself.

Tu Duc also had a deep appreciation for the arts. He gathered many playwrights to compose dramas in the capital city of Hue, and ordered the creation of large theatrical works such as Vạn bửu trình tường and Quần phương hiến thụy.

During the reign of King Minh Mang, our country expanded from the North to the South. By 1832, the nation comprised 30 provinces:

• Northern Provinces (established in 1834) comprised 13 provinces: Hanoi, Son Tay, Hung Hoa Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Quang Yen, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thai Nguyen.
• Central Provinces (established in 1834) comprised 12 provinces: Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan.
• Southern Provinces (established in 1834) comprised 06 provinces: Phien An (renamed Gia Dinh in 1836), Bien Hoa, Dinh Tuong, Vinh Long, An Giang, Ha Tien.

A staggering 6 out of 11 kings of the Le Dynasty were deposed or assassinated. If we include unofficial kings like Le Quang Tri (1516), Le Bang, and Le Do (1519), the total rises to 9 out of 14 kings. This makes it the dynasty with the highest number of deposed and assassinated kings in Vietnamese feudal history.