Documents of The Nguyen Dynasty’s Mission to China in 1883: The Origins and Historical Values

In 1882, after the French defeated Tonkin for the second time, the Nguyen Dynasty led by King Tự Đức 嗣德 appointed Phạm Thận Duật 范慎遹 and Nguyễn Thuật 阮述 as envoys to the Qing Dynasty to seek the Chinese’s help to deal with the French invasion. The trip’s information from 1883 such as the schedule, the content, the discussion, and the progress was specifically reflected in the two envoys’ diaries, including “Notes of Voyage to Qing Dynasty in The First Year of Jianfu” 建福元年如清日程 (Phạm Thận Duật and Nguyễn Thuật), “Notes of Voyage to Tianjin” 往津日记 (Nguyễn Thuật). This article presents the origin of these documents and their historical values in order to provide insights into the study of diplomatic relations between the Nguyen Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty in the late 19th century through the 1883 mission.