VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam is building dossiers to submit to the UNESCO for considering the royal documents of the Nguyen Dynasty – the only preserved administrative documents of Vietnam’s feudal dynasties in the history - as the world's documentary heritage.

Nguyen Dynasty’s official documents in an exhibition.

The royal documents of the Nguyen Dynasty, starting from the reign of King Gia Long (1802) until the end of the reign of King Bao Dai (1945) are currently preserved at the National Archives Centre I. Most of the documents were signed and approved by the Kings.

Over hundreds of years, the documents have been partly damaged due to climate, wars and poor storage conditions but they have been kept until today and are particularly rare. They express not only the uniqueness of the form but also have the autographs of Kings and valuable information about social and economic issues of Vietnam from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century.

Researchers highly appreciate the values of the documents and hope that they will soon become the national treasures and be recognized by UNESCO as world heritage.

Previously the documents were the original data sources used to compile the historical books and rule books of the Nguyen dynasty. Today, they are the reliable historical sources to help scientists study and rebuild the history of the Nguyen Dynasty in the fields of politics, economics and diplomacy.

The Nguyen dynasty was the last ruling family of Vietnam. Their rule lasted a total of 143 years. It began in 1802 when Emperor Gia Long ascended the throne after defeating the Tay Son Dynasty and ended in 1945 when Bao Dai abdicated the throne and transferred power to the State of Vietnam, with a total of 13 kings: Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc, Duc Duc, Hiep Hoa, Kien Phuc, Ham Nghi, Dong Khanh, Thanh Thai, Duy Tan, Khai Dinh and Bao Dai.

T. Van