Sino-Vietnamese documents in the Overseas National Archives (France): Traces of a rich source of Vietnamese history in the colonial era (1875-1945)

Among the documents on Indochina during the colonial era kept in the Overseas National Archives (ANOM, France), those documents written in Sino-Vietnamese characters have an important role in the entire ensemble. However, perhaps to this day these documents are still unknown. This article aims to present the initial result of research on this source of unique documents. Specifically, it includes three main part: the systematic presentation of the documents; the official royal documents during the Nguyen dynasty; and through these documents, a view on the lives of the villagers around Hanoi during the colonial period.

The author

Confirmed researcher of the Institute of Sino-Vietnamese Studies. Her studies and translations are based on texts in Sino-Vietnamese and Chinese characters. Previously, literary projects had been her first inspiration. Interested in the socio-economic history of Việt Nam by the research of Professor Nguyễn Thế Anh (France) and researcher Đặng Phong (Việt Nam), she has devoted herself since 2007.

Reference

Viêt Anh Cao. Documents en caractères sino-vietnamiens aux Archives nationales d’outre-mer (France) : une source riche en vestiges de l’histoire du Viêt Nam à l’époque coloniale (1875-1945). FMSH-WP-2015-93. 2013.