Reflections on coins of Imperial Vietnam
Nguyễn Văn Cường, Vietnam Numismatics #4 (07-2018), p.33-35
In memory of past generations, preserving the roots...
Vietnam Numismatics:
Nguyễn Văn Cường, the antique coin collector, was born in the year Nhâm Tuất [壬戌] (1922). Before 1945, he worked at the editorial office of the Tiếng Dân newspaper under Huỳnh Thúc Kháng. He belonged to a younger generation of pre-war writers and poets such as Xuân Diệu, Huy Cận, Nhất Linh, and others. In 1945, he personally attended the abdication ceremony of Emperor Bảo Đại. Out of nostalgic feelings for the past, he kept imperial coins that were still in circulation at the time as mementos. From then on, he began collecting all kinds of money that had ever circulated in Vietnam. He passed away on March 10, 2018, in the city of Huế. He was the father of the coin researcher and collector Nguyễn Anh Huy. Vietnam Numismatics is honored to present his article, written in Thuận Hóa in the winter of 1983. This article begins the long-running series "The Colors of Time on Ancient Vietnamese Coins".
The collection of copper coins circulated in Vietnam during the imperial times from the reign of King Đinh Tiên Hoàng[1], throughout more than a thousand years of history, is a trace of the country and its people. Every coin captures a chapter of history, a cultural tradition, and the spirit of a nation. As the country passes through turning points of struggle, through the rise and fall of the dynasties, the coins clearly show their distinctive characteristics.
Taken together, these coins form a long thread of history, filled with the spirit of the nation, beautiful and precious in both form and spirit.
- Looking at the collection of coins, our spirits drift back to a distant, glorious past, amid the fragrant incense at the grand court, during the Khai Nguyên era[2], a time of good government and peace - a golden age of Tang poetry and Song Confucian philosophy, echoed by the gentle cadence of the Rainbow Feather Dance in the Moon Palace, with music playing and drums beating, the dragon palace and purple towers, ceremonial umbrellas and official robes, and the golden throne gleaming with jade!
- Looking at the collection of coins, our minds wander back through memory to the days of Hoa Lư[3], beneath the reed flags raised to found the nation - the Vạn Thắng flag glowing in the Thái Bình sunshine[4], marking the beginning of Đại Việt's monetary era, leading to an age of Lý and Trần literature, strong national defense, and dignified court ceremonies - with gongs sounding and command drums beating, military helmets and belts, elephant troops and cavalry, marching from Đông Bộ Đầu to celebrate the Nguyên Phong victories[5].
The entire collection of coins - golden pages of history, telling of the struggle to build the nation, still carrying the spirit of our ancestors, stained with the blood and tears of those who came before us. All shimmer and glow with the light of jade: the resounding drums of Mê Linh[6], the tears of Huyền Trân on her journey to the land of Champa[7], the glowing lanterns of those who gathered for a common cause, the shade of the ever-blooming longevity flowers, and the misty mountain forests of Lam Sơn on New Year's Eve[8].
- Looking at the collection of coins, each character is a mysterious image, shaped by the graceful strokes of talented scholars. The strokes may be serious and carefully composed, or soft and flowing, like those of Trình Di[9], Chu Hy[10], and Lý Bạch[11] - masterful brushwork in three styles of calligraphy, each carrying the spirit of a religious tradition and a way of life.
Regular script: a style of regular script that is clear and strong, yet also dignified and stately, like an enlightened ruler at a grand court ceremony preparing to read Bình Ngô đại cáo[12].
Cursive script: a free-flowing, natural script, favored by talented and artistic rulers. Graceful strokes like the girl of Trừ La[13] reflected in the water, her silk sleeves fluttering and scattering pearls!
Seal script: a script whose form is both square and ethereal, mysterious and solemn. The seal strokes are commanding and powerful, like the seal of a formidable commander on the decree of the Sông Hát[14].
Every stroke reflects the distinct personality of Song dynasty calligraphic masters, rendered with elegant precision through the refined casting methods of that era.
- Looking at the collection of coins, each character carries the splendid color of time. The coins that followed the conquering armies south into Đại Việt were tempered by more than a thousand years beneath the earth, throughout the country. The coins, now imbued with spirit and vitality, glowing with gold and jade hues, nurtured and embraced by Mother Earth in yellow soil, volcanic rock, golden sand, red gravel, and green moss... The entire collection has acquired a jade-like patina: the colors of early morning sunlight and evening mist, of golden summer and purple autumn... Having become naturalized, these coins merge seamlessly with native issues of independent dynasties, forming a continuous historical chain reflecting the harmony of the Three Teachings[15].
The entire collection of coins, a wondrous display of colors, radiating the brilliance of pearls and gems, created by nature together with human talent and the spirit of the nation through its long history, forms a harmonious masterpiece, a picture of countless hues, beautiful and precious.
Traces of the past evoke the spirit. Distant memories return, recalling the joyful days of Thăng Long[16], resounding with "The mountains and rivers of the Southern Country belong to the Southern Emperor"[17], with military achievements and good governance.
With the country at peace and ruler and ministers rejoicing together, command drums echoing and gold and jade giving voice, lanterns light the flower-filled night: rewarding the mandarins with Minh Đạo coins[18].
Ancient sounds echo back from Phú Xuân citadel[19]: the thunderous sound of command drums, celebrating the Kỷ Dậu spring[20]; from the Đăng Đàn Cung music[21] at the imperial court, with umbrellas, drums and gongs, blue silk robes, the ivory tablets of dukes and nobles, with gold and silver insigna, sparkling at the longevity ceremony, receiving royal decrees and bestowed silver coins "Vạn thế vĩnh lại"[22].
The coin is square inside and round outside, with the sun and moon side by side, with the four sides of the world and the eight directions, it represents Heaven and Earth and the entire universe. The coin bears the emperor's reign title, an authority that follows Heaven's Way and governs the people, hence the coin has the spirit of righteousness, the Three Bonds, and the Five Virtues[23].
Every king, upon ascending the throne, thought of minting coins. The reign title was chosen at the ceremony of communicating with Heaven, suited to the will of the people, the state of the country, and the ruler's ideals. Four Chinese characters on the coin are arranged neatly in the four directions. The first two auspicious characters are the emperor's reign title - the dynastic era; the two characters that follow mean "precious currency circulating among the people". Thus, beyond its commercial value, an issued coin serves as a public proclamation of the reigning era.
- The coin, a spiritual treasure, "following the principles of Heaven and Earth, and the Way of Heaven and Earth", embodies cause and effect, cycles of change, and the rise and fall of fortune. When accumulated, it brings prosperity; when lost, it brings misfortune. Because of these distinctive sacred qualities, coins were highly respected and treasured, viewed as a protective amulet, kept in homes or worn on the body to ward off evil spirits and bring prosperity to the household.
- The coin also carries the presence of heroic spirits, radiating the sacred energy of mountains and rivers, gathering yin and yang energies, and is thus used in ritual offerings to witness vows and prayers, serving as a medium of spiritual connection between the earthly realm and divine spirits.
- Coins were also used in wedding ceremonies - a hundred coins tied together with red thread to bind the couple's destiny for a lifelong marriage, harmony and fulfillment, and a hundred years of happiness and prosperity.
Across time and space, the coin, through its metaphysical nature, broad and bright, spreading righteous principles, sowed the light of heaven and earth into the nation's heart, cultural life, and traditional customs - an innate custom bound to human inner feelings, spiritual aspirations, and surrounding legendary tales...
Amid quiet reflections on the past, the coin collection stands as a brilliant historical record of national identity through changing eras, serving as both a spiritual token and a medium of trade in imperial times.
Now we preserve them for future generations to trace their origins! The past returns, stirring our hearts with affection. The echoes of the heart urge us to remember and dream of a distant time...
Relics of past,
Now preserved for future generations to trace their roots!
[1] Đinh Tiên Hoàng [丁先皇] (Đinh Bộ Lĩnh [丁部領]): Founder of the Đinh Dynasty (968-979) and the first Vietnamese ruler to use the title Hoàng đế [皇帝] (Emperor) after the period of Chinese domination. He established the capital at Hoa Lư.
[2] Khai Nguyên era [開元]: The reign era of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty, lasting from 713 to 741. The era is associated with the height of Tang power and cultural development.
[3] Hoa Lư [華閭]: The ancient capital of Đại Cồ Việt under the Đinh and Early Lê dynasties, located in present-day Ninh Bình Province.
[4] Vạn Thắng [萬勝]: Ten Thousand Victories, the name associated with Đinh Bộ Lĩnh, who was known as Vạn Thắng Vương [萬勝王] (King of Ten Thousand Victories) before becoming emperor in 968. Thái Bình [太平]: The reign title adopted by Đinh Tiên Hoàng in 970, meaning "Great Peace".
[5] Đông Bộ Đầu [東步頭]: A historic landing place on the Red River near Thăng Long, where Đại Việt forces fought the Mongol army during the first Mongol invasion in 1258. Nguyên Phong [元豐]: The reign title of Emperor Trần Thái Tông, used from 1251 to 1258.
[6] Mê Linh [麊泠]: The ancestral homeland of the Trưng Sisters and the center of their uprising against Han rule in AD 40. It is traditionally identified with an area in present-day northern Vietnam.
[7] Huyền Trân [玄珍]: A Trần dynasty princess who married King Jaya Simhavarman III of Champa around 1306 as part of a political arrangement. Her journey to Champa is remembered in Vietnamese history and literature.
[8] Lam Sơn [藍山]: The homeland of Lê Lợi and the base of the Lam Sơn uprising against Ming rule, which began in the beginning of 1418 and led to the restoration of Đại Việt independence in 1428.
[9] Trình Di [程頤] (Cheng Yi, 1033-1107): Northern Song philosopher and Neo-Confucian scholar. He was one of the important founders of the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism.
[10] Chu Hy [朱熹] (Zhu Xi, 1130-1200): Southern Song philosopher, scholar, and calligrapher, and one of the most influential Neo-Confucian thinkers.
[11] Lý Bạch [李白] (Li Bai, 701-762): Famous Tang dynasty poet, one of the best-known figures of classical Chinese poetry.
[12] Bình Ngô đại cáo [平吳大誥] (Great Proclamation of the Pacification of the Wu), written by Nguyễn Trãi in 1428 on behalf of Lê Lợi, proclaimed the defeat of the Ming forces and the restoration of Đại Việt's independence.
[13] Tây Thi [西施], one of the famous beauties of ancient China.
[14] Sông Hát (Hát River) is associated with the uprising of the Trưng Sisters in AD 40. At the river, Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị gathered their forces and held an oath ceremony before beginning the uprising against the Eastern Han. According to traditional accounts, Trưng Trắc proclaimed four vows there.
[15] Three Teachings (Tam giáo [三教]) refers to Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, which have long coexisted and influenced Vietnamese culture and art.
[16] Thăng Long [昇龍] (Ascending Dragon) was the name of the Vietnamese capital established by Lý Thái Tổ in 1010, on the site of present-day Hanoi.
[17] "Nam quốc sơn hà, Nam đế cư" (The mountains and rivers of the Southern Country belong to the Southern Emperor) is the opening line of a famous poem traditionally attributed to Lý Thường Kiệt, expressing Đại Việt's independence and sovereignty.
[18] The Vietnamese Minh Đạo Nguyên Bảo [明道元寶] coin belongs to the Lý dynasty, under Lý Thái Tông (1028-1054). Vietnamese numismatic sources date its minting to 1042-1043, although the chronology of the reign title is somewhat complicated in the sources. It should not be confused with the Northern Song coin bearing the same inscription, issued under Emperor Renzong in 1032-1033.
[19] Phú Xuân [富春] is the historical name of Huế, in central Vietnam.
[20] Kỷ Dậu [己酉] refers to 1789, the year of the Tây Sơn victory over the Qing invasion and the beginning of Quang Trung's reign.
[21] Đăng Đàn Cung [登壇宮] (Ascending the Altar): a special musical piece used for major court ceremonies.
[22] Vạn thế vĩnh lại [萬世永賴] (To be relied upon for ten thousand generations) is an inscription found on Nguyễn-dynasty presentation/reward coins, especially coins of Thiệu Trị and later Tự Đức.
[23] The Three Bonds (三綱) are the relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, and husband and wife. The Five Virtues (五常) are benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and fidelity, fundamental Confucian moral principles.