The Tay Son Rebellion

"George Dutton has written the first detailed Western-language study of the Tây So’n movement, which permanently altered Vietnam’s political trajectory. But in so doing, he also provides a sensitive social and cultural analysis of the pre-1800 Vietnamese-speaking world as a whole, and indeed one of the most detailed descriptions of any late 18th-century society in Southeast Asia." —Victor Lieberman, University of Michigan "It is difficult to overstate the significance of George Dutton’s terrific new book. The Tây So’n Uprising represents the first serious western-language account of the intricate sequence of political developments that define the Tây So’n era and that arguably mark the onset of modernity in Vietnam. In addition to providing a vividly evocative narrative of the complex political history of the period, Dutton offers lucid and judicious interpretations of the origins, evolution and downfall of the uprising and of its consequences for a wide range of social groups, political forces and ethnic communities. The level of research and historical craftsmanship is superb, and Dutton’s frequent reflections on relevant theoretical and historiographical issues make for fascinating reading. In short, this is a stunning accomplishment and a major contribution to the study of Vietnamese history and historiography." —Peter Zinoman, University of California, Berkeley The Tây So’n uprising (1771–1802) was a cataclysmic event that profoundly altered the eighteenth-century Vietnamese political and social landscape. This groundbreaking book offers a new look at an important and controversial era. George Dutton follows three brothers from the hamlet of Tây So’n as they led a heterogeneous military force that ousted ruling families in both halves of the divided Vietnamese territories and eventually toppled the 350-year-old Lè dynasty. Supplementing Vietnamese primary sources with extensive use of archival European missionary accounts, he explores the dynamics of an event that affected every region of the country and every level of society. Tracing the manner in which the Tây So’n leaders transformed an inchoate uprising into a new political regime, Dutton challenges common depictions of the Tây So’n brothers as visionaries or revolutionaries. Instead, he reveals them as political opportunists whose worldview remained constrained by their provincial origins and the exigencies of ongoing warfare and political struggles.

"George Dutton has written the first detailed Western-language study of the Tây So’n movement, which permanently altered Vietnam’s political trajectory. But in so doing, he also provides a sensitive social and cultural analysis of the pre-1800 Vietnamese-speaking world as a whole, and indeed one of the most detailed descriptions of any late 18th-century society in Southeast Asia." —Victor Lieberman, University of Michigan "It is difficult to overstate the significance of George Dutton’s terrific new book. The Tây So’n Uprising represents the first serious western-language account of the intricate sequence of political developments that define the Tây So’n era and that arguably mark the onset of modernity in Vietnam. In addition to providing a vividly evocative narrative of the complex political history of the period, Dutton offers lucid and judicious interpretations of the origins, evolution and downfall of the uprising and of its consequences for a wide range of social groups, political forces and ethnic communities. The level of research and historical craftsmanship is superb, and Dutton’s frequent reflections on relevant theoretical and historiographical issues make for fascinating reading. In short, this is a stunning accomplishment and a major contribution to the study of Vietnamese history and historiography." —Peter Zinoman, University of California, Berkeley The Tây So’n uprising (1771–1802) was a cataclysmic event that profoundly altered the eighteenth-century Vietnamese political and social landscape. This groundbreaking book offers a new look at an important and controversial era. George Dutton follows three brothers from the hamlet of Tây So’n as they led a heterogeneous military force that ousted ruling families in both halves of the divided Vietnamese territories and eventually toppled the 350-year-old Lè dynasty. Supplementing Vietnamese primary sources with extensive use of archival European missionary accounts, he explores the dynamics of an event that affected every region of the country and every level of society. Tracing the manner in which the Tây So’n leaders transformed an inchoate uprising into a new political regime, Dutton challenges common depictions of the Tây So’n brothers as visionaries or revolutionaries. Instead, he reveals them as political opportunists whose worldview remained constrained by their provincial origins and the exigencies of ongoing warfare and political struggles.

The Tay Son Rebellion covers a major civil war in Vietnam. The country had been divided into north and south for 150 years: the Trinh dynasty in the north, and the Nguyen dynasty in the South. Both dynasties allowed corruption to grow, and their people suffered. The three Ho brothers started a peasant uprising in the center, in Tay Son, and eventually defeated both warlords. They let a young Nguyen prince escape, and he is helped by a French Catholic Bishop, who raises a small French Navy in India to help the young Prince Nguyen Anh attack the Ho brothers. The outcome helps determine important parameters of modern Vietnam. More at www.TheTaysonRebellion.com

This book has been superceded by Vietnam when the Tanks were Elephants, an expanded more reader-friendly edition of the same story told from the first person narrative of eight of the participants. The author recommends that those interested in the drama of the Tay Son revolution consult Elephants, while those literary masochists studying the evolution of an author ́s style also obtain this one.

In this historical reassessment of southern Vietnam and its distinct culture, Li Tana illuminates the resourceful qualities of the Dong Trong pioneers, develops a meticulous analysis of the Nguyen trade and taxation systems, and, in the process, redefines the chief cause of the Tay Son rebellion. Li Tana's study focuses on the socio-economics of Nguyen Cochinchina, such as: the role of foreign merchants, the region's trading economy, demographic influences, religious and cultural values, how Nguyen rule affected Vietnamese settlers, relationships with uplanders, and processes of localization and identity formation.

This study of nineteenth-century Vietnam focuses on interactions between the Vietnamese king, Minh Mang, and the heterogeneous southern region of the country, which he sought to bring more firmly under state control through a series of polices intended to "Vietnamize" the populace and unite north and south.

The Tay Son Rebellion covers a major civil war in Vietnam. The country had been divided into north and south for 150 years: the Trinh dynasty in the north, and the Nguyen dynasty in the South. Both dynasties allowed corruption to grow, and their people suffered. The three Ho brothers started a peasant uprising in the center, in Tay Son, and eventually defeated both warlords. They let a young Nguyen prince escape, and he is helped by a French Catholic Bishop, who raises a small French Navy in India to help the young Prince Nguyen Anh attack the Ho brothers. The outcome helps determine important parameters of modern Vietnam.

Appetites and Aspirations in Vietnam explores how people in Vietnam used food and drink to strengthen their social position during the "long" nineteenth century, from the 1790s to the 1920s.