Nguyen dynasty’s second war against Siam in 1842

Abstract

After the failure of the 1834-invasion, Siam had not given up its expansionist intentions to theEast, closely monitoring the situation in Dai Nam, and waiting for an opportunity to take revenge. In1840, taking advantage of the Khmer’s dissatisfaction with Nguyen policies, the Siamese King Rama IIIsupported Khmer King Nặc Ông Giun (Ang Duong) to raise a new revolt against the Nguyen Dynasty inTran Tay protectorate (the Khmer land of the Chan Lap kingdom that was annexed by Hue court since1835). Siam also sent troops to fight against Vietnamese army. In 1841, Emperor Minh Mang passedaway, and his son Thieu Tri came to the throne with a decision to temporarily withdraw troops fromTran Tay. Bangkok seized the opportunity, dispatched Chao Phraya Bodin to invade Vietnam onceagain. Vietnamese resistance took place fiercely from February to July 1842, and can be seen as aglorious page in the history of the Nguyen Dynasty and the nation. Like the defensive war in 1834, the1842-fight, although carefully recorded in the official history of the Nguyen Dynasty and mentioned inmany historical works in the 20th and early 21st centuries, has not yet received due attention, researchand widespread dissemination from Vietnamese historians. In order to contribute to a morecomprehensive understanding of this war in particular and history of the Nguyen Dynasty in general,this initially synthesizes and researches related documents to, on the one hand, provide a literaturereview of the event and, on the other hand, outline the main features of the resistant war and itssignificance in the national history.