Exploiting the resources of the sea and islands in Northern Vietnam: a view from its trading relations with coastal China in the 19th century

Abstract

In the 19th century, the resources of the sea and islands in Vietnam’s Northern region were exploited to maintain commercial connections with coastal China. Vietnamese seaports in the region had been active for centuries (such as Van Ninh Port). They exploited the gateway position of estuaries such as Nam Trieu, Cam, Tra Ly, Lieu, and Lac in linking inland waterways and seaborne trade. These networks contributed to creating tremendous advantages for Northern Vietnam in the late 19th-century international commercial system. The development of maritime linkage between Northern Vietnam and coastal China played an important role in the 19th-century DaiNam-Qing economic interaction. However, as this paper points out, the advantages of the island resources during this period were not exploited effectively for the development of Vietnam.