Reexamining Can Vuong proclamation and the only Can Vuong Edict in the repertoire of Nguyen’s chauban documents

Abstract

Many years ago, there was a heated debate on the Can Vuong edict (also known as the Can Vuong Proclamation) caused by the unearthing of three Can Vuong proclamations, namely documents no.1, 2, and 3. Nevertheless, all three of them were placed under scholarly scepticism because of their ambiguous provenance. All three were not mentioned in any of Nguyen’s official records. This research examines the collection of Chauban documents of the Nguyen dynasty in which only one edict dated back to the Ham Nghi years was found (issued on the 12th day of the 6th month of Ham Nghi’s first year (1885)). This article introduces the edict’s full text, and then analyzes and clarifies some issues about the content, format, and authorized legality of the three documents. It is hoped that this investigation provides a valuable source for the understanding of Vietnamese history.