The role of waterway transportation on trade development in Southern Viet Nam in the 17th - 18th centuries

Abstract

Trade activities in Southern Vietnam during the 17th and 18th centuries was considered to be prosperous. The system of markets and commercial ports was formed and developed as bustling economic centers. Not only did domestic trade in the Southern region developed dramatically but also its attraction of foreign merchants. One of the factors contributing to the development of the southern commerce in the 17th - 18th centuries was the impact of waterway transportation. With strategic location and favored natural conditions of the Southern Vietnam, waterway was the main mode of transportation and travelling, allowing immigrants to enter the region for commerce. At the same time, this is the network connecting markets and commercial ports, transporting goods... from the Southern Vietnam to the outside world and vice versa. Waterway transportation has fulfilled its mission for socio-economic development in general and trade in particular.