Studying Tu vo Associations in village life in Vietnam during the Monarchical Period

Abstract

Tu vo Association is a social organization, that existed only in Vietnam during the monarchical period and has not been adequately researched. Based on inscriptional sources and several village codes (huong uoc) in classical Chinese collected by EFEO in the early 20th century and currently archived at the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies, the author aims to study the establishment, structure, organization and activities of the Tu vo Association which were organized variously from district to commune levels. This paper then points out the similarities and differences between Tu Vo and Tu van Associations and suggests that Tu Vo was a social organization of martial arts people, living in the rural areas of the Northern Delta and North Central Coast of Vietnam. They arranged many activities not only for the Association itself but also for the villages and communes. contributing to the stability and development of rural Vietnam in history.