On the Sources Used in the Compilation of “Đại Nam quốc cương giới vựng biên” Currently Preserved at the Tư Đạo Archive (Shido Bunko, Japan)

Abstract

Đại Nam quốc cương giới vựng biên 大南國疆界彙編 (Compilation of the Frontiers and Boundaries of Đại Nam) is a monographic work on the borders of Vietnam adjoining neighboring countries, accompanied by maps of the entire country and individual provinces, written in classical Chinese and currently preserved at the Tư Đạo Archive (Shido Bunko) in Japan. The work was compiled by Hoàng Hữu Xứng under royal command and completed in 1887. It is an official geographical text of significant value in many respects and bears great historical importance in determining the geographical position and territorial boundaries of Vietnamese sovereignty under the Nguyễn dynasty. Hoàng Hữu Xứng relied on numerous domestic Hán-Nôm materials and foreign historical sources in compiling Đại Nam quốc cương giới vựng biên. Employing methods of textual research, interdisciplinary studies, toponymy, and cultural studies, this article seeks to clarify the sources used, the methods of citation, and the contributions of Hoàng Hữu Xứng in compiling the version of Đại Nam quốc cương giới vựng biên currently preserved in Japan.