Đại Nam nhất thống chí qua cách tiếp cận văn bản học và địa danh học lịch sử

Abstract

Đại Nam nhất thống chí [The Imperial Gazetteer of Đại Nam] is a national gazetteer written in Classical Chinese and Chữ Nôm, documenting the geography of provinces and cities throughout Vietnam, compiled during the Nguyễn dynasty. The contribution of this article lies in clarifying both the achievements and limitations of previous translation works of Đại Nam nhất thống chí: prior translators had not considered manuscript A.69/12 as a specialized object of study, and consequently overlooked a substantial body of content that the court historians had added as interlinear annotations above the main text during compilation. Through an examination of the textual characteristics and historical value of selected passages on historical place names in manuscript A.69/12, with particular focus on the cases of An Vĩnh commune (Lý Sơn, Quảng Ngãi) and Quỷ Môn quan (Chi Lăng, Lạng Sơn) as found in the interlinear annotations written above the main text of manuscripts A.69/1-12, the article illuminates the role of An Vĩnh commune in the historical defense of Vietnam’s maritime territories and islands, and clarifies the position of Quỷ Môn quan along the overland route between China and Vietnam throughout history. The article further affirms the significant value of this gazetteer for the study of Vietnamese history, geography, culture, religion, and beliefs of the past.