The Evidence of Commercial Ports and Economic-Religious Features in Lower Thai Binh River in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (from Fieldwork and Inscriptions)

Abstract

In the past decades, research on the Tonkin commercial system has achieved a remarkable progress. The prediction of most of Vietnamese scholars toward the "Tonkin River" has been changing from Red River to Thai Binh River. However, the discussion around this issue is continuing, especially the exact position and actual function of Domea, an important place in "Tonkin River". In order to solve this matter, knowledge from filed work and indigenous materials reflecting the history of the lower part of the Thai Binh Delta contributes greatly to this debate. Based on the surveys made in three districts of Haiphong City (Vinh Bao, Tien Lang, Kien Thuy) and by analyzing 266 inscriptions, the author whises to contribute further information and analyses on the structure, function of the ports among the estuary of the Thai Binh River. This research also shows the relationship between the development of Tonkin commercial system and the changes in economy and belief of the local communities. It supplemented materials for studying history of port system in Haiphong and the northern coastal Vietnam in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.