Scale and Systematic Feature of Van Don: On the Role and Position of the Trading Port

Abstract

In the two regions of Northeastern and Southwestern Vietnamese territory, there are two gulfs, of which geographical, economic, and stratetic positions are of great significance. While the Gulf of Tonkin is attached to the historic, cultural, and economic courses of Southeast Asian region, the gulf of Thailand has connection with many countries in Southeast Asia, India, and Western Asia.

Covering an area of 126,250 km2, the gulf of Tonkin is one of the big gulfs of Southeast Asia and an important part of the East Sea. The potentials of economy, environment and culture contributed to the birth of the well-known Ha Long oceanic culture. Together with Ha Long culture, Dong Son culture also had close connection with the outside world, especially the areas of Southeastern China, Hainan Island, Ryukyu and Kyushu archipelagoes, Japan and other oceanic cultures in Southeast Asia. On the other hand, since the Christian era, merchants and missionaries had visited Giao Chau to exchange goods and carry out the missionary work. Giao Chau used to be a prosperous area, the destination of all lifestyles and one of intersecting areas of the Chinese and Indian civilizations.

In 1149, Emperor Ly Anh Tong opened "Trang Van Don" for exchanging and trading with foreign merchants. Since then, Van Don became an important international port of Dai Viet (Great Viet) with a system of ports, checkpoints of boats and ships, goods and defense bases. During the Ly, Tran and Le dynasties, Van Don had dense settlements, production areas, and historical and religious structures. In fact, Van Don became a fairly developed entity which drew special attention of different dynasties during about six centuries. It had the longest operation in the history of Dai Viet's trading ports. Van Don maintained close connections with the coastal, estuarial, and island ports such as Van Ninh, Mong Cai, Cat Ba, Yen Hung... as well as production centers such as textile and ceramic villages in the Red River Delta and the Southeastern region of China.

Based on historical and archaeological documents, this article focuses on the analysis of the role, systematic characteristics, and the position of the Van Don trading port in Vietnamese history.