LAND OWNERSHIP OF VILLAGE DIGNITARIES IN GIA DINH PROVINCE IN THE EARLY 19th CENTURY THROUGH THE CADASTRAL REGISTERS (The Case of Binh Tri Ha Canton, Binh Duong District)

Abstract

In 1836, Minh Mang dispatched a delegation to the South with the task of re-establishing the Cadastral registers and surveying the land. Creating cadastral register was not to unify the administration of land, but also to comprehend the actual status of land ownership and use among the population as a whole and each population group in each administrative unit. Based on 26 cadastral registers created during this time period in Binh Tri Ha canton, Binh Duong district, Gia Dinh province, this paper outlines and gives some estimations on the land ownership situation of village dignitaries.