mace (tiền), and 2
candareen
A candareen (; Accessed from OED Online. ; Singapore English usage: hoon) is a traditional unit of measurement, measurement of weight in East Asia. It is equal to 10 cash (unit), cash and is of a mace (measurement), mace. It is approximatel ...
s (phân), or slightly less than 10.5 kilograms making it the heaviest among the seals of the Nguyễn dynasty.
The ''Hoàng Đế chi bảo'' was considered to be the "top seal" of the Emperor and was only stamped on the most documents on home and foreign affairs.
The ''Sắc mệnh chi bảo'' (敕命之寶) has the largest surface of any Nguyễn dynasty period seal at 14 cm x 14 cm, by comparison for the jade seals, the one with the largest surface is 10,5 cm x 10,5 cm.
Despite having a larger surface, at 223 taels the ''Sắc mệnh chi bảo'' weighs less than the ''Hoàng Đế chi bảo''.
This seal is made of 8.3 kg pure gold.
Both the ''Sắc mệnh chi bảo'' and the ''Phong Tặng chi bảo'' were used by the Nguyễn dynasty Emperors to stamp on conferment documents for mandarins in the realm.
The ''Sắc mệnh chi bảo'' seal was transferred by the Nguyễn dynasty government to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and is now housed in the Vietnam National Museum of History under museum number "LSb.34447".
The golden ''Trị lịch minh thời chi bảo'' (治歷明時之寶) seal was used on annual calendars.
During the reign of the
Thiệu Trị Emperor a seal with the inscription ''Thánh Tổ Nhân Hoàng Đế chi bảo'' was created in the year Thiệu Trị 1 (1841).
The creation of this golden seal was ordered two months into his reign to be used in the Thế Miếu shrine to honour his late father.
This golden seal has two inscriptions written on its top, one inscription on the left side reads ''Bát ngũ tuế hoàng kim, trọng nhất bách thập nhất lạng ngũ tiền tứ phân''. (English: Gold eight and a half years old with a weight of 111 taels, 5 mace, and 4 candareens; Modern Vietnamese: ''Vàng 8 tuổi rưỡi, nặng 111 lạng 5 tiền 4 phân'').
On the right it has the inscription ''Thiệu Trị nguyên niên tam nguyệt cát nhật phụng chú tạo''. (English: Cast on the most auspicious day of the 3rd month of the 1st year of the reign of Thiệu Trị, 1841; Modern Vietnamese: ''Phụng mệnh đúc vào ngày lành tháng 3 năm Thiệu Trị thứ 1, 1841'').
This seal features a seal knob in the form of a five-clawed dragon standing with its head upturned and its back arched, further it has a tail with 6 pointed bands.
During the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor a golden seal with the inscription ''Nhân Tuyên Từ Khánh Thái Hoàng Thái hậu chi bảo'' (仁宣慈慶太皇太后之寶) was created to honour his paternal grandmother
Trần Thị Đang during the first year of his reign (1841).
Its seal knob is shaped as a five-clawed dragon standing upright with its head upturned, its back arched, and its tail bent with 7 flame-shaped ends.
On the left of the seal knob is the text ''Bát ngũ tuế hoàng kim, trọng cửu thập ngũ lượng thất tiền tứ phân'' (八五歲皇金重九十五両七錢四分; English: Eight year old gold with a weight of 95 taels, 7 mace, and 4 candareens; Modern Vietnamese: ''Vàng 8 tuổi rưỡi, nặng 95 lạng 7 tiền 4 phân'').
While on its right side is the inscription ''Thiệu Trị nguyên niên tam nguyệt cát nhật phụng chú tạo'' (紹治元年三月吉日奉鑄造; English: Created on the auspicious day of the third month of the first year of the reign of Thiệu Trị; Modern Vietnamese: ''Phụng mệnh đúc vào ngày lành tháng 3 năm Thiệu Trị 1, 1841'').
Another golden seal for an Empress Dowager was created during the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor with the inscription ''Nhân Hoàng hậu chi bảo'' (仁皇后之寶).
Its seal knob features a five-clawed dragon standing up right with its head held up high and a twisted 6-pointed flame-shaped tail.
On the left of the seal knob is the text ''Bát ngũ tuế kim, trọng bát thập nhị lượng nhị tiền tam phân'' (八五歲金重八十二両二錢三分; English: Eight year old gold with a weight of 82 taels, 2 mace, and 3 candareens; Modern Vietnamese: ''Vàng 8 tuổi rưỡi, nặng 82 lạng 2 tiền 3 phân'').
While on the right it is inscribed with the text ''Thiệu Trị nguyên niên tứ nguyệt cát nhật phụng chú tạo'' (紹治元年四月吉日奉鑄造; English: Created on a good day during the 4th month of the first year of the reign of Thiệu Trị; Modern Vietnamese: ''Đúc vào ngày lành tháng 4 năm Thiệu Trị 1, 1841'').
This seal was created to honour
Hồ Thị Hoa (or the Empress Dowager Tá Thiên).
During the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor a seal with the inscription ''Phúc Tuy công ấn'' seal was created, this seal featured a seal knob in the form of a four-clawed dragon.
On the left of the seal knob is the text ''Trọng tứ thập ngũ lạng ngũ tiền'' (English: Weight of 45 taels and 5 mace; Modern Vietnamese: ''Nặng 45 lạng 5 tiền'').
While on right it featured the inscription ''Thiệu Trị tam niên tạo'' (English: Created in the 3rd year of the reign of Thiệu Trị, 1843; Modern Vietnamese: ''Đúc vào năm Thiệu Trị thứ 3, 1843'').
according to the ''Nguyễn Phúc tộc thế phả'' this seal was given to Prince
Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Nhậm in the year 1843 when he was conferred as ''Phúc Tuy Công''.
During the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor a golden seal with the inscription ''Đại Nam hiệp kỷ lịch chi bảo'' (大南協紀曆之寶), this seal has a five-clawed dragon-shaped seal knob that is similar in design to the ones found on the Minh Mạng period ''Khâm văn chi tỷ'', ''Duệ vũ chi tỷ'' and ''Trị lịch minh thời chi bảo'' seals.
On its handle it features two inscriptions, one the left is written ''Thập tuế hoàng kim, trọng nhất bách nhị thập ngũ lạng ngũ tiền tứ phân'' (English: Ten year old gold with a weight of 125 taels, 5 mace, and 4 candareens; Modern Vietnamese: ''Vàng 10 tuổi, nặng 125 lạng 5 tiền 4 phân'').
While on its left it is inscribed with the text ''Thiệu Trị thất niên thập nguyệt cát nhật tạo'' (English: Cast on the auspicious day of the 10th month of 7th year of the reign of Thiệu Trị; Modern Vietnamese: ''Đúc vào ngày lành tháng 10 năm Thiệu trị thứ 7, 1847'').
This seal superseded the ''Trị lịch minh thời chi bảo'' for usage on the official calendars of the Nguyễn dynasty.
Ivory seals
During the years 1846–1847, The Thiệu Trị Emperor ordered the creation of an ivory seal.
This seal has a dragon-shaped
seal knob
Seal knob ( 印 纽), refers to carving or small decorative reliefwork at the top or side of a seal. The associated carving technique is called knob carving ( 纽 刻), a traditional technique that originated in ancient China and later spread ...
, a round face (as opposed to most square seals), and a diameter of 10.8 centimeters.
Its inscription is carved in the words meaning "As a record for the enjoyment of the Emperor and the imperial family".
Under Emperor
Khải Định
Khải Định (; chữ Hán: 啓定; born Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Đảo; 8 October 1885 – 6 November 1925) was the 12th emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty in Vietnam, reigning from 1916 to 1925. His name at birth was Prince Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Đ ...
an ivory seal was created that was ellipse in shape and had the inscription ''Khải Định thần khuê'' (啟定宸奎) written in
Traditional Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese characters are one type of standard Chinese character sets of the contemporary written Chinese. The traditional characters had taken shapes since the clerical change and mostly remained in the same structure they took at ...
as opposed to seal script.
Meteorite seals
During the years reign of
Đồng Khánh a meteorite seal (''ấn làm từ thiên thạch'') was specifically made for him.
In order to show friendship between
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and Emperor Đồng Khánh, the French government commissioned a special gift as
Stanislas-Étienne Meunier, geologist, mineralogist, and scientific journalist, wrote: "For the
Son of Heaven
Son of Heaven, or ''Tianzi'' (), was the sacred monarchical title of the Chinese sovereign. It originated with the Zhou dynasty and was founded on the political and spiritual doctrine of the Mandate of Heaven. Since the Qin dynasty, the secula ...
like Đồng Khánh, nothing is better than giving him a treasure from heaven.
So, I ask our government to try to find a meteorite, then carve it and turn it into a precious seal."
to the
President of France
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...
who accepted his proposal and Stanislas-Étienne Meunier immediately began looking for the perfect meteorite to make the treasure.
Stanislas-Étienne Meunier had to go everywhere to find a satisfactory meteorite, in the end he found it in the city of
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, where he bought
a rock that fell to the earth on 30 January 1868 near
Pułtusk
Pułtusk (pronounced ) is a town in northeast Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it had a population of about 19,000 . Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in ...
,
Vistula Land
Vistula Land, Vistula Country (russian: Привислинский край, ''Privislinsky krai''; pl, Kraj Nadwiślański) was the name applied to the lands of Congress Poland from 1867, following the defeats of the November Uprising (1830–3 ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
(present-day Pułtusk,
Mazovia
Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
).
Stanislas-Étienne Meunier described the meteorite as not being cracked and having a beautiful appearance, and a suitable size.
Meunier was happy with the specimen and brought it back to the jeweler to manufacture.
The seal itself is made of pure gold and is engraved with words "Le gouvernement de la République Française à S. M. Dong-Khanh, roi d'Annam" (English: The government of the French Republic, his royal highness Đồng Khánh,
King of Annam; Vietnamese: Chính phủ cộng hoà Pháp tặng vua Đồng Khánh, quốc vương xứ An Nam) in
French.
According to the book ''Đồng Khánh chính yếu'' the seal was presented to Đồng Khánh in December 1887.
Upon receiving the seal Đồng Khánh thanked the French government and issued a statement to the people that read:
Which translated into
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
means "
Resident-superior Séraphin Hector, now stationed in the imperial capital city, presented a gift in the form of a jade seal made by the noble servants of the court.
The court created, on engraved with four words "The Court of Establishment", said that it was given by the Emperor of Great(er) France.
It was a rock which descended upon the earth by heavenly goodness, and Great(er) France found the rock and made a seal out of it.
It is truly a most precious and rare treasure, most very difficult to acquire.
The French now brought it as a gift so that from now on, if there is something that needs to be reported to the government of Great(er) France, then I shall use this special seal to make news."
Silver seals
During its existence the Nguyễn dynasty created a number of silver seals (''Ấn đúc bằng bạc'').
According to the book ''Nguyễn Phúc tộc thế phả'' prince
Nguyễn Phúc Miên Tông was sent to study during the reign of his father in the year of the
Tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
(năm Canh Dần, 1830). There he was given the nickname ''Trường Khánh công''.
In the same year Emperor Minh Mạng (Minh Mệnh) gave Nguyễn Phúc Miên Tông the gift of a gold-plated silver seal, with a vertical dragon-shaped seal knob, this dragon was depicted with a raised head, a curved back, a bent tail, and four-claws.
The back of the seal is engraved with 2 lines of Chinese characters, indicating that the seal weighs 44 ounces, 9, 4 centimeters and notes the date of its creation.
The inscription on this silver seal is ''Trường Khánh công ấn''.
During the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor a silver seal with the inscription ''Phúc Tuy quan phòng'' was created.
Its seal knob is shaped as a
Kỳ lân with an upturned head, arched back, bent tail, and 4 loose legs.
It was cast during the 2nd year of Thiệu Trị or the year of the
Ox (Năm Tân Sửu, 1841).
This seal was gifted to Prince Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Nhậm in the year 1843.
Bronze seals
![National Museum of Vietnamese History March 2nd, 2018 16](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/National_Museum_of_Vietnamese_History_March_2nd%2C_2018_16.jpg)
Bronze seals, known in Vietnamese as ''Ấn triện bằng đồng'' (印篆評銅), were seals generally reserved for people of a lower status than the imperial family, but due to the financial difficulties Đại Nam was in due to war reparations imposed by the French and Spanish, the Tự Đức Emperor confiscated gold seals given to the princes and princesses of the Imperial family and replaced them with identical bronze seals.
The order the Tự Đức Emperor made read as: "All kinds of ngân sách, ấn (seals), quan, and quan phòng of princes and princesses must be returned and melted down into bars for use.
But according to the original pattern be cast into bronze again for convenience and everlasting storage." (Các loại ngân sách, ấn, quan, quan phòng của các hoàng thân, công chúa phải nộp và nấu chảy thành thỏi để dùng. Nhưng theo mẫu đổi đúc lại bằng đồng để tiện cho đời đời lưu giữ).
After the year 1869 almost all seals of the imperial court (excluding the ones for the Emperor and some select princes) were primarily made of bronze.
Bronze seals were cast for many different types of government offices and functions such as mandarins, other bureaucrats, administrative divisions, medals, signatures, Etc. and the knobs of bronze seals may be decorated with a
Chinese "unicorn", a
Chinese guardian lion
Chinese guardian lions, or imperial guardian lions, are a traditional Chinese architectural ornament, but the origins lie deep in much older Indian Buddhist traditions. Typically made of stone, they are also known as stone lions or shishi (). ...
, a straight shape, or a ring shape among others.
These seal knobs had different levels of heights and weights, but it was absolutely impossible for a bronze seal to have a dragon-shaped seal knob as these were only reserved for seals of more precious materials.
List of imperial seals of the Nguyễn dynasty
Emperors
List of lordly and royal seals of the Nguyễn lords and imperial seals of the Nguyễn dynasty:
Empress-Consorts and the imperial family
Imperial seals on documents
Image:Tổng trấn Tướng quân chi ấn (« Sceau du Général Gouverneur ») - Philippe Truong.jpg, The ''Tổng trấn Tướng quân chi ấn'' used on a document using the ''Vĩnh Thịnh'' (永盛, 1706–1719) reign era of the Revival Lê dynasty
The Revival Lê dynasty ( vi, Nhà Lê trung hưng 茹黎中興; Hán-Việt: 黎中興朝 ''Lê trung hưng triều''), also called the Later Lê Restoration, was a Vietnamese dynasty that existed between 1533 and 1789. The Primal Lê dynasty (1 ...
.
Image:Brevet datant du 28e jour du 8e mois du 62e année de l’ère Canh Hung (1801) élevant le Tham Luận Vệ Dực Vũ Doanh Hậu Quân Trần Văn Thành au titre de marquis de Thành Tín apposé 01.jpg, A document from 1801 using the ''Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn Chúa vĩnh trấn chi bảo'' seal, notice the fact that Lord Nguyễn Phúc Ánh
Gia Long ( (''North''), (''South''); 8 February 1762 – 3 February 1820), born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (阮福暎) or Nguyễn Ánh, was the founding emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last dynasty of Vietnam. His dynasty would rule the unifie ...
was still using the ''Cảnh Hưng'' (景興, 1740–1786) reign era of the Revival Lê Dynasty Emperor Lê Hiển Tông (黎顯宗).
Image:Thieu tri imperial edict01.jpg, An imperial edict issued by the Thiệu Trị Emperor containing the ''Sắc mệnh chi bảo'' (敕命之寶) seal.
Image:Empreinte du Sceau de l’empereur d’Annam offert à l’amiral Courbet par Jules Patenôtre, représentant de la France auprès de la cour d’Hué, après la signature du traité de 1883.jpg, The seal of "the Emperor of Annam" used in correspondence with France in 1885.
Image:Order of Kim-Bội certificate - 2nd class (Bảo Đại 12 - 1937).jpg, A certificate awarding a Kim Bội (2nd class) to Madame Bureau who works at a Catholic hospital
The Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of health care services in the world. It has around 18,000 clinics, 16,000 homes for the elderly and those with special needs, and 5,500 hospitals, with 65 percent of them located in deve ...
with an imperial seal, dated Bảo Đại
Bảo Đại (, vi-hantu, , lit. "keeper of greatness", 22 October 191331 July 1997), born Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy (), was the 13th and final emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. From 1926 to 1945, he was em ...
12 (保大拾貳年, 1937).
Image:Léon Sogny est élevé à la dignité nobiliaire de baron d’An Binh - L’Association des Amis du Vieux Huế (保大拾肆年 - 1939) 02.jpg, A certificate awarding the title of "Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
of An Bình" to Léon Sogny with an imperial seal, dated Bảo Đại 14 (保大拾肆年, 1939).
List of office seals of the Nguyễn dynasty government
Imperial government ministries and agencies
Imperial cabinets
Ministries (Bộ)
Viện
Six Courts (Lục tự)
Other imperial government agencies
Provincial administration
Tổng Trấn and Kinh lược sứ
Tổng đốc and Phủ doãn
Tuần phủ
Protectorates, special regions, and dependencies
French Residents
This is a list of seals of the
Vietnamese-style seals used on
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning
"literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning
"literar ...
language documents of the French Residents appointed to oversee the provincial administrations of the provinces of the French protectorates of Annam and Tonkin alongside indigenous mandarins, it does not include the French-style seals used on French language documents.
Military seals
Imperial Guards
Five Armies
Navy
Police seals
Tax-related seals
Other government seals
Government office seals on documents
Image:Hình dấu Hình bộ đường chi ấn (vuông) trên văn bản của năm Minh Mệnh nguyên niên - Vietnamese Archives 01.jpg, The ''Hình bộ đường chi ấn'' on a document from the year Minh Mạng
Minh Mạng () or Minh Mệnh (, vi-hantu, 明 命, lit. "the bright favour of Heaven"; 25 May 1791 – 20 January 1841; born Nguyễn Phúc Đảm, also known as Nguyễn Phúc Kiểu) was the second emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty of V ...
1 (1820).
Image:Brevet de Nguyễn Hữu Độ - Legion d'Honneur (1884) 02.jpg, A Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
certificate issued in 1884 for Nguyễn Hữu Độ
Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元)is a different word and surname.
By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this s ...
with the seal of the Tổng đốc of Hà Ninh (Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
and Ninh Bình
Ninh Bình () is a small city in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. It is the capital of Ninh Bình Province.
Geography
Ninh Bình Province is located in northern Vietnam comprising 48 square kilometres; the 2007 city population was 130,517 ...
).
Image:Kinh tế Bộ, 1938, tâu về định các công nghệ.jpg, A Bảo Đại
Bảo Đại (, vi-hantu, , lit. "keeper of greatness", 22 October 191331 July 1997), born Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy (), was the 13th and final emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. From 1926 to 1945, he was em ...
13 (1938) letter by the Ministry of Economic Affairs also featuring seals of the Ngự tiền văn phòng.
Image:Léon Sogny est élevé à la dignité nobiliaire de baron d’An-Bình - Ministre des Rites et des Travaux (1939).jpg, A Bảo Đại 14 (1939) letter from the Ministry of Rites and Public Works to the Resident-Superior of Annam informing him that Léon Sogny will be given the noble title "Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
of An Bình".
File:Bút phê của Hoàng đế Bảo Đại viết bằng chữ Quốc ngữ trên bản tấu của Bộ Lễ nghi về việc ấn kiềm vị Khâm sai Ai Lao năm 1945 02.jpg, A Bảo Đại 20 (1945) report by the Ministry of Rites and Ceremonies on creating a seal for the imperial envoy of the Empire of Vietnam
The Empire of Vietnam (; Literary Chinese and Contemporary Japanese: ; Modern Japanese: ja, ベトナム帝国, Betonamu Teikoku, label=none) was a short-lived puppet state of Imperial Japan governing the former French protectorates of Annam ...
to the Kingdom of Laos
The Kingdom of Laos was a landlocked country in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula. It was bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
.
List of seals of the Nguyễn dynasty period nobility
Imperial ranks
Dukes
Non-imperial ranks
Barons
Shapes of seals
Image:Dong Kinh An Quan Seal 2.jpg, Square seal.
Image:Hình dấu An Cựu Tây lý trưởng ký - Vietnamese Archives 02.jpg, Rectangular seal.
Image:Nam Ky Seal.jpg, Ellipse seal.
Image:, Circular seal.
Image:Kim bảo Ngự tiền chi bảo (御前之寶) hình bát giác đóng ở chữ “khâm thử” - Vietnamese Archives 01.jpg, Octagonal seal.
File:Dấu ấn "Hoàng Quế ký" - Vietnamnet.jpg,
Seals in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
![Corporate seal type of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2010's) 04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Corporate_seal_type_of_the_Socialist_Republic_of_Vietnam_%282010%27s%29_04.jpg)
In modern Vietnam square seals with seal script characters no longer enjoy official use, instead, according to state regulations, each company or enterprise should have its own round seal.
These seals are round in shape and must contain both the name and registration number of the organisation.
According to the Enterprise Law 2014 (''Luật doanh nghiệp năm 2014'') in order to create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses, when registering the seal sample, businesses are no longer required to register with the police.
Instead, the company can engrave the seal sample by itself and send the seal sample to the business registration office.
When the enterprise uses a new seal or changes the company's seal information, the company is required to register the new company seal sample with the government.
In 2021 an official seal typically costs
đ350.000 a piece.
The ''Hoan phụng ngũ đại đồng đường nhất thống Thiệu Trị chi bảo'' (歡奉五大同堂一統紹治之寶) seal created during the reign of the Tự Đức Emperor has been described as "one of the earliest Vietnamese round seals".
Later, a number of other round and ellipse-shaped imperial seals were created by the Nguyễn Empire.
Government seals in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam today are usually circular in shape, and have the
emblem of Vietnam
The emblem of Vietnam (), formally the National emblem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam () is circular, has a red background and a yellow star in the middle which represent the five main classes in Vietnamese society—intellectuals, farmers ...
in the centre of the circle. The name of the governmental institution is arranged around the national emblem in a semicircle.
The study of historical seals in modern Vietnam
There is a scholarly discipline which specialises in the study of seals printed on various types of documents produced by the
various dynasties in Vietnamese history.
According to Professor
Hà Văn Tấn
Hà Văn Tấn (16 August 1937 – 27 November 2019) was a Vietnamese historian, archeologist, and scholar of Buddhism. He was born in Tiên Điền, Nghi Xuân, Hà Tĩnh, and became a professor at Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Vietnam ...
, a scholar specialised in this field, the seals on ancient documents usually had 3 specific functions:
ensuring the authenticity of the document, asserting the ownership of the text, and determining the document's date of signing.
Studies on the Nguyễn dynasty's imperial archives have progressed the works of different areas of scholarship including administration studies, document studies, family annals studies, and seal studies.
As the imperial archives show a deep insight into the evolution of the documents (including the seals and how they were used) over the course of the Nguyễn dynasty period.
In 2013 Hà Văn Huề, Nguyễn Thị Thu Hường, Đoàn Thị Thu Thuỷ, and Associate Professor Nguyễn Công Việt published a book entitled ''Ấn chương trên Châu bản triều Nguyễn'' to introduce to the public and researchers the types of seals used by the
government of the Nguyễn dynasty
The government of the Nguyễn dynasty, officially the Southern Court (Vietnamese: ''Nam Triều''; Hán-Nôm: 南朝) and commonly referred to as the Huế Court (Vietnamese: ''Triều đình Huế''; Hán-Nôm: 朝廷化), centred around the e ...
and its agencies at every level.
Thereby, partly providing more information for research in the fields of Hán-Nôm Studies, Literature, Archives, Textology, Historianism, Etc.
See also
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Banknote seal (China)
A cash seal (; "''Baochao''" means "valuable money", "''Yin''" means "seal") is a type of seal used as an anti-counterfeiting measure on paper money or banknotes. The cash seal first appeared during the Song dynasty in China.
The short name i ...
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Emblem of Vietnam
The emblem of Vietnam (), formally the National emblem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam () is circular, has a red background and a yellow star in the middle which represent the five main classes in Vietnamese society—intellectuals, farmers ...
*
Heirloom Seal of the Realm
The Heirloom Seal of the Realm (), also known in English as the Imperial Seal of China, was a Chinese jade seal carved out of Heshibi, a sacred piece of jade.The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Beijing 30: Imperial Seals ...
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National Seals of the Republic of China
There are two National Seals of the Republic of China (), namely the Seal of the Republic of China () and the Seal of Honor (). The Seal of the Republic of China is the official seal of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The Seal of Honor is us ...
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Seal of the People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China
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Privy Seal of Japan
The is one of the national seals and is the Emperor of Japan's official seal.
Description
The Privy Seal of Japan is square, and its inscription ("The Emperor's Imperial Seal") is written in . It has two lines of vertical writing, with the ...
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State Seal of Japan
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Seal of South Korea
The National Seal of the Republic of Korea () is a governmental seal used for purposes of state in South Korea. The seal is carved with characters called '' injang''.
Since the late 20th century the seal's design consists of South Korea's offic ...
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Seal cutting (art)
Seal carving, also seal cutting, or ''zhuanke'' in Chinese (), is a traditional form of art that originated in China and later spread across East Asia. It refers to cutting a design into the bottom face of the seal (the active surface used for sta ...
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Seal engraving (art)
Seal carving, also seal cutting, or ''zhuanke'' in Chinese (), is a traditional form of art that originated in China and later spread across East Asia. It refers to cutting a design into the bottom face of the seal (the active surface used for sta ...
Notes
References
Sources
* Nguyễn Công Việt - ''Ấn Chương Việt Nam'' (NXB Khoa Học Xã Hội 2005), 550 pages. (in
Vietnamese).
* ThS. Hà Văn Huề, ThS. Nguyễn Thị Thu Hường, ThS. Đoàn Thị Thu Thuỷ, PGS.TS Nguyễn Công Việt - ''Ấn chương trên Châu bản triều Nguyễn''. - Năm xuất bản : 2013 Nhà xuất bản : (NXB Hà Nội Cuốn sách). (in
Vietnamese).
External link
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Seals of the Nguyen dynasty
Symbols of Nguyen dynasty
Vietnamese heraldry
Nguyễn dynasty
The Nguyễn dynasty (chữ Nôm: 茹阮, vi, Nhà Nguyễn; chữ Hán: 阮朝, vi, Nguyễn triều) was the last Vietnamese dynasty, which ruled the unified Vietnamese state largely independently from 1802 to 1883. During its existence, ...
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