“Пolden age” of traditional Мietnames society. “Сontinuous taxation” in the second half of the 17th – beginning of the 18th century

Abstract

In the second half of the 17th century in the domains of the ruling Trinh house (formally the Later Le dynasty) in Northern Vietnam, there was a gradual transition from a militaristic system of economic existence to a peacetime governance scheme. The central link in the changes that took place was the introduction of the so-called “permanent taxation”, which boiled down to the state’s refusal to interfere in the affairs of the community, fixing “in perpetuity” the forms and amounts of tax and other obligations of these communities to the state and refusal to regularly review them in connection with possible population growth or an increase in land area. An analysis of the materials from the “Continuation of the Complete Annals of Dai Viet” and other sources covering the events of this period showed that this reform had a beneficial effect on the situation in the country, led to rapid economic growth and contributed to the beginning of a real “golden age” in traditional Vietnamese society.