The System of Strategic Defense Facilities along the Bassac River Belonged to Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1859)

Abstract

Bassac river was an important arterial river in the Nguyen dynasty’s defensive policy in the Southwestern frontier region in the early nineteenth century. As a result, the Nguyen dynasty attempted to create a significant strategic defense base system of interconnected nature that extended from the frontier to the interior. This article focuses on clarifying the strategic military base system along the Bassac river path, which flows through the Southwestern provinces and had numerous key strongholds to ensure the Nguyen dynasty’s national security from 1802 to 1859.