Vietnam Tran Dynasty inscriptions at the time of the Yuan Dynasty in China

Abstract

The Tran (Chen) reign in Vietnam lasted for 12 emperorships and 176 years, from 1255 to 1400. The Yuan Dynasty in China encompassed the reign of 11 kings and lasted for 98 years, from 1271 to 1368. While the Yuan Dynasty in China and the Tran Dynasty in Vietnam did not coincide, Tran Dynasty inscriptions in Vietnam mainly appeared during the time of the Yuan Dynasty in China – from the 1st Dynastic year of Hung Long (1239), the King of Tran Anh Tong, to the 12th Dynastic year of Dai Tri (1368), the King of Tran Phe De. In this period, the Tran Dynasty in Vietnam was in direct contact with the Yuan Dynasty in China. There were consequently exchanges between the two and their cultural history was influenced by the contact. This article will introduce stelae and inscriptions from the time of the Tran Dynasty in Vietnam, which appeared at the time of the Yuan Dynasty in China. Textual characteristics and documentary values reflected in the stelae and inscriptions show, to some degree, similarities and differences between the stelae and inscriptions in Tran Dynasty Vietnam and Yuan Dynasty China.