The era of Middle Prosperity of Le boasted having the most bizarre king in our history,
King Le Than Tong. He was born in 1607, in the two-century-long period of power sharing between the Le and Trinh families. The Trinh Lords had the real power, while Le Kings were only their marionettes. The Trinh Lords decided who among the Le family would be the King. Somehow, as a 13-year-old boy, Le Than Tong became king. Furthermore, the Trinh Lord forced him to marry his (Trinh’s) daughter Trinh Thi Ngoc Truc as his Queen, who was 12 years older than the king and had already four children. The king could but obey. Having denounced burdens of kingship to be secluded royalty, he was enthroned again against his will. In our history, perhaps Le Than Tong was the only person to be king, unwillingly, and even twice at that.
Being “intelligent and erudite, cunning, resourceful and versed in literary, as a good king should be,” as described in historical records, the King nevertheless submitted to the control of the Trinh clan, as he possessed no real power. The courtiers advised against his marriage with too old a wife, but he just clucked his tongue, “Just wanna be done with it.” His tongue clucking gave him the peace of a caged bird. Not that he never wanted to seize the power of the king, but quickly deferred every time because Lord Trinh Tung was his grandfather on his mother’s side, and his son Lord Trinh Trang was his uncle.
The tangled blood relationships between the King’s clan and the Lords clan helped reinforce the top echelon of power and keep the society stable. For 200 years of the Le-Trinh rule, the Northern border was kept firm, although the Ming Dynasty was at its utmost prosperity and always covetous of Dai Viet.
This story is from the April - May 2019 edition of Vietnam Heritage.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April - May 2019 edition of Vietnam Heritage.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TYPICAL TRADE VILLAGES GOING “EXTINCT”?
Ha Thai Village of Thuong Tin District of Hanoi started its traditional paint trade in the 17th century. In the 30s of last century, the paint village of Ha Thai learned polishing techniques and the use of materials such as egg shell and snail. It was during this time that elder Dinh Van Thanh of Thai Ha Village was invited to an exposition in France to demonstrate the art of lacquer painting.
Tourism remains far away from Hue village's reach
Villagers in the 550-year-old Phuoc Tich Village on the outskirts of former imperial Hue City have dreamed of bumper tourism in the village for 10 years, but their dreams have yet to come to fruition.
Traditional wedding of the White Yao people
Having a son coming of age, a White Yao family begins selecting a wife for him among the White Yao young girls in the same hamlet or one nearby.
Xin Man at a glance
In April, the last fiery flowers of the cotton trees spark on mountain slopes. With the long-brewing desire inside to conquer the scenic tourist path from Bac Ha (Lao Cai) to Xin Man, the most desolate highland district of Ha Giang Province, we hit the road on a beautiful weekend.
Silver carving by Po Ho Creek
Following the tunes (“Spring comes to Muong Hum hamlet high up the mountains with heart-rocking distant singing…” ) of talented composer Nguyen Tai Tue, we come to Seo Po Ho hamlet to visit Red Yao artisans diligently blowing life into silver, creating wonders of sophisticated craftsmanship, worthily contributing to the cultural traditions of their tribe.
The fabulous Phu Tho tea hills
Today’s Phu Tho Province was the land chosen by Hung Kings, the first rulers of Vietnam, to be their capital. Considered the cradle of the Viet people, this area still preserves the temples of Hung Kings and many other historical relics such as pagodas and shrines.
Bridges that distill the love of the native land
Every Vietnamese has a bridge to be nostalgic about.
EXPLORING PU MAT CONSERVATION ZONE
Pu Mat National Park belongs to Nghe An Province. At 93,113 ha, it is the only remaining primeval forest in Northern Vietnam.
Cultural touches grieve locals of the royal city
Culture has served as the most sensitive part to Hue natives and they are always ready to fight for the cultural values that have existed in a long period of time in this former imperial capital city.
A DIVINE FLAGPOLE OF THE VIETNAMESE
Lung Cu Peak of Dragon Mountain, rises 1470m above sea level and belongs to Lung Cu Commune, Dong Van District, Ha Giang Province. Sharing a border with China, this mountain has witnessed the long history of the Vietnamese fighting against foreign aggressors. That is why Lung Cu is considered a sacred place of the Vietnamese people.
