Investiture beseeching and ordination activities in diplomatic relationships between Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries in the period 938-1883

Abstract

Based on research results from the official historical books of the feudal state of Vietnam, the article reconstructs the main features of the investiture beseeching and ordination activities between Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries. From the comparison with the investiture beseeching and ordination activities between Vietnam and China at the same time, the article demonstrates the image of Vietnam in two ways at the same time. Namely, Vietnam is a vassal in the “tributary system” of which China is the center and then Vietnam is the “great country” in the tributary system between Vietnam and many other countries in the region. In particular, from pointing out the loose interdependence between Vietnam and Southeast Asian vassal countries through surveys of investiture beseeching and ordination activities in this period, the current article also initially comes into the practical situation to try to explain the contemporary, unstable cohesion between Vietnam and these countries.

Keywords

• Investiture beseeching
• ordination
• South East Asia
• Vietnam