A History of Maritime Trade in Northern Vietnam, 12th to 18th Centuries

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. Introduction

   • Yuriko Kikuchi

   Pages 1-22

3. Ceramic Production in Đại Việt

   • Yuriko Kikuchi

   Pages 23-35

4. Archaeological Investigations in the Vân Đồn Region

   • Yuriko Kikuchi

   Pages 37-91

5. Archaeological Investigation of Phố Hiến

   • Yuriko Kikuchi

   Pages 93-126

6. Trade from the Lý to Trần Dynasties

   • Yuriko Kikuchi

   Pages 131-169

7. Trade of the Lê Dynasty Early Period

   • Yuriko Kikuchi

   Pages 171-198

8. Trade of the Lê Dynasty Warlord Period

   • Yuriko Kikuchi

   Pages 199-247

9. Conclusion

   • Yuriko Kikuchi

   Pages 249-259

10. Back Matter

    Pages 261-289

    PDF

This book analyzes the role of Đại Việt (Vietnam) in the maritime Asian trading network of the thirteenth through the eighteenth centuries as it systematically integrates the results of archaeological investigations.

The first half of the book consolidates reports from excavations conducted at Vân Đồn and Phố Hiến, trading ports of Đại Việt, incorporating sophisticated archaeological techniques distinctive of Japan in the presentations of the data. These are accompanied by precise scale drawings, detailed classifications, and quantitative analyses of unearthed artifacts.

The latter half of the book discusses the materials discovered in archaeological investigations, specifically ceramics and coins, in terms of the relations among sites and networks of production, distribution, and consumption, from a broader Asian geohistorical perspective. To this end, the diplomatic policies and trading activities of each era in Vietnam are discussed, integrating the results of archaeological investigations with studies of historical documents.

Expanding beyond Vietnam, results of the archaeological investigations in other maritime Asian countries, such as Japan, Indonesia, Laos, and the Philippines, are introduced, to inform a comparative study that combines all such data from both archaeology and history in a single volume as materials for broader discussion. This book is expected to contribute to international academic discourse on the history of maritime Asia and help open a new phase of scholarly endeavor in this field.

• Vietnamese archaeology
• Vietnamese ceramics
• Asian copper coins
• Maritime Asian history
• Lê dynasty era
• Đại Việt

“This book is a great contribution to the collection of documents (especially the less updated sources between Vietnam and the outside and vice versa), providing new important archaeological findings and the analysis of some key issues of maritime trade during the twelfth eighteenth centuries in North Vietnam. The English version of the book will reach more Vietnamese and international readers, thus having great academic value.” (Lien Thi Le, Journal of Maritime Archaeology, Vol. 18 (1), 2023)

“The monograph … is a valuable contribution to the field of Maritime History. … This wonderful book is a well-grounded study of Vietnam’s maritime trade. Scholars interested in the issue of long-distance trade, world system theory and international relations before European hegemony will find the book especially useful and insightful. … this is a superb work that deserves more attention in the wider world.” (Georgi Asatryan and Jack Kalpakian, International Journal of Maritime History, Vol. 35 (1), 2023)

• Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

  Yuriko Kikuchi

Yuriko Kikuchi is a project researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo, Japan, and is also a board member of the Japan Society for Southeast Asian Archaeology. She received her Ph.D. from The University of Tokyo. She is an archaeologist specializing in Vietnam, and her research interests are maritime trade, history of exchange between Japan and Vietnam, and cultural heritage. Her work focuses on the circulation of ceramics and coins in Southeast Asia. She has been conducting archaeological surveys in various parts of Vietnam for over 20 years. Her works before 2014 are written under the name Yuriko Abe.

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