Human rights during the Le and Nguyen dynasties

"Human Rights of the Vietnamese People from the Hong Duc Code to the Gia Long Code " (Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House) is a work by two lawyers, Truong Thi Hoa and Phan Dang Thanh, lecturers in charge of the subject of Vietnamese State and Law History at several universities in Ho Chi Minh City.

The book consists of five chapters: Chapters I and II explore the Hong Duc Code; Chapters III and IV discuss the Gia Long Code; and Chapter V addresses the need for fairness regarding the Gia Long Code.

Through their research, the two authors found that the Hong Duc Code of the Later Le Dynasty (1428-1789) contained many provisions on human rights, which today are known as civil, political , economic, social, and cultural rights recognized by modern international law. Later, the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) continued to preserve and develop these human rights to govern and manage their country.

This book shows that from the beginning of the 15th century, in Vietnam, the people of Dai Viet (ancient Vietnam) began to have equal rights between men and women, husbands and wives, and even between nuns and monks. The elderly, women, children, the disabled, widows and widowers, and those who suffered misfortunes or natural disasters all had the right to receive care and support from the state and society. In some cases, women had the right to break off marriages or request divorce from their husbands. People who complained against each other or sued officials had the right to a fair trial. Particularly from the second half of the 15th century, Vietnamese people had the right to elect village chiefs to manage local government.

The right to social security – the right of the unfortunate and vulnerable in society – is reflected in the Hong Duc Code.

By the early 19th century, the Nguyen dynasty continued this tradition, and many Vietnamese human rights were further developed, such as the right of citizens to express their opinions, the requirement for pregnant women imprisoned for serious crimes to be visited and cared for by midwives, and the establishment of the Three Judicial Offices and the Dang Van drum to help people appeal for justice.

When introducing the book " Human Rights of the Vietnamese People from the Hong Duc Code to the Gia Long Code," historian Nguyen Dinh Dau stated that the authors had devoted considerable time to collecting materials, comparing original codes and various commentaries over a long period. The authors concluded that the Hong Duc Code of the Later Le Dynasty is very worthy of being considered the first human rights code of the Vietnamese people, deserving to be ranked among the world 's exemplary ancient codes on human rights; and the Gia Long Code of the Nguyen Dynasty inherited and developed the human rights values ​​of the Later Le Code, a cultural heritage of global significance that Vietnamese ancestors painstakingly built and left behind...

Furthermore, historian Nguyen Dinh Dau, as well as the authors of the book, also hope to receive contributions in a spirit of open-mindedness and exchange from scientists, readers, etc., to "together clarify more aspects of a major issue that has been debated for a long time." Because, according to historian Nguyen Dinh Dau, many researchers previously argued that the Hoang Viet Law Code (Gia Long Code of the Nguyen Dynasty) was merely a copy of the Dai Thanh Law Code of the Qing Dynasty at that time; but in this book, specifically in Chapters III, IV, and V, it analyzes and provides evidence to show that the Gia Long Code not only inherited the human rights values ​​of the Hong Duc Code but also developed some traditional human rights at a higher level.

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