Nguyễn Văn Thành Explained

Nguyễn Văn Thành (chữ Hán: 阮文誠; 1758 – 1817) was a Vietnamese general who was governor of Gia Định Province. He conflicted with the emperor Nguyễn Phúc Ánh or Gia Long, on several occasions, including using money reserved for purchasing military provisions to pay off gambling debts for his Gia Định soldiers in Siam.^{[1] [2]} Thành was elevated by the king, but later, following a poem written by his son in 1815, Gia Long had the son executed. Phan Châu Trinh records that the emperor had also had Thành himself and Thành's elderly father executed. In effect this was the case, as Thành was driven to take his own life.^{[3] [4]}

Notes and References

1. Far-sighted sovereigns in Việt Nam - Page 64 Thế Giới Publishers (Hanoi, Vietnam) - 2004 "This made the nominally unified country practically decentralized and separated, for the Powers of a Governor-General were too large, almost equivalent to a vice-roy's. Especially, when the meritorious warriors Nguyễn Văn Thành and Lê Văn Duyệt were Governors-General of Bắc Thành and Gia Định respectively, their authority went beyond the central court's control."
2. Choi Byung Wook Southern Vietnam under the reign of Minh Mạng (1820-1841) Central policies and local response. Ithaca/N.Y.: Southeast Asia Program 2004 Page 29 "Among others, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh had to endure Nguyễn Văn Thành, who spent all the money reserved for purchasing military provisions to pay off gambling debts for Gia Định soldiers in Siam."
3. [Phan Châu Trinh]
4. Vietnam and the Chinese model: a comparative study of Vietnamese ... - Page 102 Alexander Woodside - 1971 "Thanh's son, a degree holder with many acquaintances in the newly emerging Nguyen scholar class, wrote an ... intrigue by Duyet ensured that Gia-long saw the poem, with the consequence that the son was executed and Thanh was driven .."