Citadel of Saigon - Background

Background

Until the 17th century, what is now southern Vietnam was not inhabited by ethnic Vietnamese but by Khmer people. What is now central Vietnam had been the seat of the kingdom of Champa, which fought the kingdom of Dai Viet over many centuries. The 1471 Vietnamese conquest of Champa saw the destruction of the Cham capital and heralded the ultimate decline of Champa. The Vietnamese continually expanded south in what is known as the nam tien (southward march). Central Vietnam was ruled by the Nguyen lords, who had broken away in the early 17th century from the Trinh lords, who ruled the north. The Nguyen continued the southward expansion that eventually saw Vietnamese encroach into what had been Khmer territory in the Mekong Delta. The southern edge of Vietnam, being further away from the Nguyen power base in the centre, was loosely governed.

In 1771, the Tây Sơn rebellion erupted from Binh Dinh Province. In 1777, the last of the Nguyen lords was deposed and killed. His nephew Nguyen Phuc Anh was the most senior member of the Nguyễn family to have survived the Tay Son victory and conquest of Saigon in 1777. Nguyen Anh fled to Ha Tien in the far south of the country, where he met Pigneau de Behaine, a French priest who became his adviser and played a large part in his rise to power. Over the next few decades, there were continuous attacks and counterattacks by both sides and Saigon changed hands frequently. Eventually, Nguyen Anh was forced him into exile. The Tay Son regularly raided the rice growing areas of the south during the harvesting season, confiscating the Nguyen's supply of food.

In 1788, the Tay Son moved north to attack the Trinh and unite Vietnam. Nguyen Anh took advantage of the situation to return to southern Vietnam. After rebuilding his army, he recaptured Saigon on September 7, 1788. His grip on the south was enhanced by a group of Frenchmen and equipment that Pigneau had recruited, although the magnitude of the aid has been the source of dispute.

Having seen Saigon slip from his hands on many occasions in the previous decade, Nguyen Anh was keen to strengthen his hold on the key southern city, turning it into his capital, and the base for his preparations for his planned conquest of the Tay Son and Vietnam. His enemies had regularly raided the area and confiscated the rice harvest.