Tay Son Dynasty - Emperor Quang Trung

Emperor Quang Trung

Nguyễn Huệ was now in control of a united Vietnam, more than twice as large than before. He took the title of Emperor under the reign name Quang Trung. Under his reign the imperial capital Thăng Long was briefly renamed Bắc Thành ("North City") before after his reign taking the modern name Hà Nội (Hanoi). He distributed land to poor peasants, encouraged hitherto suppressed artisans, allowed religious freedom, re-opened Vietnam to international trade, and replaced Classical Chinese with a Vietnamese vernacular written with Chinese characters, as the official language.

The ambitious character of Quang Trung is legendary in Vietnamese history. He ordered the melting of Vietnamese coins to make cannons, and seized the Chinese provinces of Guangxi and Guangdong. Several stories tell of his ambitious plans and indirect challenge to Qianlong. Quang Trung even proposed to marry one of Qianlong's daughters, an indication of his intention to claim Chinese territory.

In early 1792, Quang Trung planned the final assault on the remaining base of Nguyễn Ánh's around Saigon, both by sea and land. While waiting for the seasonal winds to change direction into a tailwind to propel his navy, he suddenly collapsed and died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Many Vietnamese believe that if he had ruled for another ten years, the fate of the country would have been significantly different.