Truong Dinh - Early Years

Early Years

Định was born in the district of Bình Sơn in the Quảng Ngãi prefecture in Quảng Nam province in central Vietnam. The son of a military mandarin named Trương Cầm, Định went south in the 1830s when his father was posted to Gia Định as the provincial commander. Định enjoyed a reputation among the locals for his martial skills and knowledge of the military classics. He married the daughter of a wealthy resident of Tân An in nearby Dinh Tuong province, having moved there after his father’s unexpected death. It was likely that he would have returned to central Vietnam if he had not married.

Định took advantage of his improved socio-economic status to recruit a group of impoverished people, whom he organised for clearing land and founding a đồn điền (“military colony”) in Gò Công. This occurred after Emperor Tự Đức’s 1854 order, which granted General Nguyen Tri Phuong permission to organise southern levies in this manner. In recognition of his achievements, the mandarin authorities gave Định the rank of deputy regimental commander. His success in developing đồn điền was attributed to his organisational ability as well as a genuine concern for the welfare of those under his protection, ensuring that they had enough to eat and something to wear. He was regarded as energetic, brave and compassionate. In gratitude for Định’s land development skills, the peasants gave him the middle name Công, which means “great public service”.