Toward a New Foundation for the Study of Vietnamese Genealogies: Compilation and Analysis of “The Catalogue of Genealogical Manuscripts Preserved in the Institute of Hán-Nôm Studies and the National Library of Vietnam”

This paper examines the completion dates, regional distribution, and social stratification of Vietnamese genealogies (gia phả), based on “The Catalogue of Genealogical Manuscripts Preserved in the Institute of Hán-Nôm Studies and the National Library of Vietnam (Appendix 1: Bibliography; Appendix 2: List)” compiled by the author. An analysis of 238 genealogies reveals that compilation activity gained momentum during the late Le Dynasty (eighteenth century), surged under the Nguyen Dynasty, and peaked in the late nineteenth century. Regionally, genealogies were concentrated in northern Vietnam, particularly around Hanoi, reflecting a geographical bias in manuscript collection. Social stratification was assessed by categorizing lineage families into five strata based on their achievements in the civil service examination system: (1) royal and meritorious families, (2) families producing hương cống (provincial scholars) or tiến sĩ (state-level scholars) during the Le Dynasty, (3) families producing sinh đồ (intermediate-level passers) during the Le Dynasty, (4) families producing tú tài (intermediate-level passers), cử nhân (provincial scholars), or tiến sĩ during the Nguyen Dynasty, and (5) families without successful candidates. Families were classified based on the presence of at least one successful candidate. The findings indicate that elites, such as examination passers and royals, played a central role in genealogy compilation, underscoring the latter’s elite-centric nature. This bias suggests families were regarded as enduring entities across dynastic transitions. Furthermore, competitive manuscript compilation within families and branches, tied to the nineteenth-century ancestral hall construction boom, underscores the role of genealogies in asserting family continuity and social prestige.