The East Asian Context of Lý Dynasty Buddhism
I recently read a chapter by the late historian John K. Whitmore entitled “Building a Buddhist Monarchy in Đai Viêt: Temples and Texts under Lý Nhân-tông (r. 1072–1127)” and it…
The Confucian Brain Drain in Ming Occupied Vietnam
I have been writing about the established narrative in English-language scholarship on premodern Vietnam which sees the Lý and Trần dynasty periods as a time when Confucianism played a limited…
Hồ Quý Ly’s Confucianism from an East Asian Perspective
If you read the extant scholarship on premodern Vietnam, you will discover that historians have presented a story about the past which argues that there is very little evidence of…
Pale Scholars in Trần Dynasty Vietnam
In the extant English-language scholarship on Vietnam, most scholars argue that there was little presence of Confucianism during the period of the Lý Dynasty (1009-1225) and that it was only…
Confucianism and Buddhism in Premodern Vietnam
I find that when it comes to talking about the religions/teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism in Vietnamese history, many people have a difficult time understanding how they were related.The…
Lý Công Uẩn’s “Superstitious” Beliefs
As I mentioned in the previous post, in English-language scholarship on premodern Vietnamese history, the Lý Dynasty (1009-1225) is usually described as not being Confucian.In fact, many historians writing in…
The Lý Dynasty Wasn’t Confucian. . . Really??!!
In the English-language scholarship on Vietnamese history, the Lý Dynasty (1009-1225), the first major Vietnamese dynasty, is usually presented as not being influenced by Confucian ideas and institutions. Instead, historians…
The Văn Miếu (Temple of Literature) was Built in 1070. . . Really??!!
I do not know how many times I have heard or read that the Văn Miếu (Temple of Literature) in Hanoi was “built” in 1070 AD, but it’s a lot,…