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| Professor Nguyen Tai Can (right) and the author at the Le Van ancestral house |
This is the oldest surviving Han-Nom document in Hue in its original form, written on thin dó paper. The document is relatively large in size (42 cm x 26.5 cm). Its reverse side was later reinforced with an additional layer of thicker dó paper. The fold running through the middle of the document had torn over time, causing the loss of several strokes and characters, which were later rewritten on the backing paper by subsequent generations. The entire document consists of 21 lines and 576 characters, with four additional characters, “Kham cap Ma Ne” (Document on the Inspection and Granting of Ma Ne Land), written in the right-hand margin. The document is currently preserved at the Le Van ancestral house relic site in My Xuyen Village, Phong Dinh Ward, Hue City.
Translation:
“Thuan Hoa Route, Hoa Chau: The Office of the Assistant Surveillance and Administration Commissioner inspected and allocated abandoned land and newly emerged alluvial flats.
On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month in the 7th year of the Dai Hoa reign (1449), pursuant to the request submitted by Le Canh, headman of Da Cam Commune, Tra Ke District, Hoa Chau, Thuan Hoa Route, together with Doan Tuy, Le Can, Vo That, Le Luc, Nguyen Van Lo, Doan Luyen, Doan Cu, Bui Thi, Doan Van Quy, Doan Van Trien (?), as well as Doan Van Ky, Nguyen Cu Long, Phung Van Hy, Le Bai, Ho Doi, Doan Van Thi, Tran Tu Ky (?), Le Hien, Le Van Quoc, and Phan Cho Con.”
“Because village land was narrow in extent while the population was numerous and farmland insufficient, they learned that within the district there were abandoned lands and newly emerged alluvial flats that had already become fields but remained uncultivated. Le Canh, Doan Tuy (?), Le Van Que, and Phan Cho Con submitted a written request to reclaim, cultivate, and pay taxes on the land. The district authorities approved their application to open and cultivate fields in the Ma Ne area, covering more than one hundred mau (roughly 50 hectares in the traditional Central Vietnamese system) in total. Permission was granted to Le Canh, Doan Tuy, Le Van Que, and Phan Cho Con to reclaim and cultivate the land and pay taxes according to established regulations.”
“On the tenth day of the eighth lunar month in the 9th year of the Dai Hoa reign (1451), Le Canh, Doan Tuy, Le Can, Vo Thai, Le Truc, Nguyen Van Lo, Doan Luyen, together with Doan Cu, Bui Thi, Doan Van Quy, Doan Van Trien, Doan Van Ky, Nguyen Y, Le Van Doc, Ho Duc Tuyen, Nguyen Cu Long, along with Phung Van Hy, Le Bai, Ho Doi, Doan Van Thi, Tran Tu Ky (?), Le Hien, Le Van Que, and Phan Cho Con once again submitted a petition to the Office of the Administrative Commissioner and the district authorities, requesting that they personally come to inspect and measure this tract of land in all four directions, as previously reported by Le Canh, Doan Tuy, Le Van Que, and Phan Cho Con. After the matter was concluded, the existing status was officially approved, a formal document for the land was issued, and boundary markers were established and demarcated.”
“Le Canh, Doan Tuy, Le Van Que, and Phan Cho Con (together with those who participated) were granted the right to cultivate more than one hundred mau of fields in the Ma Ne area. The land was recorded in the commune cadastral register. They were entitled to pass the land on to their descendants for cultivation and tax payment in accordance with official regulations. This document was therefore issued as evidence...”
“The document not only sheds light on the land reclamation efforts of the people of Thuan Hoa in the 15th century, but also contains valuable information on the dates and place names of several administrative units during the Early Le Dynasty (1428–1527).”
Concerning the reign title of King Le Nhan Tong, Volume I of Viet Nam Su Luoc (A Brief History of Vietnam) by Tran Trong Kim states: “Le Nhan Tong (1443–1459). Reign titles: Dai Hoa (1443–1453), Dien Ninh (1454–1459).” Most other historical sources, however, consistently record the king’s reign title as 太和 (Thai Hoa), while the Kham cap Ma Ne document uses 大和 (Dai Hoa). The reign title 大和 (Dai Hoa) appears three times in the document: first, when the villagers submitted their application for land reclamation — “Dai Hoa that nien, thap nhi nguyet, so ngu nhat…” [the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month in the 7th year of Dai Hoa (1449)…]; second, in the report to higher authorities confirming the completion of the reclamation of the Ma Ne fields — “Chi Dai Hoa cuu nien, bat nguyet so thap nhat…” [On the tenth day of the eighth lunar month in the 9th year of Dai Hoa (1451)…]; and third, at the time the official document recognizing the cultivation rights over the Ma Ne fields was granted to the settlers of Da Cam Commune — “Dai Hoa cuu nien, thap nhi nguyet so bat nhat…” [the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the 9th year of Dai Hoa (1451)].
In order to further examine the reign title of King Le Nhan Tong, I personally traveled to northern Vietnam to study a cliff inscription at Bat Nha Stream in Tam Dao, Phu Tho, erected by Le Khac Phuc. The inscription reads: “Dai Hoa bat nien, Canh Ngo, ngu nguyet, thap nhat” [the 10th day of the fifth lunar month, Canh Ngo year, the 8th year of Dai Hoa (1451)]. The inscription clearly contains the two characters 大和 (Dai Hoa). In classical Chinese writing, the character 大 (Dai) differs from 太 (Thai) by only a single dot, and 大 (Dai) may also be read as Thai. However, since this was the reign title of a king, I believe it could not have been written or pronounced casually.
As for the place name Thuan Hoa, the book Dat nuoc Viet Nam (Vietnam Through the Ages) qua cac doi, in its section on “Dai Viet under the Tran and Ho dynasties,” indicates that scholar Dao Duy Anh was still unable to determine the precise administrative designation of the region during that period, and thus wrote: “Tran (lo?) Thuan Hoa.” The “Kham cap Ma Ne” document (Document on the Inspection and Granting of Ma Ne Land) is the earliest administrative document to clearly record the term “Thuan Hoa lo” [Thuan Hoa Route]...
To date, the Han-Nom document “Kham cap Ma Ne” (Document on the Inspection and Granting of Ma Ne Land), preserved at the Le Van ancestral house relic site in My Xuyen Village, Phong Dinh Ward, Hue City, is regarded as the oldest “Land Use Rights Certificate” in Vietnam. This valuable Han-Nom document has been safeguarded by local residents for nearly 600 years. It is recommended that cultural authorities and local administrations develop plans to establish documentary heritage records, while providing professional guidance and support to local residents in preserving this valuable document on site.