The administrative system of Viet Nam in the 19th and early 20th centuries is featured in a book by Emmanuel Poisson (1880 - 1955).

Cover of the book by Emmanuel Poisson (1880 - 1955). — Photo courtesy of the Nhã Nam Company

The book has just been launched in Hà Nội by the Nhã Nam Culture and Communications Company.

On the occasion, a discussion on the book took place at L’Espace.

Entitled Mandarins and Subordinates in North Việt Nam – an Administrative System in the Face of Challenges (1820 – 1918), the book is an important piece of research on the state and the administrative system of the country, especially in recording the historical periods of feudalism and colonialism.

It goes beyond the existing works on this historical period to shed new light on the reform of the mandarin system as a determining factor in the longevity and vitality of this government model.

The structure and function of the system, the methods of recruitment, the relations between the administration and the governed, are approached in a precise, careful and objective manner, according to Nhã Nam editor Nguyễn Hoàng Diệu Thúy.

Poisson approached the administrative system and questioned deep-rooted prejudices. He based his work on a large number of documents in Vietnamese, Han script and French. — VNS