VietNamNet Bridge – The Kyushu National Museum in Saifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, has announced its discovery of the oldest letter sent from Annam (Vietnam today) to Japan.


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The Japanese Bridge road (now Tran Phu Street in Hoi An town), a testament for the relationships between Hoi An and Japan.

Mr. Tran Van An, Deputy Managing Director of the Center for Hoi An Cultural Heritage Preservation (Quang Nam province), said the letter was written in 1591 to the Emperor of Japan. The writer is the high-ranking mandarin of the Nguyen Lord in the southern region. The letter expressed the desire to establish trade relations with Japan.

An said that the letter is the historical evidence relating to the commercial activities of Japan in Hoi A, through which represents the early open door policy of the Nguyen Lords.

Compared with the earliest diplomatic letter formerly known of Duke Nguyen Hoang sent to Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1601, this letter is 10 years earlier.

Tien Phong