Changes

The Lê Dynasty, along with the Nguyễn Dynasty which followed, observed a stance of ''trong de ngoai vuong'' - literally, "inside emperor, outside king" - in its interactions with China. Each Vietnamese ruler's first act was typically to declare himself emperor, and his second, to seek investiture as "king" from China. In a sense, this resembles the [[omote and uchi|''omote'' and ''uchi'']] pattern of domestic politics in [[Edo period|Tokugawa Japan]], in which ''daimyô'' considered themselves near-sovereign within their respective "countries," but when interacting with Tokugawa authorities, were merely loyal vassals, retainers, invested in their feudal holdings. Sino-Vietnamese relations during the Ming and Qing dynasties were also characterized by a relationship as unequal empires, with the Chinese emphasizing that the two were "unequal," and the Vietnamese emphasizing that they were both "empires." Vietnamese rulers also asserted their independence, even as they continued to pay tribute & to receive investiture, by occasionally having their envoys refuse to perform the full [[kowtow]]; when China demanded the king then appear at the Chinese capital in person to personally express his apologies, the Vietnamese ruler almost without exception refused. The only time a ruler of Vietnam visited China was in [[1790]], and even then, Vietnamese records claim that he did not travel there, but sent a double. Similarly, when Chinese envoys traveled to Vietnam, Chinese protocol dictated that the Imperial envoy sit facing south, with the Vietnamese king in the subordinate southerly position; with the exception of only one occasion, Vietnamese rulers insisted on instead sitting facing east and west, a position of equality with the Chinese envoy.<ref>Vuving, 81-82.</ref>

The Lê Dynasty, along with the Nguyễn Dynasty which followed, observed a stance of ''trong de ngoai vuong'' - literally, "inside emperor, outside king" - in its interactions with China. Each Vietnamese ruler's first act was typically to declare himself emperor, and his second, to seek investiture as "king" from China. In a sense, this resembles the [[omote and uchi|''omote'' and ''uchi'']] pattern of domestic politics in [[Edo period|Tokugawa Japan]], in which ''daimyô'' considered themselves near-sovereign within their respective "countries," but when interacting with Tokugawa authorities, were merely loyal vassals, retainers, invested in their feudal holdings. Sino-Vietnamese relations during the Ming and Qing dynasties were also characterized by a relationship as unequal empires, with the Chinese emphasizing that the two were "unequal," and the Vietnamese emphasizing that they were both "empires." Vietnamese rulers also asserted their independence, even as they continued to pay tribute & to receive investiture, by occasionally having their envoys refuse to perform the full [[kowtow]]; when China demanded the king then appear at the Chinese capital in person to personally express his apologies, the Vietnamese ruler almost without exception refused. The only time a ruler of Vietnam visited China was in [[1790]], and even then, Vietnamese records claim that he did not travel there, but sent a double. Similarly, when Chinese envoys traveled to Vietnam, Chinese protocol dictated that the Imperial envoy sit facing south, with the Vietnamese king in the subordinate southerly position; with the exception of only one occasion, Vietnamese rulers insisted on instead sitting facing east and west, a position of equality with the Chinese envoy.<ref>Vuving, 81-82.</ref>

===Nguyễn & Trinh===

===Nguyễn & Trinh===

In the 16th-18th centuries, Vietnam was divided, effectively, into three polities. [[Tonkin]], in the north (also known as Đàng Ngoài), was ruled by the Trinh family, and [[Quang Nam]] (also known as Quinam, Cochinchina, and Đàng Trong) in the central region, was ruled by the Nguyễn, while the southern region was the independent and ethnically distinct polity of [[Champa]]. The Trinh and Nguyễn domains were ruled by "lords," however, both under the ostensible authority of the emperor-kings of the [[Lê Dynasty]].  

In the 16th-18th centuries, Vietnam was divided, effectively, into three polities. [[Tonkin]], in the north, was ruled by the Trinh family, and [[Quang Nam]] in the central region, was ruled by the Nguyễn, while the southern region was the independent and ethnically distinct polity of [[Champa]].<ref>Tonkin (東京, lit. "Eastern Capital", V: ''Đông Kinh'') was also known as Đàng Ngoài (塘外, lit. "outside the dikes"), while Quang Nam (広南) was also known as Quinam, Cochinchina, and Đàng Trong (塘中, lit. "inside the dikes").</ref> The Trinh and Nguyễn domains were ruled by "lords," however, both under the ostensible authority of the emperor-kings of the [[Lê Dynasty]].  

The first contact between Quang Nam and any Japanese was with the pirate [[Shirahama Kenki]], who came raiding ships and shores in [[1585]]. He was driven off by Nguyễn ships, but returned in [[1599]]. The Nguyễn captured him, and wrote to Japan to ask what to do with him; [[Tokugawa Ieyasu|Tokugawa Ieyasu's]] [[1601]] response to Lord Nguyễn Hoang, explaining the [[red seal ship]] system,<ref>That authorized merchants would carry formal licenses marked with red seals, and that everyone else could be regarded as a pirate or smuggler, to be dealt with as the foreign polity (in this case, the Nguyễn court) saw fit.</ref> is considered the beginning of formal relations between the two polities.<ref>Li Tana, ''Nguyen Cochinchina: Southern Vietnam in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries'' (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998), 60-61.</ref>

The first contact between Quang Nam and any Japanese was with the pirate [[Shirahama Kenki]], who came raiding ships and shores in [[1585]]. He was driven off by Nguyễn ships, but returned in [[1599]]. The Nguyễn captured him, and wrote to Japan to ask what to do with him; [[Tokugawa Ieyasu|Tokugawa Ieyasu's]] [[1601]] response to Lord Nguyễn Hoang, explaining the [[red seal ship]] system,<ref>That authorized merchants would carry formal licenses marked with red seals, and that everyone else could be regarded as a pirate or smuggler, to be dealt with as the foreign polity (in this case, the Nguyễn court) saw fit.</ref> is considered the beginning of formal relations between the two polities.<ref>Li Tana, ''Nguyen Cochinchina: Southern Vietnam in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries'' (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998), 60-61.</ref>