Seals of the Nguyễn dynasty

(Nguyễn dynasty, French Indochina) with transliterations on the right to both Traditional Chinese characters (regular script) and Latin script. Government agencies and mandarins typically had their own seals. The Nguyễn dynasty's seals are rich and diverse in types and had strict rules and laws that regulated their manipulation, management, and use. The common practice of using seals was clearly recorded in the book "Khâm định Đại Nam hội điển sự lệ" on how to use seals, how to place them, and on what kinds of documents, which was compiled by the Cabinet of the Nguyễn dynasty in the year Minh Mạng 3 (1822). On duty of the Office of Ministry Seals Management were the correspondents of each individual ministry that received and distributed documents and records of a government agency. For example, after Léon Louis Sogny received the title of "Baron of An Bình" (安平男) in the year Bảo Đại 14 (保大拾肆年, 1939) he was also given a golden seal and a Kim Bài (金牌) with his noble title on it. The seal had the seal script inscription An Bình Nam chi ấn (安平男之印). Terminology The various seals of the Nguyễn dynasty had different names based on their function, namely Bảo (寶), Tỷ (璽), Ấn (印), Chương (章), Ấn chương (印章), Kim bảo tỷ (金寶璽), Quan phòng (關防), Đồ ký (圖記), Kiềm ký (鈐記), Tín ký (信記), Ấn Ký (印記), Trưởng ký (長記), and Ký (記). • Thân ấn - The geometric block, or body, of the seal. • Núm ấn - The handle for pressing the seal down on texts. In case the seal is shaped like a pyramid, there is no knob. • Mặt ấn - Where the main content of the seal (symbol or word) is engraved, this area is usually in the face down position. The stamp surface is often used up to engrave letters or drawings. • Lưng ấn - The face of the seal, where other information about the seal is engraved, usually in the supine position. In the case of the flat-head pyramid seal (ấn triện hình tháp đầu bằng), the flat head is the back. • Hình ấn - A word used to indicate the impression of the seal on a text. == Seals of the Nguyễn lords ==

of the kingdom of Great(er) Viêt"). The first known seal of the Nguyễn lords had the inscription Trấn thủ tướng quân chi ấn (鎮守將軍之印, "Seal of the guardian general") and is found on letters signed by the An Nam quốc thiên hạ thống đô nguyên soái Thụy quốc công (安南國天下統兵都元帥瑞國公). This seal is known to have been produced under Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên and was used on documents created when interacting with the Tokugawa shogunate (Edo period Japan). It bears the inscription Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn Chúa vĩnh trấn chi bảo (大越國阮𪐴永鎮之寶, "Seal of the eternal government of the Nguyễn Lords of the kingdom of Great(er) Viêt"; Modern Vietnamese: Bảo của chúa Nguyễn nước Đại Việt trấn giữ lâu dài). During the reign of Nguyễn Phúc Chu the Nguyễn would continue to refer to themselves as "Lords" (主, or alternatively 𪐴) as opposed to the Trịnh lords who already called themselves "Kings" (王) at this point in time. While the Nguyễn lords were gifted a seal with the inscription Tổng trấn Tướng quân chi ấn by the Revival Lê dynasty before to use in communications between them and the imperial court, but in 1744 Nguyễn Phúc Khoát proclaimed himself a "King" (王, Vương) and started using a seal with the inscription Quốc Vương chi ấn (國王之印, "Seal of the King of the nation") instead. The Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn Chúa vĩnh trấn chi bảo seal was lost and recovered several times during the many wars fought by the Nguyễn lords, including being lost in a river once when the Lordly Nguyễn army was in retreat. The Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn Chúa vĩnh trấn chi bảo was seen as a precious family heirloom and was kept passed down the Nguyễn family long after the Nguyễn lords were ousted by the Tây Sơn dynasty and was later the imperial seal of the Nguyễn dynasty until the 1840s. When Nguyễn Phúc Ánh declared himself King of the Revival Nguyễn Lords state in 1780 in Saigon, he used the Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn Chúa vĩnh trấn chi bảo seal and the Cảnh Hưng era date of the Revival Lê dynasty state to showcase his allegiance to the Lê when fighting the Tây Sơn. The Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn Chúa vĩnh trấn chi bảo seal was used by Gia Long on a funeral prayer document for Pigneau de Béhaine now preserved in Paris. == Seals during the Nguyễn dynasty period ==

period. Imperial seals After becoming Emperor in 1802 with the establishment of the Nguyễn dynasty, Emperor Gia Long decided to continue using the Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn Chúa vĩnh trấn chi bảo seal. Because the Emperors of the Nguyễn dynasty were all personally very much involved in the affairs of the state they produced a large number of seals each for very specific functions and most could be handed over to their successors. These seals sometimes only represent the emperor himself as an individual, and sometimes they also act as representatives of the imperial court. From the content of the seals used by the Emperors privately, it can be seen that the numerous different seals of the Nguyễn Empire were used on different occasions. In the third month of the year Bính Tý, or Gia Long 15 (1816), Emperor Gia Long instructed the court to create special clothes, hats, and seals for himself and the crown prince to denote independence from China. These regalia all depicted five-clawed dragons (蠪𠄼𤔻, rồng 5 móng), in Chinese symbolism (including Vietnamese symbolism) five-clawed dragons are symbols of an Emperor, while four-clawed dragons are seen as symbols or kings. Inscriptions used by previous dynasties were at times also re-used when producing new imperial seals. For example, an imperial seal with the inscription Sắc mệnh chi bảo (敕命之寶) was first created at the time of the Mongol invasions of Đại Việt and Champa during the reign of Trần Thái Tông of the Trần dynasty and was used to stamp documents ordering or declaring royal (or imperial) ordinances during the early days of the war. Because the national treasury did not have enough gold bullion to pay, Emperor Tự Đức had to recover some gold and silver treasures that were displayed in the palaces to pay the French and Spanish. The seal knob of this ivory seal is shaped like a dragon holding a wish-granting pearl. which featured a blue enamel with the design of a seal reading Đồng Khánh Hoàng Đế (同慶皇帝) in seal script. Following the unexpected death of the Đồng Khánh Emperor a successor was chosen by the French and the court-mandarins in the form of Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Lân, Prince Quang Thái, who became the Thành Thái Emperor. The Directorate of Imperial Observatory declared 1 February as a most auspicious day for the enthronement. Léon Sogny, director of security in Huế, wrote about it in a letter in which he claimed that the seal was discovered by the Khải Định Emperor. Without the orders of the Emperor nobody was allowed to open or even touch the seals. Bảo Đại allowed him to study and record all the treasures stored in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. According to a 2015 British Broadcasting Corporation Paris (BBC Paris) news article by Phạm Cao Phong, the 46 imperial seals Paul Boudet documented were made of gold, silver, gilded copper, and gilded silver and of these imperial seals 44 are now in the possession of the National Museum of Vietnamese History in Hanoi. The seal knob of these seals feature a Vietnamese guardian lion. Seal knobs Below are some of the seal knob shapes that are required for the following government positions or institutions of the Nguyễn dynasty: == After 1945 ==

as the Chief of State of Vietnam. It has the inscription "Quốc-gia Việt-Nam - Đức Bảo Đại - Quốc-trưởng" written in Latin script and "保大國長" (top-to-bottom, right-to-left) in seal script. (1949–1954) Transfer of the Nguyễn dynasty seals to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and its symbolism Following his abdication in 1945, Emperor Bảo Đại handed over 800 kilograms of antiques, including seals, from the Forbidden City and other royal palaces to the revolutionary government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam following its declaration of independence. The passing of the ceremonial seal and sword had been seen as symbolically "passing the Mandate of Heaven over to the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam". Following the French counteroffensive during the First Indochina War the government of Democratic Republic of Vietnam publicly buried the seal and the Sword of the State. In response Hồ Chí Minh asked: "If one day we unify the entire country, what evidence will exist to confirm that we have a tradition of several thousand years of civilisation?" (Nếu một ngày nào đó thống nhất đất nước, chúng ta lấy bằng chứng gì để khẳng định chúng ta có truyền thống mấy ngàn năm văn hiến?). This seal was square in shape and had the inscription "Quốc-gia Việt-Nam - Đức Bảo Đại - Quốc-trưởng" written in Latin script and "保大國長" (top-to-bottom, right-to-left) in seal script. but the auction was deferred as the Vietnamese government expressed its intention to repatriate the seal through negotiations to buy it back. On November 15, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Vietnam announced that the Vietnamese government successfully negotiated the return of Hoàng Đế chi bảo from Millon. On February 13, 2023, a Vietnamese antique collector had successfully acquired the seal. After the new owner of the seal was announced, an official from Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism told that the Ministry would complete all procedures to repatriate the Hoàng Đế chi bảo back to Vietnam. On November 16, 2023, Vietnamese ambassador to France announced that Hoàng đế chi bảo was transferred to the Vietnamese government. Fate of the Đại Nam thụ thiên vĩnh mệnh truyền quốc tỷ seal Following the end of the Nguyễn dynasty in 1945, regional director of Huế, Phạm Khắc Hòe, decided to move it among other treasures from city to Hanoi to present it to Ministry of Labour on 27 and 28 August 1945. Nguyễn dynasty seals in Vietnamese museums In the year 1962, to ensure the safety of the antiques of the Nguyễn dynasty, the National Museum of Vietnamese History had moved them to the warehouse of the State Bank of Vietnam. == Types of imperial seals ==

While seals in the Nguyễn dynasty made from bronze, silver, ceramics, ivory, Etc. were made for mandarins and other people throughout the Empire without much restrictions, the materials of jade and gold were exclusive to the Emperors and the imperial family. The creation of this golden seal was ordered two months into his reign to be used in the Thế Miếu shrine to honour his late father. This golden seal has two inscriptions written on its top, one inscription on the left side reads Bát ngũ tuế hoàng kim, trọng nhất bách thập nhất lạng ngũ tiền tứ phân. (English: Gold eight and a half years old with a weight of 111 taels, 5 mace, and 4 candareens; Modern Vietnamese: Vàng 8 tuổi rưỡi, nặng 111 lạng 5 tiền 4 phân). On the right it has the inscription Thiệu Trị nguyên niên tam nguyệt cát nhật phụng chú tạo. (English: Cast on the most auspicious day of the 3rd month of the 1st year of the reign of Thiệu Trị, 1841; Modern Vietnamese: Phụng mệnh đúc vào ngày lành tháng 3 năm Thiệu Trị thứ 1, 1841). This seal features a seal knob in the form of a five-clawed dragon standing with its head upturned and its back arched, further it has a tail with 6 pointed bands. During the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor a golden seal with the inscription Nhân Tuyên Từ Khánh Thái Hoàng Thái hậu chi bảo (仁宣慈慶太皇太后之寶) was created to honour his paternal grandmother Trần Thị Đang during the first year of his reign (1841). Its seal knob is shaped as a five-clawed dragon standing upright with its head upturned, its back arched, and its tail bent with 7 flame-shaped ends. On the left of the seal knob is the text Bát ngũ tuế hoàng kim, trọng cửu thập ngũ lượng thất tiền tứ phân (八五歲皇金重九十五両七錢四分; English: Eight year old gold with a weight of 95 taels, 7 mace, and 4 candareens; Modern Vietnamese: Vàng 8 tuổi rưỡi, nặng 95 lạng 7 tiền 4 phân). While on its right side is the inscription Thiệu Trị nguyên niên tam nguyệt cát nhật phụng chú tạo (紹治元年三月吉日奉鑄造; English: Created on the auspicious day of the third month of the first year of the reign of Thiệu Trị; Modern Vietnamese: Phụng mệnh đúc vào ngày lành tháng 3 năm Thiệu Trị 1, 1841). Another golden seal for an Empress Dowager was created during the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor with the inscription Nhân Hoàng hậu chi bảo (仁皇后之寶). Its seal knob features a five-clawed dragon standing up right with its head held up high and a twisted 6-pointed flame-shaped tail. On the left of the seal knob is the text Bát ngũ tuế kim, trọng bát thập nhị lượng nhị tiền tam phân (八五歲金重八十二両二錢三分; English: Eight year old gold with a weight of 82 taels, 2 mace, and 3 candareens; Modern Vietnamese: Vàng 8 tuổi rưỡi, nặng 82 lạng 2 tiền 3 phân). While on the right it is inscribed with the text Thiệu Trị nguyên niên tứ nguyệt cát nhật phụng chú tạo (紹治元年四月吉日奉鑄造; English: Created on a good day during the 4th month of the first year of the reign of Thiệu Trị; Modern Vietnamese: Đúc vào ngày lành tháng 4 năm Thiệu Trị 1, 1841). This seal was created to honour Hồ Thị Hoa (or the Empress Dowager Tá Thiên). During the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor a seal with the inscription Phúc Tuy công ấn seal was created, this seal featured a seal knob in the form of a four-clawed dragon. On the left of the seal knob is the text Trọng tứ thập ngũ lạng ngũ tiền (English: Weight of 45 taels and 5 mace; Modern Vietnamese: Nặng 45 lạng 5 tiền). While on right it featured the inscription Thiệu Trị tam niên tạo (English: Created in the 3rd year of the reign of Thiệu Trị, 1843; Modern Vietnamese: Đúc vào năm Thiệu Trị thứ 3, 1843). according to the Nguyễn Phúc tộc thế phả this seal was given to Prince Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Nhậm in the year 1843 when he was conferred as Phúc Tuy Công. During the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor a golden seal with the inscription Đại Nam hiệp kỷ lịch chi bảo (大南協紀曆之寶), this seal has a five-clawed dragon-shaped seal knob that is similar in design to the ones found on the Minh Mạng period Khâm văn chi tỷ, Duệ vũ chi tỷ and Trị lịch minh thời chi bảo seals. On its handle it features two inscriptions, one the left is written Thập tuế hoàng kim, trọng nhất bách nhị thập ngũ lạng ngũ tiền tứ phân (English: Ten year old gold with a weight of 125 taels, 5 mace, and 4 candareens; Modern Vietnamese: Vàng 10 tuổi, nặng 125 lạng 5 tiền 4 phân). While on its left it is inscribed with the text Thiệu Trị thất niên thập nguyệt cát nhật tạo (English: Cast on the auspicious day of the 10th month of 7th year of the reign of Thiệu Trị; Modern Vietnamese: Đúc vào ngày lành tháng 10 năm Thiệu trị thứ 7, 1847). This seal superseded the Trị lịch minh thời chi bảo for usage on the official calendars of the Nguyễn dynasty. Ivory seals During the years 1846–1847, The Thiệu Trị Emperor ordered the creation of an ivory seal. This seal has a dragon-shaped seal knob, a round face (as opposed to most square seals), and a diameter of 10.8 centimeters. Its inscription is carved in the words meaning "As a record for the enjoyment of the Emperor and the imperial family". Under Emperor Khải Định an ivory seal was created that was ellipse in shape and had the inscription Khải Định thần khuê (啟定宸奎) written in Traditional Chinese characters as opposed to seal script. Meteorite seals During the years reign of Đồng Khánh a meteorite seal (ấn làm từ thiên thạch) was specifically made for him. In order to show friendship between France and Emperor Đồng Khánh, the French government commissioned a special gift as Stanislas-Étienne Meunier, geologist, mineralogist, and scientific journalist, wrote: "For the Son of Heaven like Đồng Khánh, nothing is better than giving him a treasure from heaven. So, I ask our government to try to find a meteorite, then carve it and turn it into a precious seal." to the President of France who accepted his proposal and Stanislas-Étienne Meunier immediately began looking for the perfect meteorite to make the treasure. Stanislas-Étienne Meunier had to go everywhere to find a satisfactory meteorite, in the end he found it in the city of Vienna, Austria-Hungary, where he bought a rock that fell to the earth on 30 January 1868 near Pułtusk, Vistula Land, Russia (present-day Pułtusk, Mazovia, Poland). Stanislas-Étienne Meunier described the meteorite as not being cracked and having a beautiful appearance, and a suitable size. Meunier was happy with the specimen and brought it back to the jeweler to manufacture. The seal itself is made of pure gold and is engraved with words "Le gouvernement de la République Française à S. M. Dong-Khanh, roi d'Annam" (English: The government of the French Republic, his royal highness Đồng Khánh, King of Annam; Vietnamese: Chính phủ cộng hoà Pháp tặng vua Đồng Khánh, quốc vương xứ An Nam) in French. According to the book Đồng Khánh chính yếu the seal was presented to Đồng Khánh in December 1887. Upon receiving the seal Đồng Khánh thanked the French government and issued a statement to the people that read: Which translated into English means "Resident-superior Séraphin Hector, now stationed in the imperial capital city, presented a gift in the form of a jade seal made by the noble servants of the court. The court created, on engraved with four words "The Court of Establishment", said that it was given by the Emperor of Great(er) France. It was a rock which descended upon the earth by heavenly goodness, and Great(er) France found the rock and made a seal out of it. It is truly a most precious and rare treasure, most very difficult to acquire. The French now brought it as a gift so that from now on, if there is something that needs to be reported to the government of Great(er) France, then I shall use this special seal to make news." Silver seals During its existence the Nguyễn dynasty created a number of silver seals (Ấn đúc bằng bạc). According to the book Nguyễn Phúc tộc thế phả prince Nguyễn Phúc Miên Tông was sent to study during the reign of his father in the year of the Tiger (năm Canh Dần, 1830). There he was given the nickname Trường Khánh công. In the same year Emperor Minh Mạng (Minh Mệnh) gave Nguyễn Phúc Miên Tông the gift of a gold-plated silver seal, with a vertical dragon-shaped seal knob, this dragon was depicted with a raised head, a curved back, a bent tail, and four-claws. The back of the seal is engraved with 2 lines of Chinese characters, indicating that the seal weighs 44 ounces, 9, 4 centimeters and notes the date of its creation. The inscription on this silver seal is Trường Khánh công ấn. During the reign of the Thiệu Trị Emperor a silver seal with the inscription Phúc Tuy quan phòng was created. Its seal knob is shaped as a Kỳ lân with an upturned head, arched back, bent tail, and 4 loose legs. It was cast during the 2nd year of Thiệu Trị or the year of the Ox (Năm Tân Sửu, 1841). This seal was gifted to Prince Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Nhậm in the year 1843. Bronze seals , Hanoi. Bronze seals, known in Vietnamese as Ấn triện bằng đồng (印篆評銅), were seals generally reserved for people of a lower status than the imperial family, but due to the financial difficulties Đại Nam was in due to war reparations imposed by the French and Spanish, the Tự Đức Emperor confiscated gold seals given to the princes and princesses of the Imperial family and replaced them with identical bronze seals. The order the Tự Đức Emperor made read as: "All kinds of ngân sách, ấn (seals), quan, and quan phòng of princes and princesses must be returned and melted down into bars for use. But according to the original pattern be cast into bronze again for convenience and everlasting storage." (Các loại ngân sách, ấn, quan, quan phòng của các hoàng thân, công chúa phải nộp và nấu chảy thành thỏi để dùng. Nhưng theo mẫu đổi đúc lại bằng đồng để tiện cho đời đời lưu giữ). After the year 1869 almost all seals of the imperial court (excluding the ones for the Emperor and some select princes) were primarily made of bronze. Bronze seals were cast for many different types of government offices and functions such as mandarins, other bureaucrats, administrative divisions, medals, signatures, Etc. and the knobs of bronze seals may be decorated with a Chinese "unicorn", a Chinese guardian lion, a straight shape, or a ring shape among others. These seal knobs had different levels of heights and weights, but it was absolutely impossible for a bronze seal to have a dragon-shaped seal knob as these were only reserved for seals of more precious materials. == List of imperial seals of the Nguyễn dynasty ==

Emperors List of lordly and royal seals of the Nguyễn lords and imperial seals of the Nguyễn dynasty: Empress-Consorts and the imperial family == Imperial seals on documents ==

Image:Tổng trấn Tướng quân chi ấn (« Sceau du Général Gouverneur ») - Philippe Truong.jpg|The Tổng trấn Tướng quân chi ấn used on a document using the Vĩnh Thịnh (永盛, 1706–1719) reign era of the Revival Lê dynasty. Image:Brevet datant du 28e jour du 8e mois du 62e année de l’ère Canh Hung (1801) élevant le Tham Luận Vệ Dực Vũ Doanh Hậu Quân Trần Văn Thành au titre de marquis de Thành Tín apposé 01.jpg|A document from 1801 using the Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn Chúa vĩnh trấn chi bảo seal, notice the fact that Lord Nguyễn Phúc Ánh was still using the Cảnh Hưng (景興, 1740–1786) reign era of the Revival Lê Dynasty Emperor Lê Hiển Tông (黎顯宗). Image:Thieu tri imperial edict01.jpg|An imperial edict issued by the Thiệu Trị Emperor containing the Sắc mệnh chi bảo (敕命之寶) seal. Image:Empreinte du Sceau de l’empereur d’Annam offert à l’amiral Courbet par Jules Patenôtre, représentant de la France auprès de la cour d’Hué, après la signature du traité de 1883.jpg|The seal of "the Emperor of Annam" used in correspondence with France in 1885. == List of office seals of the Nguyễn dynasty government ==

Imperial government ministries and agencies Imperial secretaries (Tam Nội Viện) Imperial cabinets Ministries (Bộ) Ministerial staff Viện Six Courts (Lục tự) Four cabinet sections (Tứ tào) Four cabinet offices (Tứ sở) Imperial Household Department In the year Gia Long 1 (1802) the Đồ gia lệnh sử ty (圖家令使司) was established. A division of the Đồ gia lệnh sử ty known as the Nội đồ gia (內圖家) was renamed to the Imperial Household Department (內務府, Nội vụ phủ) in the year Minh Mạng 1 (1820), this department was in charge of the internal affairs of the Nguyễn imperial family and the activities of the inner palace. The Nội tạo sở (内造所), a division of the Imperial Household Department, was the place where the artisans who made utility items for the imperial palace were assembled. The Six Thượng The Imperial Household Department was in charge of the six treasures in the palace. To this end, the Minh Mạng Emperor set up six Thượng (尚, "Upper"), or the Lục Thượng (六尚), posts to administer these six treasures. All the mandarins holding these posts were female. Storehouses of the Ministry of Public Works In the year Minh Mạng 10 (1829) the employment policy of the imperial artisans changed, placing their management from the Imperial Household Department to the Ministry of Public Works (工部, Công Bộ). The former Imperial Household Department was re-organised into the 9 storehouses. Each of these storehouses was supervised by 3 different ninth-graded mandarins, these mandarins were rotated to another one of the storehouses after 3 years and would, in turn, resume their work at the former storehouse where they had worked before. Reformed storehouses after Thiệu Trị 4 (1844) In the year Thiệu Trị 4 (1844), the southern court had re-organised a number of the storehouses. Of these re-organised storehouses, the Cẩm tú and the Trân ngoạn storehouses were managed by eight-grade mandarins. Together, these two storehouses were usually referred to using the abbreviated term as the Cẩm ngoạn (錦玩) storehouse. Other imperial government agencies Provincial administration Tổng Trấn and Kinh lược sứ Tổng đốc and Phủ doãn Tuần phủ Protectorates, special regions, and dependencies French Residents This is a list of seals of the Vietnamese-style seals used on Classical Chinese language documents of the French Residents appointed to oversee the provincial administrations of the provinces of the French protectorates of Annam and Tonkin alongside indigenous mandarins, it does not include the French-style seals used on French language documents. Provincial administration commissioners Surveillance seals Seals of the Lục khoa of the Đô sát viện Seals of the Thập lục đạo of the Đô sát viện Provincial surveillance commissioners Military seals Vệ binh Imperial Guards Five Armies Commander-Generals of the Five Armies Marshals of the Five Armies Navy Thủy sư Provincial military mandarins Đề đốc Lãnh binh Phó lãnh binh Police seals Tax-related seals Mint seals Seals of educational institutions and administrators Provincial entrance exam schools Provincial education commissioners Trade and business seals Provincial ship merchant managers Other government seals == Government office seals on documents ==

Image:Hình dấu Hình bộ đường chi ấn (vuông) trên văn bản của năm Minh Mệnh nguyên niên - Vietnamese Archives 01.jpg|The Hình bộ đường chi ấn on a document from the year Minh Mạng 1 (1820). Image:Brevet de Nguyễn Hữu Độ - Legion d'Honneur (1884) 02.jpg|A Legion of Honour certificate issued in 1884 for Nguyễn Hữu Độ with the seal of the Tổng đốc of Hà Ninh (Hanoi and Ninh Bình). Image:Order of Kim-Bội certificate - 2nd class (Bảo Đại 12 - 1937).jpg|A certificate awarding a Kim Bội (2nd class) to Madame Bureau who works at a Catholic hospital with the Cơ mật viện's great seal, dated Bảo Đại 12 (保大拾貳年, 1937). Image:Kinh tế Bộ, 1938, tâu về định các công nghệ.jpg|A Bảo Đại 13 (1938) letter by the Ministry of Economic Affairs also featuring seals of the Ngự tiền văn phòng. Image:AP0661-Sogny-Marien Léon Sogny est élevé à la dignité nobiliaire de baron d’An-Bình - Ministre des Rites et des Travaux (1939).jpg|A Bảo Đại 14 (1939) letter from the Ministry of Rites and Public Works to the Resident-Superior of Annam informing him that Léon Sogny will be given the noble title "Baron of An Bình". Image:Léon Sogny est élevé à la dignité nobiliaire de baron d’An Binh - L’Association des Amis du Vieux Huế (保大拾肆年 - 1939) 02.jpg|A certificate awarding the title of "Baron of An Bình" to Léon Sogny with the Cơ mật viện's great seal, dated Bảo Đại 14 (保大拾肆年, 1939). File:Bút phê của Hoàng đế Bảo Đại viết bằng chữ Quốc ngữ trên bản tấu của Bộ Lễ nghi về việc ấn kiềm vị Khâm sai Ai Lao năm 1945 02.jpg|A Bảo Đại 20 (1945) report by the Ministry of Rites and Ceremonies on creating a seal for the imperial envoy of the Empire of Vietnam to the Kingdom of Laos. == List of seals of the Nguyễn dynasty period nobility ==

Imperial ranks Dukes Non-imperial ranks Barons == Shapes of seals ==

Image:Dong Kinh An Quan Seal 2.jpg|Square seal. Image:Hình dấu An Cựu Tây lý trưởng ký - Vietnamese Archives 02.jpg|Rectangular seal. Image:Nam Ky Seal.jpg|Ellipse seal. Image:|Circular seal. Image:Kim bảo Ngự tiền chi bảo (御前之寶) hình bát giác đóng ở chữ “khâm thử” - Vietnamese Archives 01.jpg|Octagonal seal. File:Dấu ấn "Hoàng Quế ký" - Vietnamnet.jpg| == Seals in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ==

by both corporations and governments, each of any size. In modern Vietnam square seals with seal script characters no longer enjoy official use, instead, according to state regulations, each company or enterprise should have its own round seal. These seals are round in shape and must contain both the name and registration number of the organisation. According to the Enterprise Law 2014 (Luật doanh nghiệp năm 2014) in order to create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses, when registering the seal sample, businesses are no longer required to register with the police. Instead, the company can engrave the seal sample by itself and send the seal sample to the business registration office. When the enterprise uses a new seal or changes the company's seal information, the company is required to register the new company seal sample with the government. In 2021 an official seal typically costs đ350.000 a piece. The Hoan phụng ngũ đại đồng đường nhất thống Thiệu Trị chi bảo (歡奉五大同堂一統紹治之寶) seal created during the reign of the Tự Đức Emperor has been described as "one of the earliest Vietnamese round seals". Later, a number of other round and ellipse-shaped imperial seals were created by the Nguyễn Empire. Government seals in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam today are usually circular in shape, and have the emblem of Vietnam in the centre of the circle. The name of the governmental institution is arranged around the national emblem in a semicircle. ; Examples File:Con dấu của Trường Đại học Mở Hà Nội (2018).jpg|Seal of Hanoi Open University. File:Công văn trả lời của Bộ Văn hoá, Thể thao và Du lịch gửi đến Hội đồng Nguyễn Phúc tộc Việt Nam về Kiến nghị thu hồi quyết định công nhận “Lễ giỗ bà thứ phi Hoàng phi Yến" 04.jpg|Seal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam. File:Hội đồng Nguyễn Phúc Tộc Việt Nam seal (2021).png|Seal of the Hội đồng Nguyễn Phúc Tộc Việt Nam. == The study of historical seals in modern Vietnam ==

There is a scholarly discipline which specialises in the study of seals printed on various types of documents produced by the various dynasties in Vietnamese history. As the imperial archives show a deep insight into the evolution of the documents (including the seals and how they were used) over the course of the Nguyễn dynasty period. Thereby, partly providing more information for research in the fields of Hán-Nôm Studies, Literature, Archives, Textology, Historianism, Etc. == See also ==