Kim Long Village
Kim Long Village A historic village that remains to this day
Given its proximity to the Imperial City, Kim Long was for many centuries the living place of high mandarins and members of the royal family; which has left many traces not only in the architecture of the houses but also in the cultural life of its inhabitants.
Before the 14th century
At that time, the Champa Empire, a once-powerful kingdom located south of Đại Việt, was separated from Vietnamese territory by the Thạch Hãn River – roughly where Quảng Trị Province lies today. In 1306, Princess Huyền Trân was married off to King Chế Mân of Champa in a political alliance that would forever reshape the southern frontier of Đại Việt. As part of the marriage agreement, King Chế Mân ceded the two provinces of Ô and Lý to Đại Việt as dowry. These lands spanned from the Thạch Hãn River down to the Hải Vân Pass (near present-day Đà Nẵng).
Around 1600
The Trịnh–Nguyễn Civil War refers to the period in Vietnamese history during the 17th and 18th centuries, from 1627 to 1777. In this era, the Trịnh Lords controlled the northern region, known as Đàng Ngoài (Tonkin), while the Nguyễn Lords ruled the southern region, known as Đàng Trong (Cochinchina). The Gianh River, located in present-day Quảng Bình province, served as the boundary between the two territories.
As the conflict known as the Southern and Northern Dynasties (Nam–Bắc triều) subsided and the Mạc dynasty was reduced to a remnant force, holding only a small border area with the support of the Ming dynasty, tensions between the two feudal factions—the Trịnh in the North and the Nguyễn in the South—reached their peak. Civil war broke out. This period is known in history as the Trịnh–Nguyễn Civil War.
Both sides recognized the Later Lê dynasty (Lê Trung Hưng) as the legitimate ruling house. Even the Nguyễn Lords used the Lê imperial reign titles in official documents and historical records. However, in reality, they merely used the pretext of “supporting the Lê” while aiming to destroy one another. During this time, the Lê emperors and the Trịnh Lords, united on one side, opposed the Nguyễn Lords on the other.
At that time, Vietnam was effectively divided into two regions, though the boundary had not yet become fully formalized. The Lê–Trịnh government controlled the territory from the Ngang Pass (lying at the border between today’s Hà Tĩnh and Quảng Bình provinces) northward to the northern frontier, except for Cao Bằng province and part of Lạng Sơn province, which were still held by remnants of the Mạc dynasty. This northern realm was called Đàng Ngoài. Meanwhile, the Nguyễn regime ruled the area from Thuận–Quảng (present-day Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị provinces) southward, and gradually expanded further into southern territories, forming what became known as Đàng Trong. This marked the beginning of the historical period known as the Trịnh–Nguyễn Civil War.
The missionary Alexandre de Rhodes described Kim Long during the years 1640–1645 as embodying the cultural essence of 17th-century Vietnamese life. He praised it as a residence with a dense population, well-built houses, bustling streets, markets, and riverside ports.
In 1687, the Nguyễn lords moved their capital to Imperial nowadays.
Today, the beautiful Kim Long Road, with its scenic stretch along the riverbank, is named after this very missionary.
Thanks to its auspicious feng shui location, Kim Long was also home to the ancestral shrines of various Nguyễn lords and the grand residences of many high-ranking mandarins. During the Nguyễn Dynasty, the land of Kim Long was granted to royal family members and senior officials for building their palatial estates.
For hundreds of years, this area was reserved exclusively for the nobility and court officials. I
