Introduction: Nguyen Du (3 January 1765 – 16 September 1820), courtesy name is Tố

Như and art name is Thanh Hiên is a great poet of medieval Vietnamese poetry. He made great
contributions to the country's literature with typical works known around the world such as the
poem The Tale of Kieu - the pinnacle of national literature, a cultural quintessence that shines for
thousands of years.
Biography: Nguyễn Du was born in a great wealthy family in 1765 in Bích Câu, Đông Kinh.[3][4][5] His
father, Nguyễn Nghiễm, was born in Tiên Điền village, Nghi Xuân, Hà Tĩnh, Vietnam. He was the
seventh child of Nguyễn Nghiễm, a former prime minister under the Lê dynasty. By the age of 10, Du
lost his father, and he also lost his mother at age 13, so for most of his teen years he lived with his
brother Nguyễn Khản or with his brother-in-law Đoàn Nguyễn Tuấn.

At the age of 19 (some sources say 17), Du passed the provincial examination and received the title
of "tú tài" (Bachelor's degree), which made him (very roughly) the equivalent of a high
school graduate. However, in Nguyễn Du's time this was a far more difficult credential to obtain both
because few people were affluent enough to devote themselves to study and because of exacting
standards applied.

Du's mother was his father's third wife, noted for her ability at singing and composing poetry. In fact,
she made her living by singing, which at that time was considered a disreputable occupation. It is
said that Du may have inherited a part of his talents from his mother. He loved listening to traditional
songs; and there was a rumor that, when he was 18, he himself eloped with a singer.

Adulthood: After passing the provincial exam, he was appointed to the position of a military advisor
in the Royal (Trịnh) army. After the Trịnh lords were defeated in 1786 by Nguyễn Huệ (the second
youngest, most able and popular of the three Tây Sơn brothers), Nguyễn Du refused to serve in the
Tây Sơn administration. He was arrested and held for some time before moving back to his native
village in the north of the country.

When Nguyễn Ánh defeated the Tây Sơn and took control over all of Vietnam in 1802, Nguyễn Du
agreed to serve in his administration (many mandarins from the north refused to do this as it was
widely felt that a mandarin should only serve one dynasty). At first he was given his old post of
military advisor but after a decade he was promoted to ambassador to China (1813). While in China,
he discovered and translated the Ming dynasty era tale that would become the basis for the Tale of
Kiều. He was later appointed to two more diplomatic missions to Peking, but before he could depart
for the last one, he died of a long illness for which he refused treatment.

Du's father had been a minister under the Lê dynasty, and his family had benefited greatly under
their rule. For most of his life, Nguyễn Du was haunted by what he felt was his own betrayal of the
rightful rulers of Vietnam, which occurred when he accepted a post under the Nguyễn dynasty.

Truyen Kieu: The Tale of Kiều (Vietnamese Truyện Kiều) was based on an earlier Chinese prose
narrative, Kim Vân Kiều. It was written under a pen name as the story was quite critical of the basic
tenets of Confucian morality. It is a tragic tale of two lovers forced apart by the girl's loyalty to
her family honor. In Vietnam, the poem is so popular and beloved that some people know the whole
epic by heart and can recite it without a mistake.[6]

Life

In (1803), when King Gia Long went to the North, Nguyen Du from Quynh Hai brought military
provisions to welcome King Gia Long. When he arrived at Phu Dung, Son Nam Thuong town, he
met King Gia Long, who appointed him immediately governor of Phu Dung district. Khoai Chau
district, Son Nam town (now Phu Cu district, Hung Yen province). This event is similar to Phi Tu
during the Warring States period offering a horse to King Chu Hieu Vuong and gaining the title of
Phu Dung, so Nguyen Du had the title Phi Tu.
Thanks to his time as a wanderer, Nguyen Du was fluent in Chinese languages, so just a few
months later he was promoted to governor of Thuong Tin district, Son Nam Thuong town (now
part of Hanoi), he was given special privileges to go to Nam Quan pass to receive envoys. The
Qing Dynasty conferred the title on King Gia Long.
In (1805), he was promoted to the rank of scholar, the title of Marquis Du Duc and took office in
the capital Phu Xuan.
In (1807), he was appointed as an examiner for the Perfume exam in Hai Duong. In the fall of the
year Mau Thin (1808), he asked to return to his hometown to rest.
In (1809), he was appointed to the position of Cai Ba (fourth grade rank) in Quang Binh.
In (1813), he was promoted to Can Chanh Dien scholar (Tam grade) and was appointed chief
envoy to the Qing Dynasty.
In 1814, he returned from a mission and was promoted to the rank of Tham Tri (Second rank).
In (1816), Nguyen Du's brother-in-law, Vu Trinh, was exiled to Quang Nam because of his
involvement in the case of Governor Nguyen Van Thanh and his son.
In (1820), King Gia Long passed away, and Nguyen Phuc Dam succeeded him as King Minh
Mang. At this time, Nguyen Du was sent as chief envoy to the Qing Dynasty to announce the
funeral and pray for blessing, but he fell ill with cholera and died on the 10th day of the 8th
month of the year Canh Thin (ie September 16, 1820) at the age of 54 years old.
In (1824), his remains were reburied in his hometown, Tien Dien village, Ha Tinh.[7]