Person

Gia Long

1762–1820 · 18th century · Also known as Nguyen Anh, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, Nguyễn Ánh

Gia Long, born Nguyen Phuc Anh, was a survivor of the Nguyen lords who fought the Tay Son for over two decades from bases in the Mekong delta, with help from Siam and the French missionary Pigneau de Behaine. After taking Thang Long in 1802 he proclaimed himself emperor, founding the Nguyen dynasty and ruling the whole of Vietnam from Hue, where he built a centralised Confucian state and a great citadel.

Gia Long
Image: Unknown author, restored by Nguyễn Phước Vĩnh Khánh ([1]) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Nguyen dynastyFoundation, Socioeconomy, Military, Governance, Impact, Summary

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Nguyen lordsTay Son dynastyNguyen dynasty

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Gia Long. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gia-long
MLA
“Gia Long.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gia-long. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Gia Long.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gia-long.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Gia Long’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gia-long (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻