The term ''tiền'' (

chữ Hán ( , ) are the Chinese characters that were used to write Literary Chinese in Vietnam, Literary Chinese (; ) and Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary in Vietnamese language, Vietnamese. They were officially used in Vietnam after the Red River Delta region ...

: 錢) is used to refer to various currency-related concepts used in Vietnamese history. The name is a

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

with the Chinese ''qián'' (錢), a unit of weight called " mace" in English. It can refer to a unit of weight used in

precious metal Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high Value (economics), economic value. Precious metals, particularly the noble metals, are more corrosion resistant and less reactivity (chemistry), chemically reac ...

coinages as well as the number of cash coins in a

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. The name was also used for different

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

s, both Chinese-style and Western-style awards given in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

throughout different times of its history. The word ''tiền'' is also the Vietnamese word for the concept of

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

in general.

Cash coins

In cash coins the term ''tiền'' could be used to refer to sub-strings of 10 cash coins in a string of 100~600. Though the quality of cash coins was also important for counting a ''tiền'', in 1945 a ''tiền'' of '' tiền gián'' included 36 cash coins, while a ''tiền'' of '' tiền quý'' included 60 cash coins.

Precious metal coinages

In the early 19th century, silver and gold bars were traded as currency in imperial Vietnam with values of up to 10 tiền (approximately 40

gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined in 1795 as "the absolute Mass versus weight, weight of a volume ...

s, or 1

tael Tael ( ),"Tael" entry
at the

ANNAM and its minor currency.
Retrieved: 23 July 2017. During this time, silver and gold coins were minted (using Vietnamese characters and design, but of types resembling either Chinese cash or Western coins) with denominations of up to 10 tiền being minted. During the

Minh Mạng Minh Mạng (), also known as Minh Mệnh (, vi-hantu, 明命, lit. "the bright favour of Heaven"; 25 May 1791 – 20 January 1841; born Nguyễn Phúc Đảm, also known as Nguyễn Phúc Kiểu), was the second emperor of the Nguyễ ...

period (1820–1841) dragons on silver ''tiền'' coins were often depicted facing dexter (to the right), while during the

Thiệu Trị Thiệu Trị (, vi-hantu, wikt:紹, 紹wikt:治, 治, lit. "inheritance of prosperity"; 6 June 1807 – 4 November 1847), personal name Nguyễn Phúc Miên Tông or Nguyễn Phúc Tuyền, was the third emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty. He was th ...

period (1841–1847) and later these coins depicted dragons guardant (facing forwards).De Rode Leeuw
Armorial of Vietnam
by Hubert de Vries. Retrieved: 19 August 2021. In the year Minh Mệnh 14 (1833) the ''Phi Long'' dragon coins were

depreciated In accountancy, depreciation refers to two aspects of the same concept: first, an actual reduction in the fair value of an asset, such as the decrease in value of factory equipment each year as it is used and wears, and second, the allocation i ...

by increasing the amounts of copper and zinc that were in them lowering their silver content. These coins continued to be minted in varying quantities into the 20th century in

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

, although circulating alongside the

French Indochinese piastre The piastre de commerce ("trade piastre") was the currency of French Indochina between 1887 and 1954. It was first used in 1885. It was subdivided into 100 ''cents'', each of 2~6 '' sapèques''. The name '' piastre'' (), from Spanish pieces o ...

Tiền decorations

The ''Tiền'' was also a name of decorations given by the government of the Nguyễn dynasty until 1945, like in

Imperial China The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

these coins came in the form of presentation coins, but after French colonisation the ''Tiền'' was also awarded as European-style

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

s called the '' Sapèque d'Honneur'' (" Cash coin of Honour"). ''Tiền'' presentation coin decorations came in multiple classes and were known as ''Đồng Tiền'' (銅錢, "Copper money"), ''Ngân Tiền'' (銀錢, "Silver money"), and ''Kim Tiền'' (金錢, "Gold money"). The ''Sapèque d'Honneur'' medal was further subdivided into the ''Sapèque d'Argent'' (made of silver) and the ''Sapèque d'Or'' (made of gold). These decorations generally took the shape of silver or gold cash coins as well as other coinages issued by the Nguyễn dynasty, but would often have more elaborate designs and (often) different inscriptions.

Notes

References

External links