Vĩnh Tế Canal
Encyclopedia
The Vĩnh Tế Canal is a 87 kilometer long canal in southern Vietnam, designed to give the territory of Châu Đốc a direct access to the Hà Tiên sea gate
, Gulf of Siam.
After the construction of Thoai Ha Canal, Emperor
Gia Long
of Nguyễn Dynasty ordered the mandarin
Nguyen Van Thoai to dig a new canal along the Cambodia
n-Vietnamese border. The emperor's edict said: "Công trình đào sông này rất là khó khăn, nhưng kế giữ nước và cách biên phòng quan hệ chẳng nhỏ, chúng người tuy rằng ngày nay chịu khó, nhưng mà ích lợi cho muôn đời về sau..." (..this canal-digging project is tough, but its role in [our] national security and national defense is not small, we should accept the hardship so that our descendants would have the benefit ..).
The construction of the canal was started in the end of 1819. The project used about 80.000 local Vietnamese
and Khmer
workers. After the death of Emperor Gia Long
, the succeeding Emperor Minh Mạng continued the project. The workers, especially the Khmers were heavily exploited by forced to do hard work which resulted thousands of deaths from fatigue and consequent disease during the canal's construction. Consequently, the Vinh Te Canal became a symbol of Vietnamese mistreatment of the Khmer and was used later by the Khmer Rouge
as in anti-Vietnamese propaganda. The construction was completed in 1824 and Emperor Minh Mạng named the canal after Châu Vĩnh Tế, the wife of its builder Nguyen Van Thoai. From this point on, the canal plays an important role in the southern Vietnam's communication, transportation and the definition of the border of Vietnam and Cambodia.
Hà Tiên
Hà Tiên or Ha Tien is a town in Kien Giang Province, Tay Nam Bo of Vietnam. Area: 8,851.5 ha, population : 39,957. The town borders Cambodia to the west....
, Gulf of Siam.
After the construction of Thoai Ha Canal, Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Gia Long
Gia Long
Emperor Gia Long , born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh , was an emperor of Vietnam...
of Nguyễn Dynasty ordered the mandarin
Mandarin (bureaucrat)
A mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China, and also in the monarchist days of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence.-History and use of the term:...
Nguyen Van Thoai to dig a new canal along the Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n-Vietnamese border. The emperor's edict said: "Công trình đào sông này rất là khó khăn, nhưng kế giữ nước và cách biên phòng quan hệ chẳng nhỏ, chúng người tuy rằng ngày nay chịu khó, nhưng mà ích lợi cho muôn đời về sau..." (..this canal-digging project is tough, but its role in [our] national security and national defense is not small, we should accept the hardship so that our descendants would have the benefit ..).
The construction of the canal was started in the end of 1819. The project used about 80.000 local Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
and Khmer
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
workers. After the death of Emperor Gia Long
Gia Long
Emperor Gia Long , born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh , was an emperor of Vietnam...
, the succeeding Emperor Minh Mạng continued the project. The workers, especially the Khmers were heavily exploited by forced to do hard work which resulted thousands of deaths from fatigue and consequent disease during the canal's construction. Consequently, the Vinh Te Canal became a symbol of Vietnamese mistreatment of the Khmer and was used later by the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
as in anti-Vietnamese propaganda. The construction was completed in 1824 and Emperor Minh Mạng named the canal after Châu Vĩnh Tế, the wife of its builder Nguyen Van Thoai. From this point on, the canal plays an important role in the southern Vietnam's communication, transportation and the definition of the border of Vietnam and Cambodia.