Introduction to the book "Nam Việt thần kỳ hội lục"

The book Nam Việt thần kỳ hội lục is an ancient text documenting 1,269 deities worshipped in many localities across northern Vietnam. Based on the information preserved in the original manuscript, together with the careful and extensive research conducted by the two translators, this work has become an important and highly valuable source for studying the system of deities and folk beliefs in medieval Vietnam.

In essence, Nam Việt thần kỳ hội lục is a type of statistical and classificatory record compiled by the Bắc Thành administration in 1804 under the directive of Emperor Gia Long (reigned 1802–1820) as part of an effort to “supervise and manage the pantheon of deities.” Based on the book’s contents, the number of deities recorded, and their geographical distribution, it can be inferred that the survey of deities conducted by Bắc Thành covered the regions of Sơn Nam Thượng, Sơn Nam Hạ, Sơn Tây, Kinh Bắc, Hải Dương (the five inner provinces), as well as the two outer provinces of Lạng Sơn and Yên Quảng.

Therefore, Nam Việt thần kỳ hội lục offers scholars and readers a valuable opportunity to explore a cross-section of the Vietnamese religious and cultural belief system during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centurie