DOI: https://doi.org/10.36344/ccijhss.2026.v12i07.002

Pages: 158-162

One of the most prominent economic sectors in Vietnam from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century was agriculture, alongside mining and commerce. Within this picture, wet-rice cultivation formed the leading branch of production, complemented by forest exploitation and animal husbandry. Mining developed in many localities, helping to supply raw materials for production and boosting state revenue. Commercial activity was fairly lively, sustained by a network of village markets and market towns as well as domestic trade routes, while trading relations were also maintained with a number of countries in the region. Nevertheless, the state's tight administrative controls and its monopoly over foreign trade limited the growth of a commodity-based economy. This article seeks to clarify the actual conditions and characteristics of Vietnam's economy during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries.