# List of early inscriptions in Vietnam

The list of early inscriptions in northern Vietnam comprises a list of the corpus of known inscriptions written in Chinese language and Vietnamese language mostly using chữ Hán and few using chữ Nôm from c. 300s to 1230s found in northern Vietnam.

## Chinese period (c. 0–900 AD)

| Inscription | Date | Place of discovery | Year of discovery | Description |
| Unattested | 314/450 (Jin or Liu Song dynasty) | Thanh Hoài, Thanh Khương, Thuận Thành Bắc Ninh 21°03′00″N 106°04′59″E﻿ / ﻿21.050°N 106.083°E﻿ / 21.050; 106.083 | 2013 | Two inscriptions in Chinese Seal script. Was damaged in 1967 by bombs during the US bombing campaign. |
| Inscription of the Temple of Precious Peace of Jiuzhen Commandery of the Great Sui (大隋九真 郡寶安道場之碑文) | 618 (Sui dynasty) | Đông Sơn District Thanh Hóa 19°48′27″N 105°46′35″E﻿ / ﻿19.80750°N 105.77639°E﻿ / 19.80750; 105.77639 | 1960 | Inscription in Chinese praises an Sui Chinese officer "Governor Li" (Lê in Vietnamese) in his struggle against Tang dynasty. It comprises 957 Chinese characters, 246 eroded. |
| Inscription on Thanh Mai Bell | 798 (Tang dynasty) | Thanh Mai village, Thanh Oai District Hanoi 20°51′13″N 105°46′06″E﻿ / ﻿20.853715°N 105.768395°E﻿ / 20.853715; 105.768395 | 1986 | Inscription in Chinese describes a local Sino-Vietnamese Buddhist association and its 243 members: 135 women and 108 men. It also shows the high status of local women of Annam in religious life. |

## Postclassic – Early Đại Việt period (900–1230)

| Inscription | Date | Place of discovery | Year of discovery | Description |
| Inscription on Nhật Tảo bell | 948 (Southern Han/Jinghai Principality) | Nhật Tảo village, Bắc Từ Liêm District Hanoi 21°3′15″N 105°40′56″E﻿ / ﻿21.05417°N 105.68222°E﻿ / 21.05417; 105.68222 | 1987 | Inscription in Chinese retells how artefacts were used for the cultic ritual of a local religious sect. Claudine Salmon suggested that there were certain cultural exchanges between the Ngo family who ruled the Red River Delta and the Southern Han state. |
| 16 pray columns inscribe Buddhist Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra | 973–979 | Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình Province 20°17′10″N 105°54′24″E﻿ / ﻿20.28611°N 105.90667°E﻿ / 20.28611; 105.90667 | 1965–1987 | The Sutra was transcribed phonetically direct into inscriptions in Chinese. Erected by Prince Đinh Liễn (?–979), he wanted to say a mass for bhadanta Đính Noa Tăng Noa Đinh Hạng Lang who he has killed for the Crown Prince position. These inscriptions marked Tantric influences on Vietnamese Buddhism. |
| Inscription of the Nhất Trụ temple | 995 | Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình Province 20°17′10″N 105°54′24″E﻿ / ﻿20.28611°N 105.90667°E﻿ / 20.28611; 105.90667 | | A 3-meter pray column in a octagonal cylinder shape with inscription in Chinese. Erected by king Lê Đại Hành, the inscription cites verses from the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. |
| Minh Tịnh tự bi văn 明凈寺碑文 | 1090 | Tế Độ village, Hoằng Phúc, Hoằng Hóa District, Thanh Hóa Province 19°51′00″N 105°51′00″E﻿ / ﻿19.850°N 105.850°E﻿ / 19.850; 105.850 | 2000 | Buddhist inscription in Chinese. |
| A Di đà Phật tụng 阿彌陀佛頌 | 1099 | Hoàng Ngô village, Quốc Oai District, Hanoi 20°59′30″N 105°38′33″E﻿ / ﻿20.991629°N 105.642635°E﻿ / 20.991629; 105.642635 | | Buddhist inscription in Chinese lies underneath a Bodhisattva statue in Hoàng Kim Pagoda, commemorating the new Amitābha statue of Tri Bat (1049–1117), a master of Dhyāna school in Vietnam. Tri Bat was much influenced by Tantric and Pure Land Buddhism. |
| An Hoạch sơn Báo Ân tự bi ký 安穫山報恩寺碑記 | c. 1100 | Báo Ân Temple, Mount Nhồi, Thanh Hóa, Thanh Hóa Province 19°48′27″N 105°46′35″E﻿ / ﻿19.80750°N 105.77639°E﻿ / 19.80750; 105.77639 | | Chinese inscription on a stele in Báo n temple dated around 1100, commemorating Lý Thường Kiệt as the Lord of Thanh Hóa. |
| Bảo Ninh Sùng Phúc tự bi 保寧崇福寺碑 | c. 1107 | Bảo Ninh Sùng Phúc Temple, Chiêm Hóa District, Tuyên Quang Province 22°15′00″N 105°10′01″E﻿ / ﻿22.250°N 105.167°E﻿ / 22.250; 105.167 | | Inscription in Chinese commemorating the contribution of the local Hà clan for the royal Lý family and to king Nhân Tông. |
| Sùng Nghiêm Diên Thánh tự bi minh 崇嚴延聖寺碑銘 | 1118 | Sùng Nghiêm Diên Thánh Temple, Thọ Hạc, Hậu Lộc District, Thanh Hóa Province 19°55′59″N 105°54′00″E﻿ / ﻿19.933°N 105.900°E﻿ / 19.933; 105.900 | | Inscription in Chinese noted statues of Gautama Buddha, Kaśyapa, and Metteyya. |
| Royal inscription Đại Việt quốc Lý gia đệ tử đế Sùng Thiện Diên Linh tháp 大越國 李家弟四帝崇善延靈塔碑 | 1121 | Đọi Temple, Duy Tiên, Hà Nam Province 20°37′01″N 105°57′00″E﻿ / ﻿20.617°N 105.950°E﻿ / 20.617; 105.950 | | Inscription in Chinese and Vietnamese (phonetic-phonetic Chu Nom) verses describe Lý Nhân Tông's expression about his construction of Đọi Temple after his mother Queen Y Lan's death in 1117. The authors of the inscription linked their location to the origins of Buddhism, declared "In India was manifested the divine." |
| Ngưỡng Sơn Linh Xứng tự bi minh 仰山靈稱寺碑銘 | 1126 | Hà Trung District, Thanh Hóa Province 20°01′59″N 105°49′59″E﻿ / ﻿20.033°N 105.833°E﻿ / 20.033; 105.833 | | Inscription in Chinese commemorating the construction of Ngưỡng Sơn Linh Xứng Temple by Lý Thường Kiệt. It also stated that there were prayers from Champa and Cambodia came to the temple. |
| Cổ Việt thôn Diên Phúc tự bi minh 古越村延福寺碑銘 | 1157 | Diên Phúc Temple, Tân Việt, Yên Mỹ District, Hưng Yên Province 20°52′03″N 106°01′16″E﻿ / ﻿20.8674°N 106.021°E﻿ / 20.8674; 106.021 | | Buddhist inscription in Chinese. |
| Cự Việt quốc Thái úy Lý công thạch bi tịnh tự 鉅越國太尉李公石碑銘序 | 1159 | Trưng Trắc, Văn Lâm District, Hưng Yên Province 20°35′N 106°01′E﻿ / ﻿20.59°N 106.02°E﻿ / 20.59; 106.02 | 1920 | Inscription in Chinese commemorating Đỗ Anh Vũ, a high official of the royal court. |
| Hoàng Việt Thái phó Lưu quân mộ chí 皇越太傅劉君墓誌 | 1161 | Hưng Hà District, Thái Bình Province | | Inscription in Chinese, now is lost |
| Đại Chu Ma sơn áng Đại Quang Thánh nham bi 大朱摩山盎大光聖岩碑 | 1166 | Am Tiên Cave, Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình Province 20°17′10″N 105°54′24″E﻿ / ﻿20.28611°N 105.90667°E﻿ / 20.28611; 105.90667 | | Buddhist inscription in Chinese. |
| Phụng Thánh phu nhân Lê thị chi mộ chí 奉聖夫人黎氏之墓誌 | 1174 | Diên Linh Phúc Thánh Temple, Hương Nộn, Tam Dương District, Vĩnh Phúc Province 21°22′59″N 105°32′28″E﻿ / ﻿21.38306°N 105.54111°E﻿ / 21.38306; 105.54111 | | Funeral inscription of Queen Lan Xuân, mother of king Lý Anh Tông in Chinese and contains some phonetic-phonetic Vietnamese characters. |
| Cự Việt An Thái tự bi 鉅越安泰寺碑 | Lý Anh Tông period (1138–1175) | Quỳnh Lưu District, Nghệ An Province 19°10′01″N 105°40′01″E﻿ / ﻿19.167°N 105.667°E﻿ / 19.167; 105.667 | | |
| Bảo Chưởng Thái bà mộ chí 寶掌太婆墓誌 | 1207 | Hòa Chúng, Nghi Sơn, Thanh Hóa Province 19°25′01″N 105°45′00″E﻿ / ﻿19.417°N 105.750°E﻿ / 19.417; 105.750 | | Funeral inscription in Chu Han. |
| Báo Ân thiền tự bi ký 報恩禪寺碑記 | 1210 | Báo Ân Temple, Mê Linh District, Hanoi 21°11′05″N 105°43′09″E﻿ / ﻿21.184598°N 105.719097°E﻿ / 21.184598; 105.719097 | | Sino–Vietnamese (Han–Nom) inscription, listed names of people, villages and hamlets in Vietnamese script (chu Nom). |
| Chúc Thánh Báo Ân tự bi 祝聖報恩寺碑 | c. 1185–1214 | Thanh Xá, Nghĩa Hiệp, Yên Mỹ District, Hưng Yên Province 20°52′03″N 106°01′16″E﻿ / ﻿20.8674°N 106.021°E﻿ / 20.8674; 106.021 | | Inscription in Chinese (Han) and Vietnamese (Semantic-Semantic Nom). |
| Inscription in Phong Phú Cave | 1222 | Ninh Giang, Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình Province 20°17′10″N 105°54′24″E﻿ / ﻿20.28611°N 105.90667°E﻿ / 20.28611; 105.90667 | | |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Nguyễn, Phạm Bằng (6 December 2013). "Thông tin thêm về bia đá cổ nhất Việt Nam". Retrieved 25 October 2018.
* ↑ Trần Thế (2 October 2019). "Tiết lộ thú vị về tấm bia đá cổ nhất Việt Nam". Retrieved 12 February 2021.
* 1 2 3 Ha 2018, p. 51.
* ↑ Kiernan 2019, p. 108.
* ↑ Kiernan 2019, p. 109–110.
* ↑ Salmon 2004, p. 202, 204, 208–210.
* ↑ Salmon 2007, p. 30.
* ↑ Ha 2018, p. 52–53.
* ↑ Kiernan 2019, p. 143–144.
* ↑ Nguyen 2008, p. 81–85.
* ↑ Nguyen 2008, p. 84–85.
* 1 2 Pham 2013, p. 44.
* ↑ Ha 2018, p. 53.
* ↑ Miksic 2016, p. 432.
* ↑ Whitmore 2015, p. 294–295.
* ↑ Whitmore 2015, p. 294.
* 1 2 3 Tran 2008.
* ↑ Whitmore 2015, p. 294, 296–297.
* ↑ Whitmore 2015, p. 296.
* 1 2 3 Pham 2013, p. 45.
* ↑ Taylor 2018, p. 59–60.
* 1 2 Pham 2013, p. 47.
* ↑ Kiernan 2019, p. 138.
* ↑ Pham 2013, p. 46.