ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors look at how Vietnamese writing transitioned from one script to another with a focus on the contexts of these transitions. They show that, linguistic factors aside, the changes in writing were closely intertwined with the political history of Vietnam and the national identity of the Vietnamese. A modified script based on the Chinese writing system came into existence and began to be used to write the Vietnamese language. The writing of Vietnamese using modified Chinese characters was developed after Vietnam had become independent from China and was used for at least seven centuries, from the 13th to the beginning of the 20th century. Although promotion of the clu nom script was limited for most of its history, it received support from several Vietnamese emperors. One of them was Tran Nhan Tong, who used chu nom during his reign to explain his ordinances to the people.
