Ancient Chinese Coins in Vietnam (618-907 AD)
In July 2007, workers in central Vietnam found five jars filled with thousands of Chinese coins, dating back to China’s Tang Dynasty. The coins are extremely rare and highly valuable, since they were circulated primarily in Vietnam for trade during the peak of the Tang Dynasty.
Each of the coins has four Chinese characters on one side, with the opposing side left blank. Although there were a number of different kinds of coins minted during the Tang Dynasty, private casting of any coins was punishable by death, and the circulation of the various coin types was strictly monitored. Coinage alloy was highly regulated, and only certain towns were given the privilege of constructing their own minting forge.
In 718 AD, minting regulations were reaffirmed, as secret mints and forgeries began to pop up across the various townships. In 737 AD, the first official minister responsible for casting was appointed, and by the late 740s, the central government regulated that only skilled artisans could be employed to design new coinage, instead of the previously conscripted peasants.
In 808 and again in 817, a ban was applied to the hoarding of coinage, due to the sudden deterioration of value. No person, regardless of rank, was able to hold more than 5,000 strings of currency, and any balance that exceeded this amount had to be spent on the purchase of goods within two months – simply for the sake of getting more money back in circulation.
The Tang Dynasty, in general, was a period of progress and stability, so it is not unusual to see a series of coins minted specifically for trade in another location. It is likely that these were minted to ensure the value of the coinage was maintained while in another country, and it is hoped that further studies on these newfound coins will help determine exactly which part of the Tang Dynasty the coins were from – specifically before or after the ban on currency hoarding.
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