Abstract

The Nguyen Dynasty was the last feudal dynasty in Vietnamese history. Since acquiring power, the Nguyen Dynasty had made efforts to modernize the economy and society in order to fulfill the demands of the moment and deal with the threat of Western capitalist invasion. In the field of education, the Nguyen Dynasty was aware of the stagnant and backward situation of feudal education, which was modeled after China's Confucian education. The royal court expressed its view and desire to train talented people for the country, urging mandarins to reform the school and examination systems. However, both the court and the mandarins lacked drive and did not devised any novel approaches to meeting practical requirements. As a result, Vietnamese education during the Nguyen Dynasty was still based on Chinese Confucian principles, with antiquated educational and examination structures and material. The Nguyen Dynasty's education system was unsuitable for the country's position at the time, perplexed by the arrival of Western capitalists, and unable to serve the interests of the feudal elite and the Vietnamese nation.