Jiaozhi Provincial Administration Commission (交趾等處承宣布政使司), commonly abbreviated as Jiaozhi (交趾), was a provincial-level administrative body established by the Ming dynasty in Vietnam during the Fourth Era of Northern Domination, following the conquest of the Hồ dynasty in 1407. The institution was tasked with implementing administrative policies, managing taxation, and overseeing governance in the occupied territory. The Ming administration applied a bureaucratic and legal system similar to that used in other interior Chinese provinces, dividing the region into 15 prefectures and 5 independent prefectures, covering most of the area north of the present-day Central–Annamite Range.
During this period, the Ming dynasty introduced various cultural and administrative policies aimed at integrating the region into its imperial system, which provoked widespread resentment among the local population and sparked numerous uprisings. Following the Lam Sơn uprising (1418–1427), led by Lê Lợi, Ming forces eventually withdrew. In 1428, with the establishment of the Lê dynasty, the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration was formally abolished, marking the end of direct Chinese administration in the region.
Background
From the Qin and Han dynasties through the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, successive Chinese dynasties established administrative institutions and exercised direct control over territories in what is now northern Vietnam. This period of Chinese rule, often referred to in Vietnamese historiography as the Eras of Northern Domination, came to an end in the 10th century. As the Tang dynasty weakened and was unable to maintain effective control over its southern frontier, local leaders in Vietnam gradually asserted autonomy. In 939, after defeating Southern Han forces at the Battle of Bạch Đằng, Ngô Quyền declared himself king, establishing an independent Vietnamese polity and formally ending nearly a millennium of Chinese rule.
By the late 14th century, the Trần dynasty of Đại Việt maintained a tributary relationship with the Ming dynasty, receiving investiture titles from the Ming emperor and acknowledging suzerainty in a nominal sense. However, internal instability marked the final years of the Trần court. In 1400, Hồ Quý Ly seized power and founded the short-lived Hồ dynasty, deposing the Trần monarch. This political upheaval provided the Yongle Emperor of Ming China with a pretext to intervene.
In 1407, the Ming launched a large-scale invasion of Đại Ngu. Although initially claiming to restore the Trần lineage, the Ming court soon received reports—based on false memorials submitted by military commanders—that all members of the Trần royal family had been executed by Hồ Quý Ly, and that no legitimate successor remained. Vietnamese local officials and elders in the Red River Delta were also presented with these claims. Subsequently, the Yongle Emperor declared that Annam (Đại Việt) was formerly part of the ancient Jiaozhou commandery and should be restored as a province under direct imperial administration.
Administration
Jiaozhi Province was structured in the same manner as the 13 existing provinces of the Ming Empire. It was divided into 15 prefectures (府) and 5 independent prefectures (直隸州):
- 15 prefectures: Jiaozhou (交州), Beijiang (北江), Liangjiang (諒江), Sanjiang (三江), Jianping (建平, Kiến Hưng in Hồ dynasty), Xin'an (新安, Tân Hưng in the Hồ dynasty), Jianchang (建昌), Fenghua (奉化, Thiên Trường in the Hồ dynasty), Qianghua (清化), Zhenman (鎮蠻), Liangshan (諒山), Xinping (新平), Yanzhou (演州), Yian'an (乂安), Shunhua (順化).
- 5 independent prefectures: Taiyuan (太原), Xuanhua (宣化, Tuyên Quang in the Hồ dynasty), Jiaxing (嘉興), Guihua (歸化), Guangwei (廣威)
Together with the 5 independent prefectures, there were other administrative divisions, which were under the normal prefectures. There were 47 divisions in total.
In 1408, the independent administrative divisions of Taiyuan and Xuanhua was promoted to a prefecture, which increased the number to 17. Afterwards, the Yanzhou prefecture was dismissed and its territory became an independent prefecture.