Nguyen Phuc Khoat

Who was Nguyen Phuc Khoat?

Nguyễn Phúc Khoát was one of the Nguyễn lords who ruled over the southern portion of Vietnam from the 16th–18th centuries. Also known as Vo Vuong, he continued the southern expansion undertaken by his predecessor as lord, Nguyễn Phúc Tru. The Vietnamese-Cambodian border established by the end of his reign remains the border today.

In 1747, Vo Vuong sent a number of Vietnamese warriors to aid rebel princes of Cambodia against the newly crowned Cambodian King Ang Tong. These forces seized Sóc Trăng and then moved towards Oudong, then royal capital of Cambodia. Ang Tong requested aid from Mac Thien Thu, who secured a truce with the Nguyễn lord, in exchange for a few more provinces, namely Gò Công and Tân An. Ten years later, the Cambodian throne was seized by Outey II, with the help of Nguyễn and Mac. In return for their contributions, he granted them seven provinces, including Sóc Trăng, Trà Vinh, Kampot, and Kompong Som.

Nguyễn Phúc Khoát died in 1765, and was succeeded by his sixteenth son, Nguyễn Phúc Thuần.