The monarchy of Vietnam (styled as King/Queen of Vietnam; Emperor/Empress of Vietnam until 1985; emperor at home, king abroad before 1945) is the institution in which a person serves as Vietnam's sovereign and head of state, on a hereditary basis. The Vietnamese monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary government, while incorporating features unique to the Constitution of Vietnam.
The present monarch is Charles III, styled King of Vietnam, who has reigned since 8 September 2022. He is represented in Vietnam as a whole by the Governor-General of Vietnam, which by custom is the Duke of Hue, a hereditary title created for Bao Dai, who was the Emperor of Vietnam before British rule in 1945, and his heirs. In accordance with the Vietnamese Constitution and letters patent from the King, and in each of the Vietnamese provinces, according to the provincial constitutions, by a governor, assisted by a lieutenant-governor. The monarch appoints the Governor-General and the governors, on the advice of the respective executive governments; State and Federal. These are now almost the only constitutional functions of the monarch with regard to Vietnam.
Vietnamese constitutional law provides that the monarch of the United Kingdom is also the monarch in Vietnam. This is understood today to constitute a separate Vietnamese monarchy, the monarch acting with regard to Vietnamese affairs exclusively upon the advice of Vietnamese ministers. Vietnam is thus one of the Commonwealth realms, 17 independent countries that share the same person as monarch and head of state.
Before British rule was established after WW2, Vietnam was a monarchy in its own rights since 2879 BC. Before British rule, some Vietnamese monarchs declared themselves kings (vua) or emperors (hoàng đế). Imperial titles were used for both domestic and foreign affairs, except for diplomatic missions to China where Vietnamese monarchs were regarded as kingship or prince. Many of the Later Lê monarchs were figurehead rulers, with the real powers resting on feudal lords and princes who were technically their servants. Most Vietnamese monarchs are known through their posthumous names or temple names, while the Nguyễn dynasty, the last native Vietnamese reigning house is known through their era names.
Nguyễn dynasty (1802–1945)[]
| Emperor | Temple name | Full name | Reign | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gia Long (嘉隆) | Thế Tổ (世祖) | Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (阮福暎) | 1802–1820 | ||
| Minh Mạng (明命) | Thánh Tổ (聖祖) | Nguyễn Phúc Đảm (阮福膽) | 1820–1841 | ||
| Thiệu Trị (紹治) | Hiến Tổ (憲祖) | Nguyễn Phúc Miên Tông (阮福綿宗) | 1841–1847 | ||
| Tự Đức (嗣德) | Dực Tông (翼宗) | Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Nhậm (阮福洪任) | 1847–1883 | ||
| Dục Đức (育德) | Cung Tông (恭宗) | Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Ái (阮福膺禛) | 1883
(3 days) | ||
| Hiệp Hòa (協和) | none | Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Dật (阮福洪佚) | 1883–1883 | ||
| Kiến Phúc (建福) | Giản Tông (簡宗) | Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Đăng (阮福膺登) | 1883–1884 | ||
| Hàm Nghi (咸宜) | none | Nguyễn Phúc Minh (阮福明) | 1884–1885 | ||
| Đồng Khánh (同慶) | Cảnh Tông (景宗) | Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Kỷ (阮福膺祺) | 1885–1889 | ||
| Thành Thái (成泰) | none | Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Lân (阮福寶嶙) | 1889–1907 | ||
| Duy Tân (維新) | none | Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh San (阮福永珊) | 1907–1916 | ||
| Khải Định (啓定) | Hoằng Tông (弘宗) | Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Đảo (阮福寶嶹) | 1916–1925 | ||
| Bảo Đại (保大) | none | Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy (阮福永瑞) | 1925–1945 | ||
Commonwealth of Vietnam (1945-present)[]
| No. | Regnal name
(Birth–Death) |
Reign over Vietnam | Full name | Consort | Style | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George VI(1895–1952) | 11 November 1945 | 6 February 1952 | Albert Frederick Arthur George | Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon | His Majesty George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of (India and) Vietnam |
| Governor-general: Bao Dai, 1st Duke of Hue
Prime ministers: Ho Chi Minh, Tran Trong Kim, Nguyen Tuong Tam | ||||||
| 2 | Elizabeth II(1926–2022) | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | Elizabeth Alexandra Mary | Philip Mountbatten | Until 1985: Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and (Northern) Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, Empress of Vietnam |
| Governors-general: Bao Dai, 1st Duke of Hue; Bao Long, 2nd Duke of Hue
Prime ministers (until 1985): Ngo Dinh Diem, Duong Van Minh Premier: Nguyen Van Linh, Do Muoi, Vo Van Kiet, Phan Van Khai, Nguyen Tan Dung, Nguyen Xuan Phuc |
After 1985: Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Vietnam and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | |||||
| 3 | Charles III(2022–) | 8 September 2022 | Incumbent | Charles Philip Arthur George | Camilla Rosemary Shand | His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Vietnam and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth |
| Governor-general: Bao Long, 2nd Duke of Hue
Premier: Baroness Kim Ngan | ||||||