Flying dragon. Phi long (coin) of Minh M?ng; second emperor of the Nguy?n Dynasty of Vietnam; minted 1833.

Minh M?ng (1791-1841) was the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam; reigning from 14 February 1820 until 20 January 1841. He was a younger son of Emperor Gia Long; whose eldest son; Crown Prince Canh; had died in 1801. He was well known for his opposition to French involvement in Vietnam and his rigid Confucian orthodoxy. As Gia Long aged; he took on a more isolationist foreign policy; and as a result favored Minh Mang especially for his outlook.

Minh Mang was a classicist who was regarded as one of Vietnam's most scholarly monarchs. He was known as a poet and was regarded as an emperor who cared sincerely about his country and paid great attention to its rule; to the extent of micromanaging certain policies. He pursued a sceptical policy to Christian missionaries; often trying to inhibit their activities by administrative means; and later by explicitly banning proselytisation.