Hua–Yi distinction - Wikiwand
Vietnam
After the 18th century, after the devastating Tay Son wars, The ruling
Nguyen dynasty consolidated its power by adopting a more radical Confucian worldview, With its territory expanded to its largest extend, the country came to clash with the Khmer and Lao kingdoms and various tribes on the Tay Nguyen highlands such as the Jarai and the Ma. In 1805, the Emperor
Gia Long referred to Vietnam as
trung quốc, the "middle kingdom".
[57] In 1811, Gia Long proposed a law "
Hán di hữu hạn", which means "making clear the border between the Vietnamese and barbarians", referring to the Vietnamese as
Han people.
[58] Cambodia was regularly called
Cao Man, the country of "upper barbarians". In fact, earlier dynasties also considered themselves "Hua", in the sense that their nation was civilized, and their kingdom as a polity was at the center of Earth and Heaven. Even with regard to
China Proper, Vietnamese dynasties claimed to be the Middle Kingdom while Chinese were "outsiders".
[59]