Đàng Trong — the southern Vietnamese polity governed by the Nguyễn lords as a state within a state, nominally subordinate to the Lê dynasty but functionally independent — issued zinc and tin cash coins as a practical response to chronic copper shortages throughout the eighteenth century. The reign of Nguyễn Phúc Trú (1725–1738) coincided with ongoing conflict with the Trịnh lords to the north, diverting resources that might otherwise have sustained a more stable coinage. Tin was abundant in the region; copper was not.
Đàng Trong — the southern Vietnamese polity governed by the Nguyễn lords as a state within a state, nominally subordinate to the Lê dynasty but functionally independent — issued zinc and tin cash coins as a practical response to chronic copper shortages throughout the eighteenth century. The reign of Nguyễn Phúc Trú (1725–1738) coincided with ongoing conflict with the Trịnh lords to the north, diverting resources that might otherwise have sustained a more stable coinage. Tin was abundant in the region; copper was not.