Early years

Born Nguyễn Phúc Đảm at Gia Định in the middle of the Second Tây Sơn – Nguyễn Civil War, Minh Mạng was the fourth son of lord Nguyễn Phúc Ánh – future Emperor Gia Long. His mother was Gia Long's second wife Trần Thị Đang (historically known as Empress Thuận Thiên). At the age of three, under the effect of a written agreement made by Gia Long with his first wife Tống Thị Lan (Empress Thừa Thiên), he was taken in and raised by the lord consort as her own son.

Following Thừa Thiên's death in 1814, it was supposed that her grandson, Crown Prince Cảnh's eldest son Mỹ Đường, would be responsible for conducting the funeral. Gia Long however, brought out the agreement to insist that Phúc Đảm, as Thừa Thiên's son, should be the one fulfilling the duty. Despite opposition from mandarins such as Nguyễn Văn Thành, Gia Long was decisive with his selection.

In 1816, Gia Long appointed Đảm as his heir apparent. After the ceremony, Crown Prince Đảm moved to Thanh Hòa Palace and started assisting his father in processing documents and discussing country issues.

Gia Long's death coincided with the re-establishment of the Paris Missionary Society's operations in Vietnam, which had closed in 1792 during the chaos of the power struggle between Gia Long and the Tây Sơn brothers before Vietnam was unified. In the early years of Minh Mạng's government, the most serious challenge came from one of his father's most trusted lieutenants and a national hero in Vietnam, Lê Văn Duyệt, who had led the Nguyễn forces to victory at Qui Nhơn in 1801 against the Tây Sơn dynasty and was made regent in the south by Gia Long with full freedom to rule and deal with foreign powers.

Policy towards missionaries

In February 1825, Minh Mạng banned missionaries from entering Vietnam. French vessels entering Vietnamese harbours were ordered to be searched with extra care. All entries were to be watched "lest some masters of the European religion enter furtively, mix with the people and spread darkness in the kingdom." In an imperial edict, Christianity was described as the "perverse European" (practice) and accused of "corrupting the hearts of men".

File:Martyrdom of Joseph Marchand.jpg|Martyrdom of Joseph Marchand in Vietnam in 1835.

File:Matyrdom of Saint Pierre Borie 1838 Vietnam.jpg|Martyrdom of Saint Pierre Borie, 24 November 1838, in Tonkin, Vietnam. Vietnamese painting.

File:Jean-Charles Cornay.jpg|Martyrdom of Jean-Charles Cornay, 1837.

File:Vietnam martyrs Paul Mi Pierre Duong Pierre Truat 18 December 1838.jpg|Vietnamese catholic martyrs Paul Mi, Pierre Duong, Pierre Truat, martyred on 18 December 1838

File:Arrest of three martyrs, Ninh Bình, trial.png|Painting depicts the trial and execution of three Catholics in Ninh Bình. the offenders were forced to step on the holy cross.

Between 1833 and 1838, seven missionaries were sentenced to death, amongst them Pierre Borie, Joseph Marchand, and Jean-Charles Cornay. He first attempted to stifle the spread of Christianity by attempting to isolate Catholic priests and missionaries from the populace. He asserted that he had no French interpreters after Chaigneau's departure and summoned the French clergy to Hue and appointed them as mandarins of high rank to woo them from their proselytising. This worked until a priest, Father Regereau, entered the country and began missionary work. Following the edict which forbade further entry of missionaries into Vietnam, arrests of clerics began. After strong lobbying by Duyệt, the governor of Cochin China, and a close confidant of Gia Long and Pigneau de Behaine, Minh Mạng agreed to release the priests on the condition that they congregate at Đà Nẵng and return to France. Some of them obeyed the orders, but others disobeyed the order upon being released, and returned to their parishes and resumed preaching.

Isolationist foreign policy

Minh Mạng continued and intensified his father's isolationist and conservative Confucian policies. His father had rebuffed a British delegation in 1804 proposing that Vietnam be opened to trade; the delegation's gifts were not accepted and turned away. At the time, Vietnam was of no interest to the European powers, since most of the continent was engaged in the Napoleonic Wars. Nevertheless, Napoleon had seen Vietnam as a strategically important objective in the Anglo-French power struggle in Asia, as he felt that it would make an ideal base from which to contest the East India Company's foothold in the Indian subcontinent. With the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy and the final exile of Napoleon in 1815, the military scene in Europe quieted and French interest in Vietnam was revived. Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau, one of the volunteers of Pigneau de Behaine who had helped Gia Long in his quest for power, had become a mandarin and continued to serve Minh Mạng, upon whose ascension, Chaigneau and his colleagues were treated more distantly. He eventually left in November 1824. In 1825, he was appointed as French consul to Vietnam after returning to his homeland to visit his family after more than a quarter of a century in Asia. Upon his return, Minh Mạng received him coldly. The policy of isolationism soon saw Vietnam fall further behind the pace of technology and become more vulnerable to outside encroachment as political stability returned to continental Europe, allowing European powers free hand to once again direct their attention towards increasing their influence in Asia. With his Confucian orthodoxy, Minh Mạng shunned all western influence and ideas as hostile and avoided all contact.

In 1819, Lieutenant John White of the United States Navy was the first American to make contact with Vietnam, arriving in Saigon. Minh Mạng was willing to sign a contract, but only to purchase artillery, firearms, uniforms and books. White was of the opinion that the deal was not sufficiently advantageous and nothing was implemented. In 1821, a trade agreement from Louis XVIII was turned away, with Minh Mạng indicating that no special deal would be offered to any country. That same year, East India Company agent John Crawfurd made another attempt at contact, but was only allowed to disembark in the northern ports of Tonkin; he gained no agreements, but concluded relations with France posed no threat to Company trade. In 1822, the French frigate La Cleopatre visited Tourane (present day Đà Nẵng). Her captain was to pay his respects to Minh Mạng, but was greeted with a symbolic dispatch of troops as though an invasion had been expected. In 1824 Minh Mạng rejected the offer of an alliance from Burma against Siam, a common enemy of both countries. In 1824 Henri Baron de Bougainville was sent by Louis XVIII to Vietnam with the stated mission "of peace and protection of commerce. Upon arriving in Tourane in 1825, it was not allowed ashore. The royal message was turned away on the pretext that there was nobody able to translate it. It was assumed that the snub was related to an attempt by Bougainville to smuggle ashore a Catholic missionary from the Missions étrangères de Paris. Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau's nephew, Eugène Chaigneau, was sent to Vietnam in 1826 as the intended consul but was forced to leave the country without taking up his position.

Further fruitless attempts to start a commercial deal were led by de Kergariou in 1827 and Admiral Laplace in 1831. Another effort by Chaigneau in 1829 also failed. In 1831 another French envoy was turned away. Vietnam under Minh Mạng was the first East Asian country with whom the United States sought foreign relations. President Andrew Jackson tried twice to contact Minh Mạng, sending Edmund Roberts in 1832, and Consul Joseph Balestier in 1836, to no avail. In 1837 and 1838, La bonite and L'Artémise were ordered to land in Tourane to attempt to gauge the situation in Vietnam with respect to missionary work. Both were met with hostility and communication was prevented. Later, in 1833 and 1834, a war with Siam was fought over control of Cambodia which for the preceding century had been reduced to impotence and had fallen under the control of its two neighbours.

After Vietnam under Gia Long gained control over Cambodia in the early 19th century, a Vietnamese-approved monarch was installed. Minh Mạng was forced to put down a Siamese attempt to regain control of the vassal as well as an invasion of southern Vietnam which coincided with rebellion by Lê Văn Khôi. The Siamese planned the invasion to coincide with the rebellion, putting enormous strain on the Nguyễn armies. Eventually, Minh Mạng's forces were able to repel the invasion as well as the revolt in Saigon, and he reacted to Western encroachment by blaming Christianity and showing hostility, leading to the European powers asserting that intervention was needed to protect their missionaries. This resulted in missed opportunities to avert the colonisation of Vietnam through having friendly relations, since strong opposition was raised in France against an invasion, due to the costs of such a venture. After the outbreak of the First Opium War in 1839, Minh Mạng attempted to build an alliance with European powers by sending a delegation of two lower rank mandarins and two interpreters in 1840. They were received in Paris by Prime Minister Marshal Soult and the Commerce Minister, but they were shunned by King Louis-Philippe. This came after the Society of Foreign Missions and the Holy See had urged a rebuke for an "enemy of the religion". The delegation went on to London, with no success.

Domestic program

On the domestic front, Minh Mạng continued his father's national policies of reorganising the administrative structure of the government. These included the construction of highways, a postal service, public storehouses for food, monetary and agrarian reforms. He continued to redistribute land periodically and forbade all other sales of land to prevent wealthy citizens from reacquiring excessive amounts of land with their money. In 1840 it was decreed that rich landowners had to return a third of their holdings to the community. Calls for basic industrialisation and diversification of the economy into fields such as mining and forestry were ignored. He further centralised the administration, introduced the definition of three levels of performance in the triennial examinations for recruiting mandarins. In 1839, Minh Mạng introduced a program of salaries and pensions for princes and mandarins to replace the traditional assignment of fief estates.

File:Thân Văn Nhiếp (1804 - 1872).jpg|Thân Văn Nhiếp, Sinologist and Law prosecutor in the Ming Mạng's reign

File:Deputy Governor of Kamboja in his dress of ceremony by John Crawfurd book Published by H Colburn London 1828.jpg|Trương Tấn Bửu the Viceroy of Hanoi in 1802 and vieroy of Gia Định in 1823 under Gia Long and Minh Mạng's reigns respectively

Conquests and ethnic minority policy

Minh Mạng enacted the final conquest of the Champa Kingdom after the centuries long Cham–Vietnamese wars. The Cham Muslim leader Katip Suma was educated in Kelantan and came back to Champa to declare a Jihad against the Vietnamese after Emperor Minh Mạng's annexation of Champa. The Vietnamese coercively fed lizard and pig meat to Cham Muslims and cow meat to Cham Hindus against their will to punish them and assimilate them to Vietnamese culture.

Rebellions

Minh Mạng was regarded as being in touch with the concerns of the populace. Frequent local rebellions reminded him of their plight. Descendants of the old Lê dynasty fomented dissent in the north, appealing not only to the peasantry but to the Catholic minority. They attempted to enlist foreign help by promising to open up to missionaries. Local leaders in the south were upset with the loss of the relative political autonomy they enjoyed under Duyệt. With Duyệt's death in 1832, a strong defender of Christianity passed. Catholics had traditionally been inclined to side with rebel movements against the monarchy more than most Vietnamese and this erupted after Duyệt's death. Minh Mạng ordered Duyệt posthumously indicted and one hundred lashes were applied to his grave. This caused indignation against southerners who respected Duyệt. In July 1833, a revolt broke out under the leadership of his adopted son, Lê Văn Khôi. Historical opinion is divided with scholars contesting whether the grave desecration or the loss of southern autonomy after Duyệt's death was the main catalyst. Khôi's rebels brought Cochinchina under their control and proposed to replace Minh Mạng with a son of Prince Cảnh. Khôi took into hostage French missionary Joseph Marchand within the citadel, thinking that his presence would win over Catholic support. Khôi enlisted Siamese support, which was forthcoming and helped put Minh Mạng on the defense for a period.

Eventually, however, the Siamese were defeated and the south was recaptured by royalist forces, who besieged Saigon. Khôi died during the siege in December 1834 and Saigon fell nine months later in September 1835 and the rebel commanders put to death. In all the estimates of the captured rebels was put between 500 and 2000, who were executed. The missionaries were rounded up and ordered out of the country. The first French missionary executed was Gagelin in October 1833, the second was Marchand, who was put to death along with the other leaders of the Saigon citadel which surrendered in September 1835. From then until 1838 five more missionaries were put to death. The missionaries began seeking protection from their home countries and the use of force against Asians.

Minh Mạng pursued a policy of cultural assimilation of non-Viet ethnic groups which from 1841, through 1845, led to southern Vietnam experiencing a series of ethnic revolts.

Ruling style

Coin bearing the flying dragon (phi long) issued by Minh Mạng, 1833

Minh Mạng was known for his firmness of character, which guided his instincts in his policy making. This accentuated his unwillingness to break with orthodoxy in dealing with Vietnam's problems. His biographer, Marcel Gaultier, asserted that Minh Mạng had expressed his opinions about national policy before Gia Long's death, proposing a policy of greater isolationism and shunning westerners, and that Long tacitly approved of this. Minh Mạng was regarded as more nuanced and gentle than his father, with less forced labour and an increased perceptiveness towards the sentiment of the peasantry. His strict belief in Confucian society enabled him to neutralize rebellions incited by Christian missionaries and their Vietnamese converts. This affirmation of Vietnam's cultural and religious sovereignty angered France, which had territorial designs on Vietnam. France then furthered its policy of undermining Vietnam and, in 1858, after Minh Mạng's death, French troops would briefly occupy Tourane, demanding that the so-called "persecutions" stop. This was the beginning of the French campaign to occupy and colonize Vietnam.

Although he disagreed with European culture and thinking, he studied it closely and was known for his scholarly nature. Ming Mạng was keen in Western technologies, namely mechanics, weaponry and navigation which he attempted to introduce into Vietnam. Upon hearing of the vaccination against smallpox, he organised for a French surgeon to live in a palatial residence and vaccinate the royal family against the disease. He was learned in Eastern philosophy and was regarded as an intellectually oriented monarch. He was also known for his writings as a poet. He was known for his attention to detail and micromanagement of state affairs, to a level that "astonished his contemporaries". As a result, he was held in high-regard for his devotion to running the country. When Minh Mạng died, he left the throne to his son, Emperor Thiệu Trị, who was more rigidly Confucianist and anti-imperialist than his father. During Thiệu Trị's reign, diplomatic standoffs precipitated by aspiring European imperial powers on the pretext of the "treatment" of Catholic priests gave them an excuse to use gunboat diplomacy on Vietnam, and led to increasing raids and the eventual colonisation of Vietnam by France. Nevertheless, during his reign Minh Mạng had established a more efficient government, stopped a Siamese invasion and built many national monuments in the imperial city of Huế.

Successions

Minh Mạng had a large number of wives and concubines. He is reported to have fathered 142 children from 43 wives. His sons included: Miên Tông (Emperor Thiệu Trị), Miên Định (Prince of Thọ Xuân), Miên Thẩm (Prince of Tùng Thiện), Miên Trinh (Prince of Tuy Lý), Miên Bửu (Prince of Tương An), Miên Lâm (Prince of Hoài Đức), Miên Triện (Prince of Hoằng Hóa), Miên Lịch (Yên Thành). Three of his daughters, Nguyệt Đình, Mai Am and Huệ Phố, were famous poets.

Minh Mạng's sons also had a remarkable number of offspring: Prince of Thọ Xuân fathered 144 children, including 78 sons and 66 daughters, Prince of Tuy Lý, another son, had 77 sons and 37 daughters. He is succeeded by Emperor Thiệu Trị, who himself fathered 29 princes and 35 princesses.

He decided to name his descendants (Nguyễn Phước or Nguyễn Phúc: all members of the Nguyễn dynasty) by choosing the Generation name following the words of the Imperial succession poem to avoid confusion. For boys, the following poem is shown in Chữ Quốc Ngữ (modern Vietnamese script) and in chữ nôm:

:Đế Hệ Thi

:Miên Hường Ưng Bửu Vĩnh

:Bảo Quý Định Long Trường

:Hiền Năng Kham Kế Thuật

:Thế Thoại Quốc Gia Xương.

:帝系詩

:綿洪膺寶永

:保貴定隆長

:賢能堪繼述

:世瑞國嘉昌

Note: Hường replaced Hồng and Thoại replaced Thụy because it was taboo to use the names of passed emperors or fathers.''

The meaning of each name is roughly given as follows:

Girls receive also a different name on each generation, for example: Công-chúa, Công-nữ, Công Tôn-nữ, Công-tằng Tôn-nữ, Công-huyền Tôn-nữ, Lai-huyền Tôn-nữ, or shorten to Tôn-nữ for all generations afterward.

早年生涯

阮福晈是嘉隆帝阮福映的第四子，為左宮嬪二妃陳氏璫所生。當時舊阮政權還偏安於嘉定（今胡志明市一帶），並與北方的西山朝多次發生戰爭。陳氏璫與其他妃子一樣也隨之奔波，在嘉定府（今胡志明市）活祿村生下了阮福晈。

阮福晈三歲之時，阮福映命元妃宋氏蘭（即後來的承天高皇后）將其收為養子撫養。宋氏蘭要求阮福映做出擔保，阮福映命黎文悅寫下契券作為證明，交給宮婢阮氏犁保管。

景興六十二年（1801年），東宮太子阮福景病死於嘉定。根據慣例，阮福景的兒子阮福美堂應當被立為新的皇位繼承人。但由於阮福景一系有親西方和基督教傾向，阮福映遲遲不立繼承人。嘉隆十三年（1814年），承天高皇后宋氏蘭逝世。由於皇后所生的兒子阮福景英年早逝，阮福映命令阮福晈以養子身份為皇后主持祭祀，這暗示了阮福晈極有可能繼承皇位。阮朝的重臣黎文悅、黎質等極力反對，聲稱阮福晈是庶子，沒有資格為皇后戴孝，而應該讓嫡長孫阮福美堂（阮福旦）主持祭祀。阮福映便把保存的契券拿了出來，以此證明阮福晈是皇后的養子，認定他為「皇四子」，有資格主持皇后的祭祀。阮文誠又認為阮福晈的生母在世，祝文祭詞中的稱謂使用母字不大合適。但阮福映卻聲稱：「子奉父命，以祭其母，名正言順，有何不可！」堅持讓阮福晈以兒子身份祭祀皇后。翌年（1815年），阮福晈被正式冊立為皇太子。

治理國家

1820年2月3日（嘉隆己卯年臘月十九），嘉隆帝駕崩。臨終前，嘉隆帝指定讓黎文悅、范登興擔任輔政大臣。2月14日（正月初一），30歲的皇太子阮福晈正式舉行登基大典，改年號為「明命」，次年（1821年）尊生母陳氏璫為皇太后。

明命帝是一位恬靜好學的君主。未即位之時，明命帝就與黎光定、阮文誠等推崇儒學的大臣來往密切。繼位之後，他對儒學推崇備至，常常秉燭夜閱奏章。明命帝勤于政事，在位期間進行了多項改革。不過為人多疑而且剛愎自用，事必躬親，要他親自朱批才能成行。明命帝在任期間常常訓誡臣子：「人心思治，不欲滋事生變。然年富力強之時未有建樹，而至年邁力衰之時尚能有何作為！故朕不敢有一時之懈怠。」

明命帝繼位之後，立即進行官制、行政區劃、幣制、教育制度等一系列改革，意圖建立中央集權的「文官政府」。在後黎朝末年，儒家政治的「士農工商」秩序徹底被打亂，出現了「米罄逃荒，壹農貳士」的現象。這個現象在西山朝時代更甚。明命帝致力於恢復這種秩序。

整頓內政

1820年，剛剛繼位的明命帝廢除了嘉隆年間的侍書院，改為文書房。1829年，明命帝參照清朝的職官制度，重新制定官員品階，設立九品十八級職官制度。自一品至九品，每品分為正、從兩級。又改文書房為內閣，任命各部、院的三四品官入閣，管理國家事務。

1830年和1831年，明命帝先後下令廢除了北城、嘉定城兩個總鎮之職，並參照清朝的行政區劃制度，將全國的27個鎮改為30個省1個府（京城承天府），各省以下依次設立府、縣、州、總、社這些行政單位。在嘉隆帝時代，鎮的官員多由武官擔任，可以管理鎮中的軍民事務，因此各地的鎮守、留鎮有實力抗拒朝廷的命令。明命帝改鎮為省之後，設置巡撫、布政使、按察使、領兵等職，由朝廷派遣上任。巡撫負責管理省內政治、教育，布政使負責管理賦稅、丁田、丁壯並傳達朝廷命令，按察使負責管理刑律、驛站，領兵負責管理軍隊。此外，又派遣朝廷大員前往重要的省份擔任總督之職，其地位居於巡撫之上，負責考察官吏、維護疆界。對於少數民族聚居地，明命帝施行改土歸流的政策，任命當地酋長為知州，並派遣流官監督內政。

1834年，明命帝參照宋朝的樞密院和清朝的軍機處，設置機密院。機密院之職由四名四品以上的大臣擔任，奉特旨佩戴金牌。其屬下官僚有員外郎、主事、司務、編修，由各部、各院選出充補。

1836年，鑒於北城各地貧富差距懸殊、官僚仗勢欺人、百姓好賭博和鋪張浪費，明命帝接受裴茂先的建議，訓導百姓，並嚴厲打擊違法亂紀的官員豪強。他頒佈了《十條聖訓》以訓導百姓。另一方面，又在北城各地設立養濟所（相當於福利院），將鰥寡孤獨殘障人士接至養濟所居住，由朝廷供養其生活。

1839年，明命帝制定各品級官員的年俸、春服錢標準。自一品至三品，每年兩次領俸；四品至七品於四季之末領俸一次；八九品以下每月領俸一次。為了防止官員貪污，明命帝又從清朝引入了養廉銀制度。

設置宗室管理體系

明命二年（1821年），明命帝令禮部詳查皇室祖先世系，將澄國公阮文溜以前的世系編成「前紀」，為編纂《列聖玉譜》做準備。

明命四年（1823年），明命帝制定日字部二十字，要求後世的君主按此順序為自己取名，而將二字名改為小字：

如紹治帝名阮福暶，嗣德帝名阮福時，協和帝名阮福昇……依此類推。避諱時，既要避皇帝的名，又要避皇帝的小字。

同時，明命帝下令為自己的後裔編寫「帝系詩」（），要求直系後代的命名採用以下排行：

而對每一個輩分名字命名的要求也很嚴格，要求按照如下的偏旁部首取名：

例如，明命帝的兒子紹治帝叫阮福綿宗，名中有「⼧」部；孫子嗣德帝叫阮福洪任，名字裡有「人」部，以此類推。

而對於嘉隆帝其他兒子的後裔，明命帝下令為他們制定「藩系詩」（）以規定輩字。

同年，明命帝下令設立宗人府，設置官員以管理皇族內諸事。不過阮朝遠支旁系宗親眾多，於是在鄭懷德、黎質等人的建議下，明命帝下令將從阮淦至阮福淳之間九代遠支宗室的名字刪去姓氏，冠以「宗室」二字，標榜其地位。之後的紹治年間，宗人府改名「尊人府」，宗室則改名「尊室」。但在部分史料中，依然將遠支尊室稱為阮福氏。例如，尊室說被稱作「阮福說」。尊室永𤕶被稱作「公曾孫尊室阮福永」。明命二十年（1839年），依皇長子長慶公阮福綿宗建議，明命帝將《皇朝宗譜》分為前編和正編兩個部分，前編記載廣南國時期阮主後裔，正編記載阮朝皇帝後裔。

經濟制度

在經濟賦稅上，明命帝與其父定下的制度並無太大差別。只不過之前嘉隆帝給予嘉定城「裁決訴訟、自行任免官員」的權力被明命帝收回。1836年，明命帝派遣官員來到嘉定城，丈量土地並徵收丁稅、田稅、關稅，共統計當時全國有丁970516，田土4063892畝。

明命帝在位期間，鑄有「明命通寶」小平銅錢，並開始鑄造美號大錢。美號大錢銅質，正面錢文「明命通寶」，背面選儒家經典四書五經中的文字為銘文，有四字和八字者，十分稀有。

另一方面，明命帝及其父嘉隆帝均大力推廣越南獨有的鋅錢（也稱白鉛錢），份量沉重，價值甚低，根據當時越南官方匯率，三吊白鉛錢只能換得一吊銅錢，可謂劣幣中的劣幣，因此明命帝宣稱：「鉛錢之用，富戶既不敢私藏，而鄰國來商者又不敢帶回。此錢流通非但利于民，亦利于國，乃自然只利也」。白鉛錢的鑄造可說是深受中國五代南楚高鬱關于鉛鐵錢貨幣政策的啟發。

科舉改革

明命帝在位期間，也對越南的科榜制度進行了改革。嘉隆帝在位期間，越南僅有鄉試而已。明命帝繼位之後，全面恢復了科榜考試。1822年，明命帝下令開會試、庭試以選拔進士，改原先六年一次的科試為三年一次。1829年，又命中格但不及分者可中副榜。

不過，明命帝也發現傳統的科舉制度的眾多弊病。明命帝認為科舉制度人為地製造了學術研究的條條框框，且使士人迂腐而功利，對國家的發展非常不利。但科舉制度已經根深蒂固，且明命帝又一時無法找到解決的方法，只能逐步進行改革。

崇尚儒學

明命帝恬靜好學，博覽群書，擅長漢文詩，精通儒學，崇尚孔孟之道。他本人撰有詩集《御製剿平南圻賊寇詩集》、《御製詩集》兩本。明命帝的兒子從善王、綏理王、襄安郡王（並稱「阮朝三堂」），女兒月亭、梅庵、蕙圃（並稱「阮朝三卿」），也都善於寫詩。

明命帝致力於推廣儒學，在位期間，文廟遍布越南各大城鎮，每逢春天、秋天舉行都會為孔子舉行隆重的祭典。他又設立國史館以編纂國史，並下令獎勵著書立說者。明命年間，越南湧現出潘清簡、黎光定、鄭懷德、潘輝注、龔文曦、黃公才、阮廷正、武文鑣等儒學大家。《嘉定城通志》、《歷朝憲章類誌》等書都是明命年間編寫的。在明命帝的大力推廣下，越南的儒學氛團繼16世紀後黎朝儒學的黃金時代後，再一次興盛起來。

明命帝非常重視儒學教育，他規定越南七八歲兒童就讀蒙學時，塾師首先要教授忠、孝兩經，以及朱熹的《小學集注》；先讀四書，然後再讀五經。1835年，明命帝還詔諭將四書五經和朱熹的《小學集注》等書大量印行，同時允許民間印刷銷售，使這些書籍能廣泛流行於越南境內。

1839年，明命帝曾以屬國越南國王的身份，奏請中國清朝的道光皇帝向越南頒發《康熙字典》，以便越南人可以學習漢語，並規定學校教學、政府文書、科舉考試一律要採用漢字，不准使用或混用喃字。

不過，明命帝在宣揚漢文文學的同時，也對喃字文學進行打壓。這些喃字文學作品多揭露了當時社會的陰暗面，因此被知識分子認為是難登大雅之堂之作。雖然阮朝的士大夫中流傳著「男不看《潘陳》，女不看《翠雲翠翹》」（Đàn ông chớ kể Phan Trần, Đàn bà chớ kể Thúy Vân Thúy Kiều）之語，但這些喃字文學作品依然受到百姓的喜愛。

軍事制度

明命帝時代的兵種分為步兵、水兵、象兵、騎兵、炮兵五種。

步兵分為京兵和奇兵。京兵為防守京城的兵。編制上分為營、衛、隊三級。每營五衛，每衛十隊，每隊五十人。每衛擁有兩口神功大炮、兩百支鳥槍、二十一面旗。京兵有時候也會外派到各省。奇兵則是各省的軍隊，分為奇、隊兩級。

象兵的編制為隊，每隊有四十頭戰象。又規定當軍隊開往某地時，皇帝需派遣幾名醫生隨行，以備診治。

水兵共十五衛，分為三個營。明命帝非常重視海面的防禦，因此水軍經常演習，而在諸海口島嶼設立炮台。

雖然明命帝認為「治國必有武備」而十分重視軍事，但朝廷重文輕武，各地官員對於軍事演習往往敷衍了事。當時的軍隊中已經出現了兵冊中人數眾多、事實兵員不足的現象；且軍事器械比較陳舊落後、士兵訓練不足。明命帝雖知曉此情，但卻無法遏止，這顯現出阮朝軍隊逐漸衰敗的跡象。

內外戰事

阮朝於1802年征服北城，但北城一帶仍有不少後黎朝的支持者。再加上官僚的貪污腐敗，導致了百姓的不滿。1822年，北城一帶爆發農民起義，官軍不能制。明命年間，北城地區先後爆發了大大小小的254次農民起義。其中規模較大的有潘伯鑅、黎維良、農文雲的起義。而在南方的嘉定城，黎文舉兵叛亂，暹羅軍隊和法國傳教士也介入這場叛亂。這些農民起義給予了朝廷沉重打擊，政權幾乎陷入癱瘓。後經明命帝勵精圖治方才安定，但已大不如前。

對外方面，明命帝出兵侵略寮國、柬埔寨，將它們變成越南的領土。

潘伯鑅之亂

1826年，潘伯鑅、武德葛、阮幸起兵於南定，攻破茶里、麟海二守，殺死守御鄧廷勉、阮忠演以及南定鎮守黎茂菊。明命帝派兵圍剿，殺死武德葛。但不久潘伯鑅、阮幸又聯合流亡到越南的中國山賊，騷擾北城沿岸一帶，攻破海陽的先明、宜陽二縣。明命帝派清化參辦阮公著、乂安參辦阮德潤率軍前往北城，會同北城協鎮阮有慎一起圍剿。翌年，在天長府、建昌府一帶擒獲潘伯鑅等，全部處死。

對寮國部落的征服

1826年，萬象王國國王昭阿努（阿弩）起兵反抗暹羅的統治，寮國各地的酋長也紛紛舉兵響應。昭阿努率軍攻打暹羅的那空叻差是瑪府（呵叻府）、沙拉武里府，但被暹羅擊敗。翌年，暹羅國王拉瑪三世派遣博丁德差攻破萬象，將這座城市洗劫一空。昭阿努只得向越南求援。明命帝同意了這個請求，派遣潘文璻經略邊務大臣前去救援。又派黎德祿、阮公近率兵三千，從乂安出發，經川壙（鎮寧府）前去，迎接昭阿努到乂安。途中，黎德祿、阮公近派人繪製地圖，送往順化。

1828年，昭阿努聲稱實力已經恢復，希望收復萬象之地。明命帝便派潘文璻為經略大臣、阮文春為副大臣、阮科豪為參贊，率兵三千，經川壙（鎮寧）攻打萬象。但事實上這三千士兵持觀望態度，坐視昭阿努成敗。昭阿努再次被暹羅擊敗，向阮朝朝廷請求支援。明命帝拒絕了他的要求，派兵防守邊境。昭阿努被川壙王昭內擒獲，獻給暹羅。

隨後，暹羅又進攻寮國各部落，寮國各部落不滿，向阮朝求救。明命帝派範文典經理甘露諸事，黎登瀛為參贊軍務，支持寮國各部落同暹羅對抗。範文典一面作書給暹羅統帥博丁得差斥責他，一面分兵三路進軍寮國。博丁得差見越南軍隊強大，作書表示沒有與越南作對的意思，並撤兵歸國。川壙王昭內便要求內附阮朝，明命帝封其為鎮寧防禦使，讓昭內帶著人丁冊及田畝冊上呈阮朝。以其地置鎮寧府（今寮國川壙省），下轄七縣。寮國各部落為求自保，紛紛內附阮朝。明命帝又以同樣手法，在這些地區設置羈縻州府，封部落酋長為土官，將邊境向西擴展，一直推進到湄公河岸邊。

明命年間，侵佔了寮國三分之二的領土，在寮國設置有七個府，分別是鎮靖府（今萬象）、鎮蠻府、鎮邊府（皆在今華潘省）、鎮定府（今甘蒙省）、樂邊府（今沙灣拿吉省）、鎮寧府（今川壙省）。其中鎮邊、鎮定兩府隸屬乂安，鎮蠻府隸屬清化。又設置甘露九州，劃歸廣治管轄。明命帝派兵駐守鎮寧等地，把乂安的罪犯流放到這裡進行開墾。

1829年，明命帝以昭內不朝貢為由，派謝光巨領兵前往鎮寧，擒獲昭內，送往順化處死。謝光巨隨即接管了鎮寧府事務，推薦土官昭況、欽撅擔任自己的副手。1830年，謝光巨被召回，但阮朝仍駐軍鎮寧。1832年，昭況被封為鎮寧防禦使，賜名嶠貺；欽撅被封為鎮寧防禦同知，賜名欽闕。暹羅派人招誘二人。1834年，二人率部投降暹羅。在此後暹羅與越南爆發的戰爭中，川壙是雙方長期爭奪的對象。但直到1850年代的時候暹羅才徹底控制川壙。

黎維良之亂

1833年，又有後黎朝子孫黎維良在寧平起兵，自稱大黎皇孫。土司郭必功、郭必濟、丁世德、丁功鄭等舉兵響應，攻陷樂土、奉化、安化三州縣，圍攻興化城。安靜總督謝光巨、清化總督阮文仲奉命圍剿，擒殺黎維良，郭必功等土司聯軍亦潰散。經過這次叛亂之後，明命帝下令將北城的後黎朝子孫流放到廣南、廣義、平定一帶，由朝廷發放錢財和土地供其謀生。

黎文𠐤之亂

1831年黎文悅逝世後，明命帝施行廢鎮建省的改革，廢除了總鎮之職，以總督、巡撫、布政使、按察使、領兵分其權。朝廷派往藩安省的布政使白春元知道明命帝久對黎文悅不滿，便搜羅黎文悅的不法證據，大肆治其舊部之罪。黎文悅在任期間，曾遷大量罪犯至嘉定鎮墾荒，白春元的舉動引起他們的極大不滿。1833年，黎文悅的養子黎文發動叛亂，逮捕了白春元並將他點天燈處決，又殺死其全家。藩安總督阮文桂領兵平叛，戰敗被殺。黎文自稱大元帥，在藩安城設立百官，並派蔡公朝攻陷了嘉定城六省。巴黎外方傳教會教士若瑟·瑪爾香（Joseph Marchand）號召天主教徒起兵響應，並聲稱要將阮福景的兒子阮福美堂擁上皇位，謀求令越南成為天主教國家。華僑麥進階、劉信也舉兵響應。這是明命年間最大規模的叛亂。

明命帝聞變，派遣宋福樑為討逆左將軍、阮春為參贊，潘文璻為討逆右將軍、張明講為參贊，會同平寇將軍陳文能一起，率水步之軍前去鎮壓。蔡公朝的叛變使黎文被迫據守藩安城對抗官軍。黎文派人向暹羅求救，暹羅國王拉瑪三世派水陸軍隊分兵五路攻打越南。一路以水軍戰船100艘攻打河僊；一路經柬埔寨攻打朱篤、安江；一路進攻甘露；一路進攻甘吉、甘門；一路進攻鎮寧。其中前兩路的軍隊兵力較多。

明命帝派張明講、阮春前往安江，黎文瑞守甘露，範文典守乂安，又派阮文春進兵鎮寧。張明講在柬埔寨擊敗暹羅軍，安江巡撫黎大綱駐守南榮城（今柬埔寨金邊），挾持柬埔寨國王安贊二世（匿螉禛）對抗暹羅。張明講、阮春自南榮城進兵，擊敗暹羅軍隊，奪取了菩薩城。1834年，阮朝基本成功抵抗了暹羅的入侵。翌年黎文逝世，子黎文鴝嗣位。不久藩安城被攻陷，起義便失敗。1831名起義者被阮朝軍隊處決，並將屍首集中掩埋，稱為「偽墓」。主犯黎文鴝、麥進階、劉信、若瑟·瑪爾香等六人被押往順化，於當年十一月以大逆罪被凌遲處決。

柴嵮羅奔王之亂

在黎文𠐤之亂爆發的同時，原順城鎮境內也爆發了占族的叛亂，要求恢復自治。

順城鎮是占族的自治領地，由阮朝冊封的占族領袖世代統治。1832年，在黎文悅逝世後，阮朝決定對順城鎮進行「改土歸流」。明命帝以順城鎮正鎮守阮文承主動請求歸附為名，撤銷順城鎮建制，改為平順鎮，以其地設寧順府綏定、綏豐二縣。自此占婆作為一個國家正式滅亡。然而，阮朝任命的越族「流官」不尊重占族人的風俗習慣，強制推行越南化政策，引起占族人的普遍不滿。1832年，占族的伊瑪目自吉蘭丹歸來，號召穆斯林對越族人發起聖戰，但很快被鎮壓。

1834年，就在阮朝官軍圍剿黎文𠐤之亂的同時，另一場由柴嵮、羅奔王領導的起義爆發。這場叛亂就是柴嵮羅奔王之亂，阮朝稱其為「乙未順匪」。西原的拉格萊族、格賀族、斯丁族都舉兵響應。富安、慶和、平順三省西部的山區被叛軍佔領。平順提督裴公諠、贊襄黎德漸領兵鎮壓，對反叛的占族和高地民族進行屠殺。1835年，柴嵮、羅奔王被殺，叛亂被鎮壓。不久，明命帝以「暗通藩安賊」為藉口，將占婆領袖阮文承、阮文元誅殺，並強制占族人搬遷到沿海與越族人混居。

農文雲之亂

黎文之亂爆發後，阮朝朝廷搜捕叛亂者的親屬。這些嘉定城的叛軍中有不少是來自北城的罪犯，他們留在北城的親屬們多被追捕。這些親屬中也包括了黎文的內兄農文雲。農文雲是岱依族人，擔任保樂州（今屬高平省）知州。1833年，當得知黎文在嘉定城發動叛亂之後，農文雲便在保樂州舉兵反抗，攻破高平省城，自稱節制上將軍，鑄元隆通寶。農文雲發兵攻打北城各省，七泉州知州阮克和舉兵響應。明命帝派山興宣總督黎文德為三宣總督軍務，派海安署理總督阮公著為參贊，會同寧太總督阮廷普前去鎮壓。由於農文雲圍攻諒山甚急，又派安靜總督謝光巨為總統大臣，前去高平平叛。

農文雲聯合芒人、僈人，依靠崇山密林的地勢，對前來清剿的官軍展開遊擊戰。官軍損失慘重。謝光巨解除了諒山之圍並收復了高平。黎文德、阮公著攻破保樂州，農文雲剃髮易服，逃往中國境內避難，留女婿雲光總和堂弟農文仕、農文碩抵抗官軍。官軍見農文雲逃往中國後便班師回朝。農文雲又回到保樂州，勢力再次強大。

1834年，黎文德、範文典從山西進兵宣光，謝光巨、阮進林、胡佑自高平出發，阮廷普、阮公著自太原出發，三路大軍圍攻保樂州。阮朝方面照會清朝，要求防備農文雲再次逃往中國。中國遣返了逃往貴州境內的農文仕、農文碩等五人，農文雲被迫逃到宣光，匿於叢林之中。範文典包圍叢林放火燒山，將農文雲燒死。農文雲之亂遂被平定。

禁止天主教傳播

1825年，法國傳教士羅熱洛（Rogerot）乘坐泰蒂斯號（Thétis）來到沱㶞港（今峴港），在各地傳教。這引起了明命帝的高度關注。不久，明命帝下達禁教令，聲稱：「西方之道為左道，迷惑人心，敗壞風俗，故應嚴禁之，以使吾民信奉正道。」又命令各地官員嚴格盤查入境的外國船隻。嘉定總鎮黎文悅上書明命帝，希望放寬對基督教的政策；明命帝便將全國各地的傳教士召到順化，將他們禁錮在順化皇城裡，讓他們翻譯法國書籍，以防止他們外出傳教。同年，又下令全國天主教徒必須放棄信仰，並獎勵捕獲傳教士的人。

由於在1833年的黎文之亂中，越南的天主教徒公然參與叛亂，並且還聲稱擁立故太子阮福景的兒子阮福美堂為越南國主，使明命帝更加深切感受到天主教徒對其皇位的威脅。自1834年至1838年，明命帝取諦天主教的情況越見嚴厲。據教宗利奧十三世於1900年5月7日公布的公函《最強壯的勇士們》（Fortissimorum virorum），在明命帝在位期間，越南天主教殉道者名單人物，多在1838年被越南阮朝政府處決。

縱觀越南阮朝諸君主中，以明命帝及其孫嗣德帝阮福時對禁絕天主教的態度最為嚴厲。正因為禁教的嚴厲態度，明命帝在西方世界常常以暴君的形象登場，被稱為「東方的尼祿」。

黎文悅案和黎質案

黎文之亂被平息之後，明命帝下令搗毀了黎文的據點藩安城，易地重建。同年，都察院官員潘伯達上奏嘉定總鎮黎文悅生前存在眾多不法行為。此後，大臣何宗權、阮知方、黃炯等紛紛奏稱黎文悅生前圖謀不軌。明命帝派武春謹鏟平了黎文悅的墳墓，在其原址上豎立「權閹黎文悅伏法處」的石碑。沒收財產，其親族判斬監候。

次年，又有吏部左侍郎黎伯秀追參北城總鎮黎質生前不法之事，聲稱黎質在北城期間專行不法，並陰謀推翻明命帝。明命帝命人剷除了黎質墓，在其原址上豎立「奸臣黎質伏法處」的石碑。沒收家產，其親族亦判處斬監候。

征服柬埔寨

在阮朝建立前，柬埔寨已受到暹羅和廣南阮主政權兩者多年的蠶食，國弱民貧，正步向和占城國一樣淪亡的後塵。

1834年，明命帝乘黎文叛亂之機，以「保護」柬埔寨為名，派遣大將張明講侵占柬埔寨。此後張明講駐守南榮城（今柬埔寨金邊），以監督柬埔寨內政，安江巡撫黎大綱又建立安蠻堡以駐守軍隊。

同年，柬埔寨國王安贊二世病死。因其無嗣，張明講於1835年奏請立安贊二世之女安眉（越南史料稱「玉雲」）為「高綿郡主」，以榮龍、羅堅代掌國印，張明講、黎大綱權監國事。安眉僅為傀儡，實權完全由張明講、黎大綱掌握。此後，越南在柬埔寨地區實施「改土歸流」，將柬埔寨首都金邊改稱為鎮西城，設置了32府2縣，委派越南文官直接管治柬埔寨地區。

由於越南阮朝一直視柬埔寨、暹羅等國為未開化的蠻夷，因此阮朝首先援引占城國舊例，在柬埔寨厲行越南化政策。

高棉人首先要改漢姓，寫漢字，將柬埔寨各地方換上漢字名字。將柬埔寨的軍隊按越南編制改制，軍官全由越南人擔任。在以高棉人為主的守備軍中，又安插裝備先進的越南籍官兵。每當發生戰爭，便讓高棉士兵衝在前面，由配備槍支的越南籍士兵在後面壓陣。

此外，越南阮朝亦逼使柬埔寨百姓易服蓄髮，以及採用越南百姓的風俗習慣，包括柬埔寨百姓需要穿著褐色或黑色的交領布衣和長袍，柬埔寨本地官員必需穿戴越南官員的紗帽圓領，並強制柬埔寨男子梳越南人的髮式，像越南男人般蓄髮綰髻。

另一方面，對於柬埔寨百姓信奉的上座部佛教（亦稱南傳佛教），越南阮朝亦對其不抱好感，下令逼使當地僧侶還俗，也下令毀壞上座部佛教的寺廟。

1840年，阮朝更是派遣黎文德為欽差大臣，尹蘊為副大臣，在柬埔寨徵收稅收、丈量土地、監督貿易，協助張明講直接統治柬埔寨。大量越南人湧入柬埔寨耕田，驅逐並侵佔了高棉人的土地。1841年，張明講為斷絕柬埔寨王室的人望，又將安眉擄往嘉定（今越南胡志明市），榮龍、羅堅流放到北圻。

雖然阮朝官方編纂的《大南實錄正編》宣稱：「自此臘人衣服器用多慕漢風、蠻俗漸改革矣」，但事實上，阮朝對柬埔寨的侵略和壓迫導致柬埔寨人的不滿。僧侶、貴族、百姓等也紛紛起兵爭取復國，張明講、黎文德不時領兵討伐柬埔寨境內叛民，但柬埔寨人的起義仍此起彼伏。在得知安眉被擄到嘉定之後，流亡暹羅的王子安東（匿螉），在暹羅軍隊的支持下回到柬埔寨，發動反對阮朝的起義。明命帝又派遣阮公著、阮進林率大軍進入柬埔寨，但仍無濟於事。

對西方列強態度

與父親嘉隆帝阮福映不同，明命帝對西方列強的態度，從開始只是表面上的熱情，到晚年逐漸持排斥態度。

阮福映在位期間，出於對法國傳教士百多祿援助阮朝的回報，阮福映允許法國人在越南境內通商傳教，並且聘用援阮的法國軍官為大臣。不過，雖然阮朝復國很大程度依靠法國人的力量，但阮福映仍然對法國人存有戒心。早在1815年的時候，嘉隆帝之所以選擇明命帝阮福晈為王位繼承人，而不是故太子阮福景的兒子阮福美堂，就是看中明命帝思想上比較排斥天主教，並且對入境西洋人的動機存有疑慮。阮福映也發現了阮福晈有強烈地排斥西方的傾向，故而在臨終前囑咐明命帝，要求他尊重歐洲人特別是法國人，但不要給予他們任何優待。可見阮福映在提防法國人之餘，亦提醒明命帝避免徹底得罪法國人。

1818年，擔任「掌奇」的法籍大臣讓-巴蒂斯特·沙依諾（越南名阮文勝）獲准歸國休假。1821年，沙依諾被法國政府委任為法國駐順化的領事和法國的全權欽差大臣，帶著法國國王路易十八的國書回到越南，求見明命帝，洽談通商之事。明命帝熱情地接見了他，表示願意締結通商條約，但前提條件是前來貿易的法國人必須遵守越南法律。

1822年，法國軍艦「克麗奧佩特拉」號（La Cléopâtre）駛入沱㶞港（今越南峴港），艦長埃里奧（Courson de la le Héllio）攜帶禮物，委託沙依諾說情，要求面見明命帝，但遭到明命帝斷然拒絕，認為一個艦長要求面見自己並不符合身份。沙依諾對自己未能跟越南簽訂通商條約感到灰心失意，于是與另一法籍大臣菲利普·瓦尼埃一起在1824年辭職，經嘉定搭乘商船歸國。

沙依諾與瓦尼埃走後，明命帝對法國的態度逐漸冷淡。1825年，法國派遣海軍上校布甘維勒（Bougainville）率領「泰蒂斯」號（Thétis）、「希望」號（Espérance）軍艦來到沱㶞港，再次要求進行通商。明命帝派人賜予他禮物，並以朝中無人通曉法語為由，拒絕接見他。1826年，法國派遣讓-巴蒂斯特·沙依諾的侄兒歐仁·沙依諾（Eugène Chaigneau）法國駐順化領事一職，但明命帝不予承認。1829年，歐仁歸國，法越兩國變相中止了邦交。此後一直到1858年，越南境內幾乎沒歐洲人的蹤影。

1832年和1836年，美國總統安德魯·傑克森派遣艾德蒙·羅伯特（Edmund Robert）兩次來到順化，希望同越南建交。不過都被明命帝拒絕。

不過明命帝也對歐洲的科技事物表現出了極大好奇之心。1825年，嘉定總鎮黎文悅上書明命帝，希望放寬對基督教的政策；明命帝便將全國各地的傳教士召到順化，將他們禁錮在順化皇城裡，讓他們翻譯法國書籍。1834年，明命帝得知西方發生工業革命之事，又下令開設「水火記濟車廠」，成功製造越南歷史上第一批蒸汽機車。明命年間，越南的資本主義進入萌芽階段。

此外，當他知道歐洲人已經開始使用種痘的方法來預防天花後，立即讓法國籍家庭醫生讓·馬里·德斯皮奧為皇室宗親接種疫苗。明命帝有意藉著以上舉措，了解當時歐洲的發展。

1839年，明命帝得到「紅毛謀侵廣東」的奏報之後，認為這是由於清朝內政衰微、官僚階層懶惰懦弱造成的，以此預言清朝必將逐漸走向衰敗：「清人懦弱，我知之矣。」但仍保持與清朝的朝貢關係。

1840年中英鴉片戰爭爆發。中國的戰敗給明命帝很大震動，越南上下都擔心英國會借海上的優勢入侵越南。明命帝於是派遣由兩個普通越南官員和兩個翻譯組成的「越南使團」前往法國，尋求與法國建立外交關係以與英國抗衡，並希望同西方商討基督教之事。明命二十一年十二月二十八日（1841年1月20日），心力交瘁的明命帝逝世，享年50歲。臨終前，明命帝將大臣張登桂、武文解、阮知方、林維浹召入榻前，要求他們輔佐皇太子阮福綿宗。阮福綿宗改名阮福暶並繼位，是為紹治帝。給明命帝上廟號聖祖（）、諡號體天昌運至孝純德文武明斷創述大成厚澤豐功仁皇帝（），葬之於孝陵。

越南代表團到達法國首都巴黎，求見法國國王路易·菲利普。但是由於明命帝在西方世界的惡劣形象，許多法國人對這個越南使團不抱好感。巴黎外方傳教會呼籲路易·菲利普不要接待，最終越南使團無功而返。

評價

• 阮朝維新年間編纂的《國朝正編撮要》，對明命帝作如是評價：「帝以上聖之資，承大定之後，勵精圖治，粉飾太平。稽古典，修禮樂，謹權量，審法度，設科取士，耕藉勸農，舉辰巡以省方，定京察以課吏。春閱詳於講武，邱審謹於用刑。規模宥密，品節備具。至若抑禁近之權，嚴閹宦之戒，與夫皇親國戚不得幹預外事，其防微杜漸之意尤深。二十一年憂勤庶，政常如一日，凡一切絲綸、批示、諭旨、制誥皆自創。始文教被于蠻土，威震于暹、牢，聖德神功，莫可名狀。且於萬幾之暇留意藝文，御製詩五集、文二集，天機預兆、古器銘文諸作，皆所以發妙道而弘至教。惟大聖人製作迥出尋常。盡革黎、李以前簡陋之風，開我大南萬事文明之制，猗歟盛哉！」

• 越南歷史學家陳仲金認為明命帝「是一位資質明敏的國君，性好學且勤於政事」，「政績有許多好的，也有不少壞的；他知剛而不知柔，他有威權而少肚量，他知有民有國而不知時勢進化。所以說他是位英君明主則有過份，而說他是位暴君亦覺有失公允」。他在位期間進行法律、制度的改革，確立國家的綱紀。但他思想保守復古，殺害天主教教民，並與西方國家絕交，致使越南陷入了外交孤立狀態。

• 越共學者對明命帝的評價不佳，他們認為明命帝改革的目的是竭力恢復落後的封建秩序，他們又認為明命帝的外交政策是「鼠目寸光」的，他「主動拒絕與西方資本主義國家的一切關係」，「只想用把身子縮在護身殼內的蝸牛式的方法來進行自衛」，「不可能阻止日益逼近的外國侵略的危險」。對寮國、柬埔寨的戰爭不僅「勞民傷財」，而且製造了越南與鄰國之間的仇恨，此後法國殖民者便利用了這一點對印度支那三國進行侵略和奴役。

• 中國學者郭振鐸、張笑梅認為明命帝是一位頗有作為的君主。他施行了一系列有利於社會發展的改革政策，使得越南封建社會再次出現鼎盛時期。隨其改革初衷並非為勞動者謀利，但客觀上卻對社會進步作出了一定貢獻。不過晚年時的他專橫暴戾、奢華腐敗，對勞動者課以重稅、鎮壓人民起義、對外發動侵略戰爭，因此既是一位明君，又是一位昏君。

家族

後宮

子女

明命帝有七十八子、六十四女，為阮朝歷代皇帝中子嗣最多的一位皇帝。

注釋