Due to the geographical and topographical features of Vietnam, travel and trading activities of Vietnamese people are much dependent on water transport. The ships, therefore, playa very important role in Vietnamese economic, social, cultural life. On the basic of official historical documents and memoir of foreigners who used to be in Vietnam since the 171h to the 19th century, the paper provides an overview of shipping and shipbuilding industry in Dang Trong (the South) under Nguyen Lords period (17th-18th century) as well as in Vietnam under Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945). he article focuses on three main determinants on the development of shipping and shipbuilding industry during Nguyen Lords period and Nguyen Dynasty
i.e. (1) the development of shipping and shipbuilding industry in Dang Trong under Nguyen Lords
(2) the war between the Nguyen Dynasty and Tay Son forces as well as the role of Nguyen Anh in the development of shipbuilding industry in the Dang Trong during the 18th century
(3) the relationship between rice trading activity and the development of shipbuilding industry in Dang Trong in the middle of the 18th century. The shipping industry and the development of ships in Vietnam since the 17th to the 19th century made remarkable achievements thanks to the priority policies issued by Nguyen Lords, Tay Son Dynasty and Nguyen Dynasty, especially by King Gia Long and King Minh Mang. This article also introduces about shipbuilding, ship-yards, and maintenance activities during Nguyen Dynasty. The article, simultaneously, attempts to describe some typical kinds of ship under Nguyen Dynasty.