Vũ


Vũ or Võ is a common Vietnamese surname that, through genealogy records, has been present in Vietnam since the 9th century. The Vũ surname originates from general Wǔ Hún of the Tang Dynasty in Imperial China who was appointed governor of the Annan Protectorate. Vũ and Võ both refer to military service, the art of fighting, or ferocity, as per meaning of 武.
Vũ is primarily used by Vietnamese who live in the north, while Võ mostly is used by Vietnamese who live in the south, but not always strictly so, as either Võ or Vũ can be found north or south. The number of people with the surname Vũ is the 7th most common with 3.9% of the population in Vietnam.

History

It is believed that the Vũ family first originated in the Mộ Trạch village, Bình Giang district, Hải Dương province, Northern Vietnam. However, not all Vũ families in Hải Dương and Vietnam have the same origin from here. According to genealogy records and the family tree in Mộ Trạch village, the ancestor of the Vũ family was Vũ Hồn, a governor the Tang Dynasty appointed to rule the Annan Protectorate. There is currently a temple in Mộ Trạch village, Hải Dương province dedicated to Vũ Hồn and the Vũ family.
Later on, starting from the south of Gianh River to the end of the southern provinces, to avoid the naming taboo of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát, "Vũ" was changed to "Võ".

Lord Vũ's Imperial Dynasty

The Vũ Lords, also called the Bầu Lords, is a general term referring to the generations of the Vũ family who ruled Tuyên Quang during the period of division between the North and South dynasties and the Trịnh-Nguyễn conflict in Vietnamese history. The Vũ family took advantage of the chaos to establish themselves in Tuyên Quang, opposing the ruling government in Thăng Long. During the North and South division period, the Vũ family did not follow the Mạc dynasty but followed the restored Lê dynasty in Thanh Hoá, but when the restored Lê dynasty returned to Thăng Long, the Vũ family did not submit completely and remained neutral. The generations of the Vũ family guarded the citadel on Bầu mountain, so they were collectively called the Bầu Lords.
The Vũ family ruled Tuyên Quang for 162 years, from 1527 to 1689.

Notable people with the surname Vũ or Võ

Academia

Arts and entertainment

Military

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Sports