This study of river names seeks to deepen our understanding of the pre-modern environmental history of northern Vietnam. A performative practice, naming places often reveals the transformation of a physical environment into a cultural one. By analysing the names given to antecedents of the Red River in northern Vietnam, this article argues that each historical name reflected its users’ perception of their relationship with a respective river. Toponyms like Lô, Phú Lương, Nhị, and ‘Great River’, therefore, did not simply represent the present-day Red River — a geographical unit that dates to the French colonial period.

中文翻译：

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命名红河——成为越南河

这项对河流名称的研究旨在加深我们对越南北部前现代环境史的理解。作为一种表演实践，命名地点通常揭示了物理环境向文化环境的转变。通过分析越南北部红河的前身名称，本文认为每个历史名称都反映了用户对其与相应河流关系的看法。因此，像 Lô、Phú Lương、Nhị 和“大河”这样的地名并不仅仅代表今天的红河——一个可以追溯到法国殖民时期的地理单位。