In this historical reassessment of southern Vietnam and its distinct culture, Li Tana illuminates the resourceful qualities of the Dong Trong pioneers, develops a meticulous analysis of the Nguyen trade and taxation systems, and, in the process, redefines the chief cause of the Tay Son rebellion. Li Tana's study focuses on the socio-economics of Nguyen Cochinchina, such as: the role of foreign merchants, the region's trading economy, demographic influences, religious and cultural values, how Nguyen rule affected Vietnamese settlers, relationships with uplanders, and processes of localization and identity formation.

Li Tana is a senior fellow at the College of Asia and Pacific Studies, the Australian National University. Her works includes The Nguyen Cochinchina, from Cornell, and co-editor of Water Frontier: Commerce and the Chinese in the Lower Mekong Region, 1750-1880, Gulf of Tongking Through History, and Anthony Reid and the Study of the Southeast Asian Past.