The book that you are holding is a kind of collection of Vietnamese translation of narratings, memoirs & writings of the foreigners ( the most of them were Western merchants & missionaries, for example: Cristophoro Borri, Alexandre de Rhodes, the brothers Taverniers, Samuel Baron, William Dampier, Zhu Shun Shui & Cai Ting Lan ... ) who used to be in Vietnam in different points of the times from 17th century up to the year of 1835. The book provided a large readership and researchers & historians with useful materials of what these foreigners saw & heard on the Land of Vietnam and regarding multi-aspects of Vietnam society in that times