Annan command, Annam command, or Annan dutongshisi (; ), was the name of an administrative region of the Ming dynasty of China. When the Mạc dynasty usurped the Lê dynasty's throne in ÃÂại Viá»Ât (or called Annan by the Chinese, present-day northern Vietnam), the Jiajing Emperor seized the opportunity to send envoys demanding accountability. At the time, the Mạc were preoccupied with military campaigns in the south and had no choice but to submit as vassals to secure their northern border. ÃÂại Viá»Ât was downgraded from a vassal state to a subordinate territory. Nominally, ÃÂại Viá»Ât became an administrative unit of China under native governance, but in reality, Viet rulersâÂÂwho still proclaimed themselves emperorsâÂÂretained full domestic authority throughout the period from 1540 to 1647.
In 1527, Mạc ÃÂÃÂng Dung, a powerful minister of the Lê dynasty in ÃÂại Viá»Ât, forced Lê Cung Hoàng to abdicate and established the Mạc dynasty, with the capital still in ThÃÂng Long, and adopted Minh ÃÂức as his era name. Nguyá» n Kim, the former general of the Later Lê dynasty, fled to Lan Xang (Ai Lao) with his family after Mạc ÃÂÃÂng Dung's usurpation and later rallied forces in an attempt to restore the Lê dynasty. In 1532, Nguyá» n Kim found Lê Ninh (the young son of the late Lê Chiêu Tông) in Ai Lao and proclaimed him emperor, known as Lê Trang Tông. This marked the beginning of a turbulent era in ÃÂại Viá»Ât, as the Revival Lê dynasty in the south waged war against the Mạc dynasty in the north.
In late 1529, Mạc ÃÂÃÂng Dung abdicated in favor of his son, Mạc ÃÂÃÂng Doanh. The following January, ÃÂÃÂng Doanh formally ascended the throne as Mạc Thái Tông and proclaimed the new era name "ÃÂại ChÃÂnh." Meanwhile, ÃÂÃÂng Dung assumed the title of Retired emperor (Thái thðợng hoàng). In 1537, Lê Trang Tông dispatched envoys to Beijing, petitioning the Ming court to intervene by accusing the Mạc clan of usurping the Lê dynastyâÂÂs throne. The Jiajing Emperor responded by appointing Qiu Luan as commander-in-chief and Mao Bowen as military advisor, stationing troops near the border to pressure the Mạc. Facing overwhelming Ming forces, Mạc ÃÂÃÂng Dung submitted in March 1539, sending envoys to Zhennan Pass to present AnnanâÂÂs land and population registersâÂÂa symbolic act acknowledging Ming suzerainty while retaining de facto control over ÃÂại Viá»Ât.
On 30 November 1540, Mạc ÃÂÃÂng Dung and dozens of officials surrendered to Ming officials at the Zhennan Pass, binding themselves and kneeling down as a sign of submission. This event marked the Ming dynasty's decision to demote ÃÂại Viá»Ât from a vassal state (; guo; quá»Âc) to a subordinate territory (; dutongshisi; ÃÂô thá»Âng sứ ty). The thirteen provinces (ÃÂạo) of the (Lê) Mạc dynasty were renamed as thirteen pacification commissions (; xuanfusi; Tuyên phủ ty), each with a pacification commissioner (; xuanfushi; Tuyên phủ sứ), pacification associate commissioner (; tongzhi; ÃÂá»Âng tri), pacification vice commissioner (; fushi; Phó sứ), and pacification assistant commissioner (; qianshi; Thiêm sá»±), all under the authority of the commandant (; dutong; ÃÂô thá»Âng). Mạc ÃÂÃÂng Dung was appointed as the Commandant of Annan with a second-class hereditary rank and was required to pay tribute every three years.
In 1592, the southern (Lê-Trá»Ânh) army captured ThÃÂng Long, leading to the revival of the Lê dynasty. Lê Thế Tông sent envoys to the Ming court, requesting the restoration of the previous title of "King of Annan". However, due to the unstable situation, the Ming court only granted the temporary title of "Commandant of Annan". From then until the fall of the Ming dynasty, ÃÂại Viá»Ât remained as an autonomous administrative unit within the Ming Empire. In addition, the Ming dynasty also ordered the Lê dynasty to cede Cao Bằng and Thái Nguyên to the descendants of the Mạc family. Despite the reluctance of the Lê dynasty's rulers and officials, they had no choice but to allow the Mạc family to control Cao Bằng. The Mạc family ruled over Cao Bằng for five generations until 1677 when the Trá»Ânh lord attacked and conquered it, using the Mạc family's alliance with the traitor Wu Sangui as justification.
The title of "Commandant of Annan" (; An Nam ÃÂô thá»Âng sứ) was maintained until 1647, when the Lê dynastyâÂÂs Retired emperor Lê Thần Tông was formally reinstated as "King of Annan" (; An Nam Quá»Âc vðáng) by the Southern Ming's Yongli Emperor.