The main characters in the series, titled Đi Tìm Dấu Tích Ba Vua (Tracing the Vestiges of Three Kings), are King Ham Nghi, King Thanh Thai and King Duy Tan.

The Nguyen dynasty was Vietnam’s last royalty.

Ham Nghi was crowned in 1885 when he was only 12 years old, while the country and the Nguyen royalty were controlled by the French.

The king left the imperial capital of Hue for Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces to start the Can Vuong Movement, which called for nationwide resistance against the French.

He was caught and then sent to Algeria where he lived in exile until his death in 1938.

Thanh Thai became king when he was 10 years old. Young as he was, Thanh Thai was known for his patriotism. But his movement was extinguished by the French and he was sent into exile in Africa.

After the exile of Thanh Thai in 1907, the French brought his son, Duy Tan, to the throne when he was only eight years old. Duy Tan was as patriotic as his father. In 1916, the king was sent to Reunion Island off the coast of Africa.

The production crew for the series includes writers Nguyen Ho and Ngo Thao.

They traveled to many regions in the country, including Hue, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Thanh Hoa, to meet historians and researchers and view relics relating to the kingdom.

Among the relics were a number of royal cloaks and swords King Ham Nghi presented to many people when he launched the Can Vuong Movement and established an anti-French resistance base in Huong Khe village (Ha Tinh Province) in 1885.

The first 30 episodes, which chronicle the period during which the three kings were in Vietnam, were recently completed.

The production crew will leave for France next month to shoot 30 more episodes which will feature the life of the kings when they lived in exile.

The TV series will be broadcast on Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV) in October.