Not the same. Vietnam is China’s southern neighbor, so many friends are also interested in Vietnam. In ancient times, Vietnam was part of the Central Plains Dynasty for a long time, and its culture was deeply influenced by the Central Plains Dynasty. For example, Vietnamese names are often difficult to distinguish from Chinese names. But a striking feature of Vietnamese names is the high proportion of people with the surname Nguyen. According to some recent statistics, people with the surname Nguyen in Vietnam account for about 38.4% and about 40%. So, why are there so many people with the surname Nguyen in Vietnam? Is this related to China?
In fact, there is no doubt whether the name "Nguyen" in Vietnam is related to China. The Vietnamese name "Nguyen" comes from China. In addition, the mainstream view of the Vietnamese people also believes that the name Ruan in Vietnam originated from the Ruan State in Gansu during the Shang Dynasty in China. According to historical records, Ruan Kun was a principality established by Shun's sage minister Ruan Kun (a descendant of Gao Tao). It is located in present-day Jingchuan County, Gansu Province.
The capital of Ruan State is called Ruan Kong, but the entire Ruan State is only a small city-state. According to historical records, its territory is less than a hundred miles from east to west, north to south. Around 1139 BC, the Ruan family was overthrown by King Wen of Zhou, who was already preparing to take over the Shang Dynasty and expand his power. After the fall of the Ruan State, many compatriots of the Ruan State followed the Zhou army in various wars. Later, they followed the Zhou army to destroy the Shang Dynasty and settled in Chenliu County near Chaoge, the old capital of the Shang Dynasty, which is today's Kaifeng, Henan. After settling here, some Ruan survivors began to take Guo as their surname out of nostalgia for their hometown. Therefore, the surname Ruan originated from Kaifeng, Henan.
After the emergence of the Ruan surname, like other surnames, it continued to flourish and develop in the Central Plains. However, as to how the Nguyen surname entered Vietnam in the early days and became the main surname in the region, frankly speaking, it is not clear from the existing historical materials. Some people think that Nguyen should be the queen of Nanyue who was photographed by the emperor. Ruan officials in the early days of setting up prefectures and counties in Vietnam may have been quite respected. At that time, many local people did not have the name of Nanyue, so they wanted to be educated, which also contributed to their Localization gave them official names and gave them the official surname Nguyen, so the Nguyen family surname has always been one of the more dominant surnames in Vietnam.