Étude historique et archéologique sur Cổ-Loa, capitale de l’ancien royaume de Âu Lạc, 255-207 avant J.-C. (Historical and archaeological study of Cổ-Loa, the capital of the old kingdom of Âu Lạc, from 255–207 BC) was published in 1893, several decades after the French had established their colonial presence in Vietnam. The book documents findings from the mission directed by Gustave Dumoutier (1850−1904) to explore the archaeological sites at Cổ-Loa. Located some 20 kilometers north of present-day Hanoi, this was the ancient capital of Âu Lạc, the polity established by Thục Phán of the Thục dynasty, also known as An Dương Vương (King An Duong). The book is in three parts. Part one is an introduction to the history and archaeology of Cổ-Loa. Part two contains French translations, with annotations, of epigraphic texts from the 17th and early 18th century relating to the upkeep of the royal temples at Cổ-Loa. Part three consists of the French versions of nine popular stories and legends still told by the people of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and derived from the period of An Dương Vương. The appendix contains the original versions of 13 documents discussed in part two of the work. Dumoutier studied Chinese and Annamite (Vietnamese) in Paris. In 1886 he was sent by the French government to Tonkin with responsibility for organizing schools in the colony. While working in Vietnam he also managed to organize archaeological expeditions and to pursue his interests in anthropology, linguistics, ethnography, and historical geography.