Mạc Cửu, also spelled Mok Kui, was a Chinese adventurer who played a role in relations between Cambodia and the Vietnamese Nguyễn court. He was born in Leizhou, Guangdong. His birth name was Mạc Kính Cửu, which was easily confounded with several leaders of Mạc dynasty including Mạc Kính Chỉ, Mạc Kính Cung, Mạc Kính Khoan and Mạc Kính Vũ. So he changed his name to Mạc Cửu. After the Manchu conquest of China, Han Chinese were forced to wear their hair in the Manchu style. Mạc Cửu refused to do, and decided to flee to Cambodia. Sometime between 1687 and 1695, the Cambodian king granted him the Khmer title Okna, and sponsored him to migrate to Banteay Meas, where he at first served as chief of a small Chinese community. He built a casino there and suddenly became rich. He then attracted refugees to resettle here, and built seven villages in Phú Quốc, Lũng Kỳ, Cần Bột, Hương Úc, Giá Khê and Cà Mau. Chinese had established their own town at Hà Tiên. Hà Tiên was originally known under the Khmer ពាម name of Piem or Peam, the Khmer for "port", "harbour" or "river mouth". It was known variously as Kang Kou in Chinese, and Pontomeas by Europeans. Hà Tiên was a part of Cambodia until the year 1714. However, this area had a dual political structure; Mạc Cửu ruled Chinese and Vietnamese; while local Khmers continued to be ruled by a Khmer governor, called Okna Reachea Setthi, until Siamese expedition of 1771 overthrew the localsystem of government. Cambodia was invaded by Siamese army, Mạc Cửu was captured and taken to Bangkok. He had no chance to come back to Hà Tiên until a civil strife broke out in Siam. Mạc Cửu later switched allegiance to the Nguyễn lords of Vietnam. He sent a tribute mission to the Nguyễn court in 1708, and in return received the title of Tong Binh of Hà Tiên and the noble titleMarquess Cửu Ngọc. In 1715, the Cambodian king, Thommo Reachea III, invaded Hà Tiên with the support of Siam in order to resumed the lost territory. Mạc Cửu was defeated and fled to Lũng Kỳ. Cambodian sacked Hà Tiên and withdrew. Mạc Cửu came back to Hà Tiên, built several castles to defend his marquisate against attack. He died in 1735. Mạc's son, Mạc Thiên Tứ, was born in 1700 to a lady from Biên Hòa. He also had a daughter, Mac Kim Dinh, who was married to the son of the Chinese general Trần Thượng Xuyên. Mạc Cửu's descendants succeeded as the governor of Hà Tiên until the title was abolished by Vietnamese Nguyễn dynasty in 1832. A genealogy of his clan is :vi:Hà Tiên trấn Hiệp trấn Mạc thị gia phả|Hà Tiên trấn Hiệp trấn Mạc thị gia phả.
