 At the beginning of his second period as viceroy , Duyệt suppressed a revolt of the local Khmer people and enlisted ten thousand new taxpayers , thereby generating a large new revenue source for the court . He supervised the renovation of the Vĩnh <unk> Canal , an important waterway in southern Vietnam . Moreover , Duyệt was successful in suppressing unrest and criminal activity , and increasing foreign trade in southern Vietnam and Cambodia . Duyệt 's works greatly stabilized and developed southern Vietnam , turning it into a wealthy and peaceful region . As recognition for Duyệt 's service , Minh Mạng rewarded Duyệt with a belt made of jade — a prestigious gift in the Confucian system usually given to an emperor as a tribute , or by a monarch to an official to honour a great service — and betrothed a princess to Duyệt 's adopted son as a wife . 
