Between 1802 and 1945; Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty; a feudal kingdom which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century. In 1775 when Trinh Sam captured it; it was known as Phu Xuan. In 1802; Nguyen Phuc Anh (later Emperor Gia Long) succeeded in establishing his control over the whole of Vietnam; thereby making Hue the national capital until 1945; when Emperor Bao Dai abdicated and a communist government was established in Hanoi.