1853 in which Fu attained the highest score.

In Vietnam, the first de facto trang nguyên was Lê Van Thinh, a Lý dynasty scholar. He was the chief negotiator who persuaded the Song to return the 6 districts of Quang Nguyên (today Hà Giang province) to Vietnam. Nevertheless, the first Vietnamese person to be trang nguyên was in fact Khuong Công Phu under Chinese