Battle of Bach Dang River (938)

Battle of Bạch Đằng (938)
Part of Sino-Annamese War
Date 938
Location Bạch Đằng, Vietnam
Result Decisive Vietnamese Victory
Belligerents
Vietnam Southern Han
Commanders and leaders
Ngô Quyền Liu Yan
Liu Hongcao 
Strength
50,000+ 100,000+
Casualties and losses
4000-4500 killed About half killed, thousands captured.

Prince Liu Hongcao killed in action.

History of Vietnam
Hồng Bàng dynasty prior to 257 BC
Thục dynasty 257–207 BC
Triệu dynasty 207–111 BC
First Chinese domination 111 BC–39 AD
Trưng sisters 40–43
Second Chinese domination 43–544
Early Lý dynasty 544–602
Third Chinese domination 602–905
Autonomy 905–938
Ngô dynasty 939–967
Đinh dynasty 968–980
Early Lê dynasty 980–1009
Lý dynasty 1009–1225
Trần dynasty 1225–1400
Hồ dynasty 1400–1407
Fourth Chinese domination 1407–1427
Later Trần dynasty 1407–1413
Later Lê dynasty (Early Lê) 1428–1527
Mạc dynasty 1527–1592
Later Lê dynasty (Restored Lê) 1533–1788
Trịnh Lords 1545–1787
Nguyễn Lords 1558–1777
Tây Sơn dynasty 1778–1802
Nguyễn dynasty 1802–1945
French imperialism 1887–1954
Partition 1954–1975
Democratic Republic (North) 1945–1976
State of Vietnam (South) 1949–1955
Republic of Vietnam (South) 1955–1975
Socialist Republic from 1976
Related topics
Champa Dynasties 192–1832
List of Vietnamese monarchs
Economic history of Vietnam
Prehistoric cultures of Vietnam

At the Battle of Bạch Đằng River in 938 the Vietnamese forces, led by Ngô Quyền, defeated the invading forces of the Southern Han state of China and put an end to centuries of Chinese imperial domination in Vietnam. It took place at the Bach Dang River, near Halong Bay in northern Vietnam.

In 937, Liu Yan (Chinese: 劉龑; Vietnamese: Lưu Nham), the Southern Han ruler, took the chance to intervene in Vietnam again after the death of the Annam Lord Protector Dương Đình Nghệ. He had been foiled by Dương Đình Nghệ in 931, but now that Dương Đình Nghệ was dead, he thought the time was ripe for another attempt. He placed his own son, Liu Hongcao (Chinese: 劉弘操; Vietnamese: Lưu Hoằng Tháo), in command of the expedition, naming him "Peaceful Sea Military Governor" and "King of Giao." He hastily assembled an army at Sea Gate, where he personally took charge of the reserve force. He ordered Liu Hongcao to embark the army and sail to Giao.

By the time Liu Hongcao arrived in Vietnamese waters with the Southern Han expedition, Liu Hongcao's plan was to ascend the Bạch Đằng River (白藤江) and to place his army in the heart of Giao Chau before disembarking; the Bạch Đằng was the major riverine route into the Red River plain from the north.

Ngô Quyền anticipated this plan and brought his army to the mouth of the river. He had his men plant a barrier of large poles in the bed of the river. The tops of the poles reached just below the water level at high tide and were sharpened and tipped with iron. When Liu Hongcao appeared off the mouth of the river, Quyen sent out small, shallow-draft boats at high tide to provoke a fight and then retreat upriver, drawing the Chinese fleet in pursuit. As the tide fell, the heavy Chinese warboats were caught on the poles and lay trapped in the middle of the river, whereupon they were attacked by Ngô Quyền's forces. More than half the Chinese were drowned, including Liu Hongcao. When news of the battle reached Sea Gate with the survivors, Liu Yan wept openly. He collected what remained of his army and returned to Canton. This victory ended China's long domination of Vietnam and began a period of Vietnam's independence until the conquest by Ming China. Ngô Quyền's tactic would later be copied by Trần Hưng Đạo in a battle at Bạch Đằng River against the Mongols in 1288.

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