Chapter 4 : NGÔ DYNASTY
In late 983, the King of China’s Southern Han Dynasty conferred his son, Liu Hongcao, the title “King of Chiao Chih” and placed the latter in command of a naval expedition into Vietnam. The nation’s history was glorified by the feat of hero Ngô Quyền (898-944), a native from Đường Lâm (Sơn Tây). In the decisive battle against the invaders, he had his men plant big pointed poles in the bed of the Bạch Đằng River in order to break the Han fleet on the ebb tide, creating the most original stratagem in Vietnamese military history.
The Bạch Đằng victory in 983 put an end to the millennium-long period of Chinese imperial domination. Ngô Quyền proclaimed himself king, established the capital at Cổ Loa (the country’s capital under King An Dương’s reign in the 3rd century BC). On his death six years later, the country fell in chaos with the severe conflicts between royal brothers.
Read chapter 5 !
VIETNAM – A BRIEF HISTORY IN PICTURES
Compiled by: HIẾU MINH – HUYỀN TRANG (in Vietnamese language)
With an introduction of Historian DƯƠNG TRUNG QUỐC
Illustrated by TẠ HUY LONG
Translated by: NGUYỄN XUÂN HỒNG
P/s: Completed by the volunteers: Nguyễn Ngọc Bích – Second-year student of Foreign Trade University; Takanori Kano from Japan; Antoine Roels from Belgium; Linh – The coordinator of SJ Vietnam.