Top 10 renowned naval battles in Vietnamese history

The people living on the coastal banks of Van Lang, during the reign of the sixth Hung King, often faced raids by Quynh Chau invaders who sailed in to pillage, causing great distress to the local population. Responding to the people's pleas for help, King Hung deployed his troops to reside in a cave, now known as the King's Cave in Hai Phong. King Hung led the people of Van Lang to repel numerous attacks by the Quynh Chau invaders, sailing across the sea to Quynh Chau Island and destroying enemy strongholds. Since then, the Quynh Chau invaders dared not disturb the people of Van Lang anymore.

Historical studies affirm that the Vietnamese people during the time of King Hung were highly skilled in naval warfare. However, traces of the earliest naval battles of the nation are scarcely recorded in historical texts. Only a few legends from the coastal areas of the Red River Delta mention these battles, exemplified by a legend recorded in Hai Phong. This legend has demonstrated that the naval warfare activities of the Vietnamese during the time of King Hung were not limited to rivers and lakes on land but also extended to distant seas.

In 937, Kieu Cong Tien murdered Duong Dinh Nghe (Ngô Quyền's father-in-law) to seize power, then sought refuge with the Southern Han dynasty to protect his authority. Upon learning this, Ngô Quyền quickly gathered his forces, marched northward, killed Kieu Cong Tien to avenge his family, and prepared to battle the Southern Han army led by Liu Hang Thao. He utilized the tidal currents at the Bach Dang River, instructing the placement of stakes beneath the river's surface, capped with sharp iron heads, to be submerged by the rising tide. When the tide was up, the stakes were concealed. Ngô Quyền lured the Southern Han forces into this area during high tide and waited for the tide to ebb, leaving the Southern Han fleet stranded before ordering a full-scale attack. As a result, the Southern Han army suffered a devastating defeat, and Liu Hang Thao perished along with over half of his soldiers.

The Bach Dang River Battle of 938 was a clash between the Vietnamese people - then known as the Tinh Hai navy without an official national title - led by Ngô Quyền, and the Southern Han army on the Bach Dang River. This battle was significant in Vietnamese history as it marked the end of over 1000 years of northern domination and the restoration of national independence for the Vietnamese people. Following this victory, Ngô Quyền ascended to the throne, signifying the end of over 1000 years of northern rule over Vietnam.

After overthrowing the rule of the Lương dynasty, Lý Bí proclaimed himself Emperor Lý Nam, establishing the Vạn Xuân kingdom. In 545, the Lương dynasty launched an invasion of Vạn Xuân to regain control. Faced with overwhelming enemy forces, Emperor Lý Nam had to retreat to preserve his troops. In 546, Emperor Lý Nam deployed his army to set up camp at Điển Triệt Lake, ready to confront the enemy. The Lương forces attempted to attack the camp at Điển Triệt Lake but suffered consecutive failures due to the precarious terrain around the lake, forcing them to regroup outside the lake area. However, the forces of Emperor Lý Nam remained defensive, refusing to engage the passive enemy.

One rainy night caused the water level of Điển Triệt Lake to rise rapidly. The Lương army seized this opportunity to swiftly launch their warships and ambush the stronghold of Emperor Lý Nam. Caught off guard, the defending troops quickly collapsed, and the remaining soldiers had to retreat from Điển Triệt Lake amidst the enemy's pursuit. Điển Triệt Lake (now located in Tứ Yên commune, Lập Thạch district, Vĩnh Phúc province) witnessed the final major battle of Emperor Lý Nam in the 6th century. Following this defeat, Emperor Lý Nam sought refuge in the Khuất Lão cave (Tam Nông, Phú Thọ), relinquishing all military authority to Triệu Quang Phục.

In 1069, King Lý Thái Tông and the famous general Lý Thường Kiệt led 50,000 troops to conquer Chiêm Thành to prevent its alliance with the Song dynasty, which was invading the southern border of Đại Việt. The Đại Việt forces traveled by sea and encountered the Chiêm navy blocking them at Nhật Lệ (Quảng Bình). Here, the Chiêm navy was defeated by the superior strength of the Đại Việt naval forces. The relationship between Đại Việt and Chiêm Thành was very complex in the medieval history of Southeast Asia. Due to the narrow natural conditions of the national territory stretching along the coast, the north-south transportation by land was inconvenient and mainly had to be conducted by sea, so the Chiêm people were very skilled in maritime affairs and had a strong navy.

With their navy, the Chiêm Thành army repeatedly attacked Đại Việt. However, due to their weaker military power, the Chiêm people also suffered several disastrous defeats against the powerful Đại Việt empire. Among these defeats, the naval battle of Nhật Lệ can be mentioned. After this battle, Lý Thánh Tông ordered the army to advance to the Thị Nại coastal area (Quy Nhơn) without encountering any resistance from the Chiêm navy. This indicates that the Chiêm navy had been shattered since the Nhật Lệ battle, or they were too frightened to engage in combat.

In 979, after the assassination of King Đinh Tiên Hoàng and Đinh Liễn, Lê Hoàn ascended the throne, stabilizing the dynasty. Seizing the opportunity while our country was still in turmoil and the Song Dynasty was actively preparing to invade Đại Cồ Việt, by mid-April 981, the Song naval forces, led by Hầu Nhân Bảo, failed to breach our defenses and had to retreat to the Bạch Đằng River, facing a dilemma. Lê Đại Hành prepared for a decisive battle on the Bạch Đằng River. He chose a treacherous stretch of the river and stationed his troops in ambush. On April 28, 981, Lê Đại Hành deployed a decoy force to provoke Hầu Nhân Bảo's army and pretended to retreat. The Song army pursued, unaware that they had fallen into the ambush and were almost completely annihilated.

The Battle of Bạch Đằng in 981 was a decisive engagement in the war between the Song Dynasty and Đại Cồ Việt, occurring from January to April 981. After the naval defeat, the Song land forces panicked and fled back to their country, pursued and decimated by Đại Cồ Việt. The resounding victory in Bạch Đằng in 981 earned Lê Đại Hành the admiration and respect of the Song Dynasty, who recognized him as the king of Đại Cồ Việt. Both sides entered into friendly relations, with Đại Cồ Việt paying tribute to the Song Dynasty every two years, while the Song Dynasty conferred honors upon Lê Hoàn. Later, in 995, Đại Cồ Việt troops advanced into Song territory, such as in Như Hồng precinct in Khâm Province. The Song Dynasty sent a letter of complaint, but Lê Hoàn responded quite 'arrogantly.'

Since the early 17th century, the Trịnh lords in Outer Region had formed an alliance with the Dutch East India Company to oppose the Nguyễn lords. In the summer of 1643, at the request of the Trịnh lords, the Dutch East India Company sent three large warships to rendezvous with them at the Gianh River (Quảng Bình). During the naval advance, the fleet was blown off course near Cảng Eo in Inner Region. Upon hearing this, on July 7, 1643, Prince Nguyễn Phúc Lan himself, accompanied by the Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Tần, led 50 boats straight to Cảng Eo. With overwhelming numbers, the Nguyễn fleet swiftly besieged the three Dutch warships and inflicted heavy damage. Nguyễn's forces boarded the largest Dutch warship named De Wijdeness commanded by Captain Pieter Baek, then broke the rudder and snapped the mast, rendering the warship completely immobilized.

Cornered, the Dutch captain set fire to the gunpowder magazine, causing the ship to explode. Almost all the soldiers on board, including Nguyễn's troops and 200 Dutch soldiers, including Baek, perished. Despite the Dutch's formidable firepower, which sank 7 boats and caused the loss of 700-800 soldiers, Nguyễn's navy emerged victorious. This battle marked the first time in Vietnamese naval history that they triumphed over a European fleet. After the battle, due to fear of Nguyễn's naval prowess, the Dutch East India Company dared not send ships into Inner Region anymore.

In 1287, the people and army of the Trần dynasty united to resist the third invasion by the Yuan Mongols. The Yuan army only managed to capture the capital Thăng Long without any people left. However, at Vân Đồn, their supply fleet was set ablaze by the Trần forces. Faced with unfavorable conditions, the Yuan army retreated in various directions. In March 1288, the naval forces of the invaders, led by Omar, retreated through the Bạch Đằng River. Trần Hưng Đạo meticulously studied the tidal patterns of the Bạch Đằng River to set up a wooden stake trap and arrange an ambush for the Yuan army. The battle began, with the Vietnamese sending out small boats to engage in hit-and-run tactics to lure the enemy into the pre-prepared stakes. When the tide receded, disaster struck the invading army.

The large ships were trapped, shattered upon hitting the sharp stakes, while the Trần forces poured out from both banks with overwhelming force. The inevitable outcome occurred: the Yuan army was defeated, losing 40,000 soldiers, 400 warships, and many key commanders captured alive. The victory on the Bạch Đằng River by the Trần army and people led to the complete success of Đại Việt in the third war against the Yuan Mongols. Since then, the Yuan dynasty never dared to contemplate invading Đại Việt again. The triumph on the Bạch Đằng River is considered the greatest naval battle in Vietnamese history and one of the most prominent battles in the thousands of years of nation-building and defense of the Vietnamese people.

In 1800, the confrontation between the Tây Sơn dynasty and the Nguyễn lords was in a deadlock. Quy Nhơn Citadel, a crucial stronghold for the Nguyễn lords, was under strong threat by the Tây Sơn forces. The reinforcement troops couldn't reach by sea due to the Tây Sơn's formidable naval fleet guarding the Thị Nại Estuary. To rescue Quy Nhơn, Nguyễn Ánh deployed an unprecedentedly massive fleet to break through the Tây Sơn's blockade at the Thị Nại Estuary, comprising nearly 1,000 warships, including 5 ships armed with 46 cannons each. The Tây Sơn forces were equally formidable, with three gigantic warships equipped with over 60 cannons stationed at the Thị Nại Estuary. They also had nearly 2,000 large and small boats, reinforced by numerous cannons placed at the entrance to the Thị Nại Estuary.

After several failed attacks directly at the estuary due to the defensive firepower of the opponent, Nguyễn decided to convene a council of generals to devise a plan to destroy the Tây Sơn fleet. Recognizing the advantage of wind direction, they unanimously agreed to utilize firepower. On the full moon night of the lunar New Year in 1801, 1,200 Nguyễn troops secretly landed ashore, attacking the Tây Sơn fortresses to neutralize their main artillery firepower. Nguyễn's vanguard troops also disguised as Tây Sơn ships to penetrate the defensive line and launch attacks from within. With the Tây Sơn forces in disarray, Nguyễn's entire fleet launched a coordinated assault with intense firepower. Three Tây Sơn warships were surrounded and sunk by over 60 Nguyễn vanguard boats. The Nguyễn navy advanced deeply in the windward direction, maximizing their attacking power, causing extensive damage to the Tây Sơn fleet amidst a sea of flames. The Battle of Thị Nại concluded with a comprehensive victory for Nguyễn Ánh. Following this battle, Nguyễn Ánh achieved successive victories and seized control of the entire country.

9. The Demise of the Siamese at Rạch Gầm Xoài Mút

In July 1784, under the pretext of assisting Nguyễn Ánh against the Tây Sơn, approximately 50,000 Siamese troops, along with over 300 warships and nearly 4,000 Nguyễn Ánh's troops, advanced into the Kiên Giang region of Vietnam by both land and water routes. Facing this situation, in January 1785, Nguyễn Huệ deployed 20,000 naval troops from Quy Nhơn to Gia Định. Without intending to defend Gia Định, which was under threat, he led the troops to Mỹ Tho for decisive battle against the Siamese. The stretch of river from Rạch Gầm to Xoài Mút was chosen as the battlefield. On January 19, 1785, the entire Siamese-Nguyễn coalition advanced by water to attack Mỹ Tho. The enemy was ambushed at Rạch Gầm Xoài Mút, where the Tây Sơn forces utilized artillery placed on boats, on both riverbanks, and on Thới Sơn islet to suppress the enemy, while naval forces advanced from various branches of the river and from Mỹ Tho to block the front and rear, attacking the flanks of the Siamese troops, while infantry units ambushed and annihilated fleeing enemies on the shore.

The result was that the Siamese forces only survived about a few thousand and had to retreat with heavy losses. Nguyễn Ánh also hastily sought refuge in Siam. With this strategic victory, Nguyễn Huệ shattered Nguyễn Ánh's scheme and the Siamese invasion plot.

10. The Battle of Nhật Tảo – A Small Battle with Grand Historical Significance

In 1861, it was a period when French colonialists were expanding their invasion in Cochinchina. On June 23 of that year, the French army occupied Gò Công and stationed the gunboat Espérance at the Nhật Tảo river station. Espérance was an ironclad steamship equipped with a heavy cannon and various versatile weapons. It was one of the strongest warships on the river in the French army at that time. At noon on December 10, Nguyen Trung Truc commanded a squad of 59 guerilla soldiers dispersed on several small boats, disguised as a wedding party, to approach the gunboat Espérance, which was patrolling on the river. Using rudimentary weapons, the guerilla fighters stealthily boarded the ship, killing 37 enemies. Unable to seize the ship by force, they set it on fire – symbolizing the French colonial invasion of Vietnam.

This victory deeply moved the Vietnamese people at that time. Upon hearing the news in Huế, King Tự Đức immediately issued a decree to reward all those who participated in the battle. The colonial administrator in Cochinchina, Paulin Vial, called it 'a painful event that stirred and deeply saddened the Annamese people, and profoundly affected the French.' Alfred Schreiner referred to the victory at Nhật Tảo as the prelude to a comprehensive assault on almost all French outposts... And 'The burning of the Espérance was a tragic incident that stirred deep emotions among the French and strangely stimulated the imagination of the Annamese.'