Mongol invasions of Vietnam
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Vietnam under the Tran Dynasty repelled three Mongol invasions in 1257, 1285 and 1287 AD.
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[edit] First Mongol defeat (1257-1258)
| The Mongol Invasions |
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At the beginning of the 13th century, Genghis Khan, having unified Mongolia, started a war of conquest against China. In 1253, Kublai Khan conquered the Dai Ly kingdom (now Yunnan province), thus reaching the Vietnamese frontier. The Mongols demanded passage through Dai Viet (Đại Việt) in order to attack the Song from the south, but the Tran refused. A Mongol army invaded Vietnam, smashing its defences, and seized the capital Thang Long, which was burned to the ground. The Tran king left the capital and abandoned its inhabitants. Led by Tran Thai Tong, a Vietnamese counter-offensive drove the Mongols out of the capital. In retreat the enemy was attacked by local partisans from an ethnic minority group living in the Phu Tho region.
[edit] Second Mongol defeat (1284-1285)
Once they had become the overlords of China, the Mongols grew more and more demanding towards Vietnam. Despite concessions by the Tran, the Mongol court remained intransigent, dreaming of conquering both Vietnam and Champa.
In 1284, Kublai started a powerful expedition against Vietnam and Champa. Under the command of his son Toghan, 500,000 cavalrymen and infantrymen were to rush southward to push the frontiers of the Mongol empire to the southernmost part of the Indochina peninsula.
Emperor Tran Nhan Tong was aware of the enemy's strategy. As early as 1282 he had assembled and consulted all the princes and dignitaries on the action to be taken; their unanimous response was to fight. Prince Quoc Toan, only 16 years old, recruited 1,000 men to go to the front. By 1283, all princes and dignitaries were ordered to put their troops under the command of General Tran Hung Dao (Trần Hưng Đạo). A congress of village elders from all over the country was convened, and the following question put to them: "Should we capitulate or fight?" A great cry rose from the assembly: "Fight!"
At the close of 1284, the Mongols crossed the frontier. The Vietnamese force, totalling a mere 200,000 men, was unable to withstand the first onslaught. General Tran Hung Dao ordered the evacuation of the capital and was asked by the Emperor: "The enemy is so strong that a protracted war might bring terrible destruction down upon the people. Wouldn't it be better to lay down our arms to save the population?" The general answered: "I understand Your Majesty's humane feelings perfectly, but what would become of our country ancestors' land, and of our forefather's temples? If you want to surrender, please have my head cut off first". The Emperor decided not to surrender.
The Vietnamese retreated to the south after burning off most of their crops and facilities, using scorched earth tactics. Tran Hung Dao and other generals escorted the Royal Court, staying just ahead of the Mongol army in hot pursuit. When the Mongol army had been worn down with tropical diseases and lack of supplies, Tran Hung Dao launched a counter-offensive. Most of the battles were on the waterfronts, where the Mongols could not use their cavalry strength. Mongol commander Sogetu of the southern front was killed in the battle. In their withdrawal from Dai Viet, the Mongols were also attacked by the Hmong and Yao minorities in the northern regions.
[edit] Third Mongol defeat (1287-1288)
In 1287, Kublai Khan again sent Prince Toghan to lead another army into Dai Viet. The Mongol forces consisted of infantry, cavalry and a full fleet with the total strength estimated between 300,000 to 500,000 men according to the original Vietnamese history.
During the first stage, the Mongols quickly defeated most of the Dai Viet troops, stationed along the border. Prince Toghan's fleet devastated most of the force of General Tran Khanh Du in Van Don. Right before that, Prince Ariq-Qaya had led his cavalry to attack and capture Phu Luong and Dai Than, two important border stations in the north of Dai Viet. This ground force later met up with Prince Toghan's fleet in Van Don. Emperor Tran Nhan Tong called back General Tran Khanh Du for court-martial, but this general delayed his return and regrouped his force in Van Don. The cavalry and fleet of Prince Toghan continue to advance to Thang Long. Unfortunately, the trailing supply fleet of Prince Toghan, arriving at Van Do right after that, was ambushed and captured by the remaining forces of General Tran Khanh Du.
This news together with the news that General Tran Hung Đao had recaptured Dai Than in the north sent the fast advancing Mongol forces into chaos. Guerrilla tactics by the Vietnamese also started to cause a great deal of casualties to the Mongols. But the Mongols kept advancing to Thang Long, which was already abandoned by Dai Viet's Emperor. The following battle results were mixed: the Mongols won at Yen Hung and Long Hung but lost in the sea of Dai Bang. Eventually, Prince Toghan decided to withdraw his army: he would lead the ground force through Noi Bang while his fleet commander, Omar would direct the fleet back through Bach Dang River (Sông Bạch Đằng).
[edit] Battle of Bach Dang
Main article: Battle of Bach Dang (1288)
The Mongol fleet however had no idea of an unconventional trap already set by General Tran Hung Dao on Bach Dang River. Tran Hung Dao, for months before that, had his soldiers and peasants place huge steel-tipped wooden stakes in some waters of Bach Đang River. During the retreat of Omar, the Vietnamese used small craft to aggravate and lure the Mongol vessels to those waters, in what first appeared to be a victorious pursuit of the Mongols. As the tide on Bach Dang River receded, the Mongol vessels got stuck and sunk by those embedded steel-tipped stakes. The Vietnamese led by Tran Hung Dao burned off almost 400 Mongol vessels and attack ships on this river. The entire Mongol fleet was destroyed, and Omar was captured and executed.
The ground forces of Prince Toghan were more fortunate. They were ambushed along the road through Noi Bang, but managed to escape back to China by dividing their forces into smaller retreating groups.
