Tran Hung Dao

Who is Tran Hung Dao?

Trần Hưng Đạo, also known as Prince Trần Quốc Tuấn, was the supreme military commander of Đại Việt (medieval Vietnam) during the Trần dynasty and is revered as one of the nation's greatest heroes. He led the kingdom's defense against three massive invasions by the Mongol Yuan empire in the thirteenth century, the most feared military power of the age. Using mobile warfare, scorched-earth withdrawals and deep knowledge of terrain, he repeatedly outmaneuvered far larger forces. His most celebrated triumph came in 1288 at the Battle of Bạch Đằng, where his troops planted iron-tipped stakes in the riverbed and lured the Mongol fleet onto them at low tide, destroying it. He is also remembered for his stirring 'Proclamation to the Officers' (Hịch tướng sĩ), which rallied his soldiers' morale. After his death he was deified in popular religion and is worshipped in temples across Vietnam.

Sources: Keith Weller Taylor, 'A History of the Vietnamese' (2013) · Trần Hưng Đạo, 'Hịch tướng sĩ' (Proclamation to the Officers), 13th-century text