Ngo Quyen

Vietnamese king (r. 939-944)

• Born: c. 898
• Birthplace: Western Red River Delta, Kingdom of Nam Viet (now in Son Tay Province, Vietnam)
• Died: 944
• Place of death: Duong Lam, Kingdom of Nam Viet (now in Vietnam)

Ngo Quyen’s victory on the Bach-dang River against Chinese forces in 938 ended ten centuries of Chinese domination and restored Vietnamese independence.

Early Life

According to Vietnamese folklore, Ngo Quyen (NGOH kee-EHN) was given his name, Quyen, which means authority and power, because three black moles were discovered on his back when he was born. These moles were regarded as a sign of future greatness. He became known for his physical strength, wisdom, and bravery and was considered an expert in the martial arts at an early age.

Quyen’s father, Ngo Man, was a provincial magistrate in Phong. The young Ngo grew up at a time of immense changes in Vietnam . After almost a millennium of political control by China, the fall of the Tang Dynasty (T’ang; 608-907) fostered a period of political fragmentation within China known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960). Vietnam took advantage of this Chinese disunity to strengthen its power.

After the Vietnamese displaced the Tang governor of the region, they elected a local chieftain, Khuc Thua Du. This leader passed the rule to his son, who in turn sent his son to the area. When officials attempted to reestablish Chinese authority, they were ousted by a former general of Khuc Thua Du named Duong Dien Nghe.

Ngo Quyen became a general under Duong Dien Nghe. Not only did Nghe place Quyen in charge of Ai Province, but he also gave him one of his daughters in marriage. Quyen was regarded as a loyal subordinate and effective commander. Nghe was assassinated in 937 by one of his officers, Kieu Cong Tien, who attempted to reexert Chinese influence in the area. Both to avenge the death of his friend and to maintain indigenous control, Quyen mobilized an army and soon killed Tien. In doing so, Quyen naturally became the leader of the Vietnamese forces.

Life’s Work

By 938, Ngo Quyen had become a battle-hardened veteran of many military conflicts. His skills would be necessary against Chinese forces, who sent an expedition south to quash resistance. Led by Liu Hongcao (Liu Hung-ts’ao), the Chinese planned to travel on the Bach-dang River and place army personnel in the Giao region.

Anticipating the Chinese move, Ngo Quyen devised an ingenious and devastating strategy. He had his men place iron-tipped wooden poles in the bed of the river just below the surface. Quyen then had his forces provoke a fight with the Chinese and retreat down river. As Liu Hongcao’s boats chased the Vietnamese, the tide receded and the stakes trapped the Chinese vessels. During Quyen’s counterstrike, more than half the Chinese drowned, and most of their boats were destroyed. The remaining Chinese forces retreated.

The Battle of Bach-dang River ushered in a new period in Vietnamese history. Besides ending one thousand years of foreign dominance, the nationalist feelings that followed the military victory led Vietnam to proclaim its independence. The hero of the battle, Ngo Quyen, took the title of king in 939.

During his short reign, Ngo Quyen was credited with a number of achievements. First, he established the kingdom of Nam Viet. Though there is no record of how Quyen’s court was organized, there is evidence of the development of ceremonies and costumes, designation of mandarinates, and an emphasis on maintaining a strong military to defend the central government. Second, he set up a capital at Co-loa, site of the ancient capital of Thuc in the Au Lac kingdom, which ruled the country long before Chinese domination. This decision showed Quyen’s knowledge of Vietnamese history and willingness to form a new national identity. Third, this period became known as the Ngo Dynasty because of the achievements and legacy of its leader.

On the other hand, Ngo Quyen’s short reign had its share of problems. Royal control was never consolidated. State leaders built their power locally without developing loyalty to the throne. Finally, it was clear that Ngo’s kingdom still sought to emulate certain Chinese customs, which produced isolation between the throne and Vietnamese society in later years. Although the dynasty that Ngo Quyen founded would last until 965, his death in 944 precipitated a period of strife. Local warlords vied with Quyen’s descendants for control. Meanwhile, Ngo family squabbles weakened its position. A sharing of power by two Ngo brothers produced two kings ruling simultaneously, an arrangement that fell apart after fifteen years.

In 965, a new leader and dynasty emerged under Dinh Bo Linh, a former mercenary soldier who unified the divisive states. Proclaiming himself emperor, Linh renamed the country Dai Co Viet. After placating China, he received recognition of his position, something China refused to offer during the Ngo Dynasty.

Significance

Not only was Ngo Quyen a national hero in his own time but also his legacy is clearly seen in the evolution of Vietnam. First, ensuing dynasties followed the same goals identified during his reign: to prevent internal competition, to protect areas against Chinese invasion, and to acquire land to the south so as to expand the population. Second, except for two brief periods totaling thirty years, Vietnam retained its independence until French colonization of the country in the mid-nineteenth century. Third, subsequent rulers largely retained the capital that Quyen established albeit under different names where modern-day Hanoi is located.

Ngo Quyen deserves his place alongside Le Loi and Nguyen Anh, who vanquished the Chinese in 1428 and 1802, respectively, and Ho Chi Minh as one of the architects of Vietnamese independence. The military and political precedents that he set were acknowledged by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in October, 1999, when a commemorative stamp was issued in his honor depicting the victory in the 938 Battle of Bach-dang River.

Vietnam: Independent Governments, 10th-20th Centuries

Dates

• Government

939-965

• Ngo Dynasty (Ngo Quyen, founder)

968-980

• Dinh Dynasty

980-1009

• Le Dynasty

1009-1225

• Ly Dynasty

1225-1400

• Tran Dynasty

1400-1407

• Ho Dynasty

1428-1789

• Later Le Dynasty

1790-1802

• Chinese occupation

1802-1859

• Nguyen Dynasty

1859-1954

• French colonization

1940-1945

• Japanese occupation

1945

• Independence from Japan

1954

• Independence from France, division into North and South Vietnam

1975

• Reunification of North and South Vietnam, establishment of Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Bibliography

Bain, Chester A. The Roots of a Conflict. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1967. Comprehensive history of Vietnam through the mid-1950’.

Gettleman, Marvin E. Vietnam: History, Documents, and Opinions on a Major World Crisis. New York: New American Library, 1970. Contains a chapter on Vietnamese history.

Hall, D. G. E. A History of South-East Asia. London: Macmillan Education, 1988. Includes a section on the history of Vietnam.

Hess, Gary R. Vietnam and the United States: Origins and Legacy of War. New York: Twayne, 1998. Offers a short history of the development of Vietnam.

Taylor, Keith Weller. The Birth of Vietnam. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983. Traces the evolution of Vietnam from the beginning of recorded history in the third century b.c.e. to the tenth century.

Tucker, Spencer C. The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Contains an entry on Ngo Quyen, including citations leading to Vietnamese studies on Ngo.