Battle of Bạch Đằng (1288)
Bạch Đằng River, Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam
What happened
Đại Việt forces under Prince Trần Hưng Đạo fought the fleet of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, led by Admiral Omar. This was the third time Kublai Khan's armies had invaded Đại Việt (Vietnam). Trần Hưng Đạo copied a plan used at the same river in 938: his men drove iron-tipped stakes into the riverbed. Vietnamese boats lured the Yuan fleet in at high tide, and when the tide fell the big ships were caught on the stakes and captured or destroyed.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended the third Mongol invasion and Kublai Khan's plans to conquer Đại Việt. It is considered one of Vietnam's greatest victories.
What came next
The two sides exchanged prisoners, and Đại Việt agreed to a light, mostly formal tribute relationship with the Yuan. Trần Hưng Đạo is honoured today as a national hero, with temples and streets named after him.
Did you know?
The same river saw a famous victory 350 years earlier, in 938, using the very same trick with stakes and the tide.
Timeline
- 938Ngô Quyền first uses the stakes trick at Bạch Đằng.
- 1285The second Mongol invasion is driven back.
- 1287-1288The third Mongol invasion begins.
- 9 April 1288Trần Hưng Đạo destroys the Yuan fleet at Bạch Đằng.