4 – Tran Hung Dao – (1228 -1300)
Tran Hung Dao is regarded as one of Vietnam’s greatest heroes and was an outstanding military commander who helped defeat two Mongol invasions in the 13th century. He wrote numerous warfare treatises which have helped historians learn more about this great leader’s tactics. During the middle of the 13th century, the Mongols were laying waste to Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The first of their three failed invasions of Vietnam occurred in the 1250s.
Tran became Supreme Commander of the Army in Vietnam and was faced with the toughest challenge of his career when Kublai Khan and a massive Mongol army attempted to conquer Vietnam. Khan invaded Northern Vietnam in 1283/84; instead of immediately facing them in an open field battle, Tran wisely adopted guerilla warfare tactics to frustrate the enemy. Nonetheless, Khan captured the Vietnamese capital in 1285 only to discover the nobles had burned down the city to prevent the invaders from plundering.
Tran exploited the weaknesses of the pursuing Mongols with a series of brilliant counter-offensives. He also lured the enemy into naval battles thus eliminating their cavalry advantage. The Mongols retreated, but Khan returned with another force in 1287. Again, Tran gave up ground and allowed the enemy to occupy Hanoi. Eventually, Tran went on the offensive and defeated the Mongols at the Battle of Bach Dang River in 1288. During this naval battle, the Mongols were lured into a trap where their junks were torn apart by iron-tipped spears hidden beneath the surface. The entire Mongol fleet was destroyed and its admiral executed. The rest of the Mongols fled back to China.
Despite having supreme command of the army, Tran never showed any signs of betraying his emperor. His tactic of using guerilla warfare against a vastly superior invading force was used as a model for the Vietnamese defense against America in the Vietnam War. Additionally, Tran’s ability to mobilize the entire nation was used as inspiration for the North Vietnamese forces during the Indochina Wars of the 20th century.