Battle Of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa
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The Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa or Qing invasion of
Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), was a Vietnamese monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day Hanoi. Its early name, Đại Cồ Việt,(ch ...
(; ), also known as Victory of Kỷ Dậu (), was fought between the forces of the Vietnamese
Tây Sơn dynasty The Tây Sơn dynasty (; , (chữ Hán: 朝西山; Chữ Nôm: 茹西山), officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was an imperial dynasty of Vietnam. It originated in a revolt led by three peasant brothers with the surname Nguyễn, r ...
and the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
in (a place near Thanh Trì) and Đống Đa in northern Vietnam from 1788 to 1789. It resulted in the failure of the Chinese to restore the last Lê emperor Chiêu Thống, who had been usurped by the Tây Sơn. It is considered one of the greatest victories in Vietnamese military history.


Background

Since the 17th century Vietnam was divided into two parts: the southern part was
Đàng Trong Đàng Trong ( chữ Nôm: 唐冲, lit. "Inner Circuit"), also known as Nam Hà (, "South of the River"), was the South region of Vietnam, under the lordship of the Nguyễn clan, later enlarged by the Vietnamese southward expansion. The word '' ...
or Cochinchina, ruled by the
Nguyễn lords The Nguyễn lords (, 主阮; 1558–1777, 1780–1802), also known as the Nguyễn clan (; ), were Nguyễn dynasty's forerunner and a feudal noble clan ruling southern Đại Việt in the Revival Lê dynasty. The Nguyễn lords were membe ...
and the northern part was
Đàng Ngoài Đàng Ngoài ( vi-hantu, 唐外, lit. "Outer Land"), also known as Tonkin, Bắc Hà (北河, "North of the River") or '' Kingdom of Annam'' (安南國) by foreigners, was an area in northern Đại Việt (now Vietnam) during the 17th and 18t ...
or Tonkin, ruled by the
Trịnh lords Trịnh is a Vietnamese family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full na ...
under the puppet Lê emperors. In 1771 the Tây Sơn rebellion broke out in southern Vietnam, led by the brothers
Nguyễn Nhạc Nguyễn Nhạc ( vi-hantu, 阮岳, born 1743, died 1793) was the founder of the Tây Sơn dynasty, reigning from 1778 to 1788. From 1778 to 1788, Nguyễn Nhạc proclaimed himself Emperor Thái Đức ( vi-hantu, 泰德). In 1788 after his ...
,
Nguyễn Huệ Emperor Quang Trung (; vi-hantu, 光中, 1753 – 16 September 1792) or Nguyễn Huệ ( vi-hantu, 阮惠), also known as Nguyễn Quang Bình ( vi-hantu, 阮光平), or Hồ Thơm (chữ Hán: 胡𦹳) was the second emperor of the Tây Sơn dy ...
and
Nguyễn Lữ Nguyễn Lữ ( vi-hantu, 阮侶; died 1787), also known by the title of Đông Định vương (東定王, "king of Eastern Conquering"), was one of the Tây Sơn brothers who formed short-lived Tây Sơn dynasty of Vietnam. Biography Lữ had t ...
, who removed the local Nguyễn lord from power. After the capture of
Phú Xuân Phú Xuân (富春) was the historic capital of the Nguyễn lords, the Tây Sơn dynasty, and later became the Nguyễn dynasty's capital (renamed Huế). History In 1306, the King of Champa Chế Mân offered Vietnam two Chăm prefectures, Ô ...
(modern Huế),
Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh ( vi-hantu, 阮有整, 1741–1788) was an official during the Revival Lê dynasty in Vietnam. Chỉnh was a disciple of Hoàng Ngũ Phúc. He had been sent to Tây Sơn as a diplomat. Nguyễn Nhạc admired him for ...
, a renegade of Trịnh's general, encouraged Nguyễn Huệ to overthrow the Trịnh lord. Huệ took his advice, marched north and captured Thăng Long (modern
Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
). In 1788,
Lê Chiêu Thống Lê Chiêu Thống (1765–1793), born Lê Duy Khiêm and later Lê Duy Kỳ, was the last emperor of the Vietnamese Later Lê dynasty. He was overthrown by the Tây Sơn dynasty. He appealed to the Qing dynasty of China to help regain the th ...
was installed the new Lê emperor by Huệ. Huệ then retreated to Phú Xuân. However, Nguyễn Hữu Chỉnh became the new regent just like the Trịnh lords before. After learning about the actions of Chỉnh, an army under
Vũ Văn Nhậm Vũ Văn Nhậm (武文任, ?–1788) was a general of Tây Sơn dynasty. At first Nhậm was a low-ranking officer of Nguyễn lord. Later, he committed a crime and had to join Tây Sơn army. Nguyễn Nhạc appreciated his bravery, and mar ...
was sent by Huệ to attack Thăng Long. Chỉnh was swiftly defeated and executed. Lê Chiêu Thống fled and hid in the mountains. Nhậm could not find the emperor, so he installed
Lê Duy Cận Lê Duy Cận ( vi-hantu, 黎維𬓑, ?–?) or Lê Duy Cẩn, was a Vietnamese prince during Revival Lê dynasty. Cận was the second son of Lê Hiển Tông. In 1769, his elder brother, Lê Duy Vĩ, was stripped of his position as Crown Pr ...
as a puppet prince regent. Not long after Huệ executed Nhậm, he replaced him with the generals
Ngô Văn Sở Ngô Văn Sở (, died 1795) was a general of the Tây Sơn dynasty. Born in Tuy Viễn District (modern Tây Sơn District), Bình Định Province, he joined the Tây Sơn army at an early age. In 1787, Vũ Văn Nhậm led an army north into ...
and
Phan Văn Lân Phan Văn Lân (潘文璘, 1730–?) was a general of the Tây Sơn dynasty. He joined the Tây Sơn army in an early time. In 1787, Vũ Văn Nhậm led an army marching north into Tonkin. Lân and Ngô Văn Sở followed the army to assist ...
. Meanwhile, Lê Chiêu Thống never abandoned his attempt to regain the throne.
Lê Quýnh Lê Quýnh ( vi-hantu, 黎, 1750–1805) was a Vietnamese mandarin during Revival Lê dynasty. In 1787, a Tây Sơn general, Vũ Văn Nhậm, marched north to attack the capital Thăng Long (now Hanoi). After the fall of Thăng Long, Lê Chi ...
, Empress Dowager Mẫn and the eldest son of Lê Chiêu Thống, fled to
Longzhou Longzhou County (; Zhuang: ) is a county of southwestern Guangxi, China, bordering Cao Bằng province, Vietnam. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Chongzuo. Longzhou lies in a circular valley at the junction of the Xu ...
,
Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
, to seek support from
Qing China The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the Ming dynasty ...
. A large Qing army invaded Vietnam to restore Lê Chiêu Thống to the throne. What motivated the Qing imperial government to interfere in Vietnam's domestic affairs has always been disputed. Chinese scholars claimed that the
Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...
simply wanted to restore the Lê emperor and rule all Vietnam, seeking no territorial gains. Vietnamese scholars on the other hand have argued, that Qianlong Emperor intended to make Vietnam a vassal: China would station troops in Vietnam and install Lê Chiêu Thống as its puppet king.


Qing invasion

Two army contingents invaded Vietnam in October of the year ''Mậu Thân'' (November, 1788). The
Liangguang Liangguang (; Postal romanization: Liangkwang) is a Chinese term for the province of Guangdong and the former province and present autonomous region of Guangxi, collectively. It particularly refers to the viceroyalty of Liangguang under the Qi ...
army under
Sun Shiyi Sun Shiyi (, Vietnamese: Tôn Sĩ Nghị; 1720 – 1796), courtesy name Zhizhi (), pseudonym Bushan (), was an official of the Qing dynasty who served as the Viceroy of Liangguang and of Liangjiang during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. ...
and Xu Shiheng marched across the ''South Suppressing Pass'' (present day
Friendship Pass Friendship Pass (), also commonly known by its older name Ải Nam Quan (), is a pass near the China-Vietnam border, between China's Guangxi and Vietnam's Lạng Sơn province. The pass itself lies just inside the Chinese side of the border ...
) and the Yungui army under Wu Dajing marched across the Horse Pass. The two armies aimed to attack Thăng Long directly. According to the ''
Draft History of Qing The ''Draft History of Qing'' () is a draft of the official history of the Qing dynasty compiled and written by a team of over 100 historians led by Zhao Erxun who were hired by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China. The draft was publ ...
'', a navy had been dispatched from
Qinzhou Qinzhou ( postal: Yamchow or Yen Chow, , Jyutping: ''Jam1 zau1'' ( Canton) /''Ham1 zau1'' (Local) ) is a prefecture-level city in south-central Guangxi, southern China, lying on the Gulf of Tonkin and having a total population of 3,302,238 as ...
to attack
Hải Dương Hải Dương () is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of Hải Dương Province, Hải Dương, an industrialized province in the Hanoi Capital Region and the Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam. The city is at the midpoint between the capita ...
, which, however is not mentioned in Vietnamese records. The size of the interventionist army was various; according to the ''
Hoàng Lê nhất thống chí Hoàng Lê nhất thống chí (, ''Records of the Unification of Imperial Lê''), also known as An Nam nhất thống chí (, ''Records of the Unification of Annam''), written by the ''Writers of Ngô family'' (, ''Ngô gia văn phái''), is a Vie ...
'', Sun Shiyi allegedly exaggerated that his army numbered up to 500,000. Boisserand, a French missionary, in a letter to MEP on 14 March 1789, claimed that the Chinese army was roughly 36,000 men. The ''
Đại Nam thực lục ''Đại Nam thực lục'' ( vi-hantu, 大南寔錄, lit. "Veritable Records of the Great South", "Annals of Đại Nam", "Chronicle of Greater Vietnam") was the official history of Nguyễn dynasty, Vietnam. It contained the royal records of t ...
'' speaks 200,000 Chinese. Missionary Charles La Mothe gave an estimate for the Chinese force at 300,000 men. Peter C. Perdue gives a figure of 10,000 Chinese and 100,000 Vietnamese Le loyalist militia. A sizeable force under Sun Shiyi approached
Lạng Sơn Lạng Sơn () is a city in far Northern Vietnam, and the capital of Lạng Sơn Province. It is accessible by road and rail from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and it is the northernmost point on National Route 1. History Due to its geograph ...
and in order to put pressure on the Tây Sơn forces, Sun announced that there was a much larger Qing army yet to come. He also promised that who ever helped the Chinese army, would be installed the future regent just like the
Trịnh lords Trịnh is a Vietnamese family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full na ...
before. As a consequence Lê dynasty supporters took up arms against the Tây Sơn army. The Chinese defeated the Tây Sơn army in Lạng Sơn and Nguyễn Văn Diễm (阮文艷) fled, while Phan Khải Đức (潘啓德) surrendered. The Chinese swiftly pushed further towards the south, threatening the unprepared Tây Sơn army, which dispersed in all directions. Nguyễn Văn Hòa (阮文和) rallied the remnants of the army and occupied Tam Giang, Yên Phong District to confront the Chinese. Having assessed the situation
Ngô Văn Sở Ngô Văn Sở (, died 1795) was a general of the Tây Sơn dynasty. Born in Tuy Viễn District (modern Tây Sơn District), Bình Định Province, he joined the Tây Sơn army at an early age. In 1787, Vũ Văn Nhậm led an army north into ...
ordered
Lê Duy Cận Lê Duy Cận ( vi-hantu, 黎維𬓑, ?–?) or Lê Duy Cẩn, was a Vietnamese prince during Revival Lê dynasty. Cận was the second son of Lê Hiển Tông. In 1769, his elder brother, Lê Duy Vĩ, was stripped of his position as Crown Pr ...
to write a letter to Sun Shiyi. Cận described himself as a popular ruler and tried to persuade Sun to retreat, which was rejected by Sun. Realizing the Tây Sơn army could not stop the Chinese army from marching towards Thăng Long,
Ngô Thì Nhậm Ngô Thì Nhậm or Ngô Thời Nhiệm ( vi-hantu, 吳時任, 1746–1803) was an important Vietnamese scholar and official who served several regimes during the turbulent last decades of the eighteenth century. He had served as an official for t ...
suggested that the Tây Sơn army should retreat to
Tam Điệp Tam Điệp is a city of Ninh Bình Province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. History Its name Tam Điệp means "the three peaks", which is indicated with the large limestone mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Ea ...
and seek aid from
Phú Xuân Phú Xuân (富春) was the historic capital of the Nguyễn lords, the Tây Sơn dynasty, and later became the Nguyễn dynasty's capital (renamed Huế). History In 1306, the King of Champa Chế Mân offered Vietnam two Chăm prefectures, Ô ...
(present day
Huế Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...
). Sở accepted his idea. Troops in
Sơn Nam ''Toxicodendron succedaneum'', the wax tree, Japanese Hazenoki tree (Sumac or wax tree), sơn in Vietnamese or charão in Portuguese, is a flowering plant species in the genus ''Toxicodendron'' found in Asia, although it has been planted elsewh ...
,
Sơn Tây ''Toxicodendron succedaneum'', the wax tree, Japanese Hazenoki tree (Sumac or wax tree), sơn in Vietnamese or charão in Portuguese, is a flowering plant species in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' found in Asia, although it has been planted else ...
and
Kinh Bắc The Vietnamese people (, ) or the Kinh people (), also known as the Viet people or the Viets, are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day northern Vietnam and southern China who speak Vietnamese, the most widely spoken Austroasi ...
retreated to Thăng Long. Sở gathered them, then abandoned Thăng Long and orderly retreated to Tam Điệp. However,
Phan Văn Lân Phan Văn Lân (潘文璘, 1730–?) was a general of the Tây Sơn dynasty. He joined the Tây Sơn army in an early time. In 1787, Vũ Văn Nhậm led an army marching north into Tonkin. Lân and Ngô Văn Sở followed the army to assist ...
did not agree. Lân then led a troop to attack the Chinese army at the Nguyệt Đức River (present day
Cầu River Cầu River () is a river of northern Vietnam. It flows through the provinces/cities of Bắc Kạn, Thái Nguyên, Bắc Giang, Hanoi, Bắc Ninh Bắc Ninh () is a city in the Northern Vietnam, northern part of Vietnam and is the capital o ...
), but was utterly beaten by Zhang Chaolong and fled back. Sở concealed the fact. In Tam Điệp, Ngô Văn Sở sent Nguyễn Văn Tuyết to Phú Xuân to ask for aid. On November 29 (December 16, 1788), the Chinese army marched across the Nhị River (present day Red River). They occupied Thăng Long the next morning without meeting any resistant. On November 24 (December 21, 1788), Sun Shiyi installed
Lê Chiêu Thống Lê Chiêu Thống (1765–1793), born Lê Duy Khiêm and later Lê Duy Kỳ, was the last emperor of the Vietnamese Later Lê dynasty. He was overthrown by the Tây Sơn dynasty. He appealed to the Qing dynasty of China to help regain the th ...
as "king of Annam" in Thăng Long. Sun regarded himself as the patron of the Lê rulers and looked down upon Lê Chiêu Thống. It was whispered among the Vietnamese that they never had a monarch as unworthy as this before. Lê Chiêu Thống increasingly disappointed his supporters as he reportedly was narrow-minded and exceptionally cruel, who had cut off the legs of his three uncles, whom had surrendered to Tây Sơn army before. He had also cut open the wombs of pregnant princesses alive, who had married Tây Sơn generals.


Tây Sơn reinforcements march north

On November 24 (December 21, 1788), Nguyễn Văn Tuyết arrived in
Phú Xuân Phú Xuân (富春) was the historic capital of the Nguyễn lords, the Tây Sơn dynasty, and later became the Nguyễn dynasty's capital (renamed Huế). History In 1306, the King of Champa Chế Mân offered Vietnam two Chăm prefectures, Ô ...
.
Nguyễn Huệ Emperor Quang Trung (; vi-hantu, 光中, 1753 – 16 September 1792) or Nguyễn Huệ ( vi-hantu, 阮惠), also known as Nguyễn Quang Bình ( vi-hantu, 阮光平), or Hồ Thơm (chữ Hán: 胡𦹳) was the second emperor of the Tây Sơn dy ...
declared Lê Chiêu Thống was a national traitor, not qualified for the throne. On the next day, Huệ proclaimed himself Emperor Quang Trung. After the coronation he marched north with about 20,000 soldiers, recruited volunteers while in the Nghệ An Province thereby increasing his force to 100,000 troops. In Thọ Hạc (
Thanh Hóa Thanh Hóa () is the capital of Thanh Hóa Province. The city is situated in the east of the province on the Ma River (Sông Mã), about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of capital Hanoi and 1560 kilometers (969 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh Cit ...
) he inspired his soldiers with an epic address: His men, encouraged, expressed their approval and quickly marched on. Meanwhile, the Chinese generals had after a few facile victories become overconfident and looked down upon the Tây Sơn army. Huệ, who had noticed it sent an envoy to sue for peace. Sun ordered Huệ to retreat to Phú Xuân, but Huệ ignored. Huệ arrived in
Tam Điệp Tam Điệp is a city of Ninh Bình Province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. History Its name Tam Điệp means "the three peaks", which is indicated with the large limestone mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Ea ...
on December 20 (January 15, 1789). He approved of the idea of
Ngô Thì Nhậm Ngô Thì Nhậm or Ngô Thời Nhiệm ( vi-hantu, 吳時任, 1746–1803) was an important Vietnamese scholar and official who served several regimes during the turbulent last decades of the eighteenth century. He had served as an official for t ...
's plan. Huệ gathered all forces and divided them into five columns. The main force led by Huệ, marched north to attack Thăng Long directly. A navy led by Nguyễn Văn Tuyết sailed from Lục Đầu River to attack the Lê supporters in
Hải Dương Hải Dương () is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of Hải Dương Province, Hải Dương, an industrialized province in the Hanoi Capital Region and the Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam. The city is at the midpoint between the capita ...
. Another navy led by Nguyễn Văn Lộc, sailed from the Lục Đầu River to attack Phượng Nhãn and Lạng Giang. A cavalry contingent (including
war elephant A war elephant is an elephant that is Animal training, trained and guided by humans for combat purposes. Historically, the war elephant's main use was to charge (warfare), charge the enemy, break their ranks, and instill terror and fear. Elep ...
s) led by Đặng Tiến Đông, marched to attack Cen Yidong in Đống Đa; another cavalry (including war elephants) led by Nguyễn Tăng Long marched past
Sơn Tây ''Toxicodendron succedaneum'', the wax tree, Japanese Hazenoki tree (Sumac or wax tree), sơn in Vietnamese or charão in Portuguese, is a flowering plant species in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' found in Asia, although it has been planted else ...
to attack Xu Shiheng in Ngọc Hồi (a place near the Thanh Trì).


Battle

The Qing armies decided to celebrate the
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...
festival and then march further south to capture
Phú Xuân Phú Xuân (富春) was the historic capital of the Nguyễn lords, the Tây Sơn dynasty, and later became the Nguyễn dynasty's capital (renamed Huế). History In 1306, the King of Champa Chế Mân offered Vietnam two Chăm prefectures, Ô ...
(present day
Huế Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...
) on January 6 of the next year (January 31, 1789). As the Vietnamese New Year (
Tết Tết (, ), short for (; ), is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar and usually falls on January or February in the Gregorian calendar. is not to be co ...
) was generally celebrated on the same day, the Chinese generals assumed that the Tây Sơn army would not attack during the holidays. Subsequent events, however, would prove that they were wrong. The Tây Sơn army crossed the Giao Thủy River (present day Hoàng Long River in Ninh Bình Province) on New Year's Eve and eliminated all Chinese scouts they encountered on their way. The Tây Sơn army reached Thăng Long during the night of January 3 of the next year (January 28, 1789) and immediately launched a surprise attack on the Chinese, who were celebrating the New Year festival. The Tay Son had surrounded the city, bringing heavy cannons on the back of elephants and breached its forts. Nguyễn Huệ had the Hà Hồi Fort besieged as his soldiers shouted at them to surrender. The Qing army were frightened and dispersed into the night. At dawn of January 5 (January 30, 1789), Huệ besieged the Ngọc Hồi Fort. The Qing army in the fort opened fire at the Tây Sơn army, who attacked the Qing army with big wet wood blocks to protect themselves. Nguyễn Huệ, riding an elephant, inspired his men by fighting in the front. The fort was breached by war elephants and the Tây Sơn entered the fort and fought the Qing army with daggers. They then captured Văn Điển, Đống Đa, An Quyết and other forts. The Qing forces, disastrously defeated, disbanded and fled in confusion. When Sun Shiyi learnt that his army was defeated, he fled with a dozen men, and while crossing the Nhị River (present day Red River) lost his
official seal A seal is a device for making an impression in wax, clay, paper, or some other medium, including an embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made. The original purpose was to authenticate a document, or to prevent interference with ...
, which was later found by Tây Sơn soldiers and handed to Nguyễn Huệ.
Lê Chiêu Thống Lê Chiêu Thống (1765–1793), born Lê Duy Khiêm and later Lê Duy Kỳ, was the last emperor of the Vietnamese Later Lê dynasty. He was overthrown by the Tây Sơn dynasty. He appealed to the Qing dynasty of China to help regain the th ...
also fled to China. The Qing generals Xu Shiheng, Shang Weisheng, Zhang Chaolong and Cen Yidong were killed in action. Countless Qing soldiers and supporters drowned while crossing the river, including general Li Hualong. Đặng Xuân Bảo or Nguyễn Tăng Long was the first general to enter Thăng Long followed by Nguyễn Huệ and his main force and recaptured the city. The army under Wu Dajing reached
Sơn Tây ''Toxicodendron succedaneum'', the wax tree, Japanese Hazenoki tree (Sumac or wax tree), sơn in Vietnamese or charão in Portuguese, is a flowering plant species in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' found in Asia, although it has been planted else ...
. There, Wu heard that Sun was defeated. Wu decided to retreat to
Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
. His army was ambushed by the Tày local chief Ma Doãn Dao. However, unlike Sun, most of his soldiers arrived in China safely and was praised by the
Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...
. Because of his rapid victory over the Qing interventionists, Nguyễn Huệ was nicknamed by some contemporary missionaries as "new Attila" or "new Alexander."


Aftermath

Seven days later, Sun Shiyi arrived in
Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
. There, he met Lê Chiêu Thống. According to the ''
Khâm định Việt sử Thông giám cương mục The ''Khâm định Việt sử Thông giám cương mục'' ( vi-hantu, 欽定越史通鑑綱目, lit. "The Imperially Ordered Annotated Text Completely Reflecting the History of Viet") is the history of Vietnam commissioned by the Emperor Tự ...
'', Sun comforted Lê Chiêu Thống and promised that he would gather new troops and reinstall him. Lê Chiêu Thống and his supporters were accommodated in
Guilin Guilin (Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''), postal map romanization, formerly romanization of Chinese, romanized as Kweilin, is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the we ...
. The irate
Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...
of the Qing replaced
Sun Shiyi Sun Shiyi (, Vietnamese: Tôn Sĩ Nghị; 1720 – 1796), courtesy name Zhizhi (), pseudonym Bushan (), was an official of the Qing dynasty who served as the Viceroy of Liangguang and of Liangjiang during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. ...
with
Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...
official
Fuk'anggan Fuk'anggan (Manchu:, Möllendorff: fuk'anggan; ; 1748–1796), courtesy name Yaolin (), was a Manchu noble and general of the Qing Dynasty. He was from the Fuca clan () and the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Eight Banners. Fuk'anggan's father, ...
. Fuk'anggan did not want a conflict with Nguyễn Huệ and he sent a letter to Huệ in which he expressed that a necessary prerequisite for a cease-fire was an apology of Huệ to the emperor. Nguyễn Huệ sought to restore the tributary relationship in order to deter a joint Qing-
Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
pincer attack and prevent further Chinese attempts to restore the Lê dynasty. Nguyễn Huệ sent a ritually submissive request to the Qianlong Emperor under the name of Nguyễn Quang Bình (also referred to as Ruan Guangping in Chinese). In 1789, the Qianlong Emperor agreed to re-establish the tributary relationship and enfeoff Nguyễn Huệ as the king of Annam on the condition that Huệ personally lead a special delegation to
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
to celebrate the Qianlong Emperor's 80th birthday. For the Qianlong Emperor, the motivation for accepting the arrangement was to retain the Qing's supremacy and stabilize their southern border. Chinese and Vietnamese sources agreed that Nguyễn Huệ sent an imposter with a delegation to Beijing, where they were received with lavish imperial favors. The Qianlong Emperor approved the proposal and bestowed Nguyễn with the title ''An Nam quốc vương'' ("King of Annam"). The title indicated that Huệ was recognized as the legal ruler of Vietnam and Lê Chiêu Thống was no longer supported. Nguyễn Huệ was resentful, trained his army, built large warships and waited for an opportunity to take revenge on Qing dynasty. He also provided refuge to prominent
anti-Qing Anti-Qing sentiment () refers to a sentiment principally held in China against the rule of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1644–1912), which was criticized by opponents as being "barbaric". Already hated by the Han Chinese because of the Manchus' ...
organizations such as the
Tiandihui The Tiandihui, the Heaven and Earth Society, also called Hongmen (the Vast Family), is a Chinese fraternal organization and historically a secretive folk religious sect in the vein of the Ming loyalist White Lotus Sect, the Tiandihu ...
and the White Lotus. Infamous
Chinese pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
, such as Chen Tien-pao (陳添保),
Mo Kuan-fu Mo Guanfu (, ; Vietnamese: ''Mạc Quan Phù'', ?–1801) was a powerful Chinese pirate throughout the South China Sea in the late 1700s. Mo was born to a woodsman's family in Suixi County, Guangdong. He was kidnapped by the pirates in 1787. ...
(莫觀扶), Liang Wen-keng (梁文庚),
Fan Wen-tsai Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling * Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially with ...
(樊文才),
Cheng Chi Zheng Qi (also spelled Ching Tsih or Cheng Chi; born Zheng Yaohuang; 1760 – September 1802) was a powerful Chinese pirate operating from Canton (Guangdong) and throughout the South China Sea in the late 1700s. History He was born Zheng Y ...
(鄭七) and Cheng I (鄭一) were granted official positions and/or noble ranks under the Tây Sơn empire. However, the attack never materialized by the time that Quang Trung died in 1792.'' Đại Nam chính biên liệt truyện'', vol. 30 After a 1782 massacre of
Hoa People The Hoa people, also known as Vietnamese Chinese (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Người Hoa'', or ) are the citizens and nationals of Vietnam of full or partial Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese migration into Vietnam dates back millennia ...
was carried out by the Tây Sơn, the support of the domestic Chinese shifted towards to the
Nguyễn lords The Nguyễn lords (, 主阮; 1558–1777, 1780–1802), also known as the Nguyễn clan (; ), were Nguyễn dynasty's forerunner and a feudal noble clan ruling southern Đại Việt in the Revival Lê dynasty. The Nguyễn lords were membe ...
.Choi
p.35–37
/ref>Choi
p.74–
/ref> The Nguyễn lords eventually defeated the Tây Sơn dynasty thanks to Chinese community support, took complete control of Vietnam, and established the imperial
Nguyễn dynasty The Nguyễn dynasty (, chữ Nôm: 茹阮, chữ Hán: 朝阮) was the last List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, preceded by the Nguyễn lords and ruling unified Vietnam independently from 1802 until French protectorate in 1883 ...
in 1802.


Cultural influence

The Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa is considered one of the greatest military victories by the Vietnamese people. In China it holds rank among the "
Ten Great Campaigns The Ten Great Campaigns () were a series of military campaigns launched by the Qing dynasty of China in the mid–late 18th century during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735–1796). They included three to enlarge the area of Qing contr ...
" that took place during the reign of the
Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...
. The Vietnamese victory is seen as the next step after the Burmese
Konbaung Dynasty The Konbaung dynasty (), also known as the Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်), was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. It created the second-largest empire in history of Mya ...
's victory over the Qing Chinese in the earlier
Sino-Burmese War The Sino-Burmese War (; ), also known as the Qing invasions of Burma or the Myanmar campaign of the Qing dynasty, was a war fought between the Qing dynasty of China and the Konbaung dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). China under the Qianlong Emperor ...
. Recorded as a military victory so severe, it has been speculated, that the event might have prevented the Qing from other attempts to invade Southeast Asia. Emperor Quang Trung has since taken his place as an icon of Vietnamese culture. As a national savior he is depicted on the South Vietnamese 200 đồng banknote and temples and streets are named after him.


Gallery

File:清人画平定安南战图册.png, Battle at Gia-quan and Ha-Ho File:Battle at Tam-dy and Tru-huu.jpg, Battle at Tam-dy and Tru-huu File:Battle at the River Tho-xuong.jpg, Battle at the River Tho-xuong File:Battle at the River Thi-cau.jpg, Battle at the River Thi-cau File:Battle at the River Phu-luong.jpg, Battle at the River Phu-luong File:Annam's envois with Qing's officials.jpg, Victory banquet of the emperor to greet Nguyen Quang-Hien, the envoy of Nguyen Hue


See also

*
Đống Đa Mound Đống Đa Mound () or Đống Đa Hill is a historic tumulus-like mound in the Đống Đa Park (Công viên Đống Đa), in the Đống Đa District, Hanoi, Vietnam. Background Đống Đa Mound is said to be the place where the Battle of Ng ...
*
Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút The Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút (, ) was fought between the Vietnamese Tây Sơn forces and an army of Siam in present-day Tiền Giang Province of Vietnam on January 20, 1785. It is considered one of the greatest victories in Vietnames ...
*
Tây Sơn military tactics and organization The Tây Sơn rebel army incorporated during the three decades of its existence (from 1771 to 1802) new and unconventional ideas of tactics and organization. Logistic and tactical aspects like intelligence analysis, troop co-operation, transport a ...
*
Ten Great Campaigns The Ten Great Campaigns () were a series of military campaigns launched by the Qing dynasty of China in the mid–late 18th century during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735–1796). They included three to enlarge the area of Qing contr ...
* ''
Draft History of Qing The ''Draft History of Qing'' () is a draft of the official history of the Qing dynasty compiled and written by a team of over 100 historians led by Zhao Erxun who were hired by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China. The draft was publ ...
'' * ''
Đại Nam thực lục ''Đại Nam thực lục'' ( vi-hantu, 大南寔錄, lit. "Veritable Records of the Great South", "Annals of Đại Nam", "Chronicle of Greater Vietnam") was the official history of Nguyễn dynasty, Vietnam. It contained the royal records of t ...
'' *
Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) The Sino-Burmese War (; ), also known as the Qing invasions of Burma or the Myanmar campaign of the Qing dynasty, was a war fought between the Qing dynasty of China and the Konbaung dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). China under the Qianlong Emperor ...
*
Ming conquest of Đại Ngu The Ming invasion of Viet (/《平定交南錄》,(明)丘浚著), known in Vietnam as the Ming–Đại Ngu War (; / ; Hán-Nôm, Hán Nôm: 戰爭大虞 – 大明) was a military campaign against the kingdom of Đại Ngu (present-day ...
*
Mongol invasions of Vietnam Four major military campaigns were launched by the Mongol Empire, and later the Yuan dynasty, against the kingdom of Đại Việt (modern-day northern Vietnam) ruled by the Trần dynasty and the kingdom of Champa (modern-day central Vietnam) ...


Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da Tây Sơn wars Conflicts in 1788 Conflicts in 1789 Qianlong Emperor Wars involving the Qing dynasty Wars involving Vietnam 1788 in China 1788 in Vietnam 1789 in China 1789 in Vietnam Military history of Hanoi Wars between China and Vietnam Military history of Vietnam Invasions of Vietnam China–Vietnam relations Wars involving Đại Việt Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa 18th-century military history of China