Tran Hung Dao Defeats Mongol Fleet at the Battle of Bach Dang
April 9, 1288 · Medieval
On April 9, 1288, Vietnamese commander Tran Hung Dao destroyed the Mongol-Yuan invasion fleet on the Bach Dang River by planting iron-tipped wooden stakes in the riverbed at low tide. When the Mongol fleet advanced upstream at high tide and then retreated, the falling waters impaled their ships on the hidden stakes. The tactic echoed Ngo Quyen's 938 CE victory at the same river against Chinese forces. This ended the third and final Mongol attempt to conquer Dai Viet, making Vietnam one of the few states to successfully repel Mongol invasion alongside Japan, Java, and the Mamluks.
Key Figures
Tran Hung Dao
Locations
Bach Dang River
Topics
naval warfareSoutheast AsiaMongol EmpireVietnamresistance to empire
Connected Events — 3 Connections
Marco Polo was residing at Kublai Khan's court during the Mongol campaigns against Vietnam, and his account describes the Yuan dynasty's military ambitions in Southeast Asia The Travels of Marco Polo Published
Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan's grandson, ordered the three invasions of Vietnam that Tran Hung Dao repelled, extending the Mongol Empire's failed campaigns in Southeast Asia Death of Genghis Khan
Jayavarman VII drove out the Cham invaders who had sacked Angkor; the Champa kingdom later allied with the Mongol-Yuan dynasty against Dai Viet, connecting the Khmer restoration to the broader Mongol campaigns in Southeast Asia Jayavarman VII Restores and Expands the Khmer Empire
The Time Detectives® · Cadet Mission
Investigate This Event
Place it on the timeline. Earn points. Master the connections.
New to The Time Detectives?
Learn what it is →