Battle of Bạch Đằng (1288)

The Battle of Bạch Đằng

Date	1288
Location	Bạch Đằng, present northern Vietnam
Result	Decisive Vietnamese Victory

Belligerents

Trần dynasty

Yuan dynasty

Commanders and leaders

Trần Hưng Đạo
Trần Khánh Dư

Omar Khan (POW)

Strength

50,000+

80,000 regular troops
30,000 tribal auxiliaries from Yunnan and Hainan
a 1,000-man vanguard
500 ships

Casualties and losses

Unknown

Almost all ships destroyed or captured

The Battle of Bạch Đằng (Vietnamese: Trận Bạch Đằng, Chữ nôm: 陣白藤) was one of the greatest victories in Vietnamese military history. It was a battle between Đại Việt, commanded by Supreme Commander Trần Hưng Đạo, and the invading army of the Yuan dynasty, commanded by general Omar Khan. The Battle of Bạch Đằng was the last confrontation between Đại Việt and the Yuan dynasty. The battle took place at the Bach Dang River, near Ha Long Bay in present-day northern Vietnam. The battle was a tactical masterpiece of the same stature as the other battle at Bach Dang River.

In 1287 the Yuan commander Toghan, a son of Kublai Khan, invaded Vietnam for the third time. Under his command were 70,000 regular troops, 21,000 tribal auxiliaries from Yunnan and Hainan, a 1,000-man vanguard under the general Abachi, and 500 ships under the Muslim Omar (Vietnamese: Ô Mã Nhi) and Chinese Fanji (according to some sources, the Mongol force was composed of 300,000–500,000 men). After the defeat of the first two invasions, Kublai sent veterans such as Arigh Khaiya, Nasir al-Din and his grandson Esen-Temür. The invading force employed a different strategy as well; a huge base was to be established just inland from Hải Phòng, and a large-scale naval assault was mounted as well as the standard land assault. The Vietnamese forces, led by Trần Hưng Đạo, employed a Fabian strategy. They withdrew from inhabited areas, leaving the Mongols with nothing to conquer, and focused on harassing the invading army. A fleet prepared to bring provisions to Toghan's army by maritime route was ambushed and burned by the admiral Trần Khánh Dư. Lacking supplies, Toghan retreated through the Bạch Đằng River, intending to return to China. Trần Hưng Đạo, aware of the Yuan retreat, prepared an attack.

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