a vietnamese general during ly
dynasty(vietnam). In foreign relations with the Song Dynasty in
China during the Ly Dynasty, Vietnam acted as a vassal state, although at its zenith it had sent troops into Chinese territory to
fight the Song.
The Song emperor mobilized troops, passed decree to forbid all the provinces to trade with dai viet. Upon hearing the news, the ly ruler sent ly thoung kiet and Ton dan with more than 100,000 troops to
China to
meet the Song troops. In the ensuing 40-
day battle near modern-
day Nanning, the dai viet troops were victorious, killing hundred of thousands of soldiers as well as others and capturing the generals of three Song armies. In 1076, the Songs formed an alliance with Champa and Chenla and sent troops to invade dai viet. Ly Nhan tong sent, again, ly thoung kiet. Being one of the many great military strategists of Vietnam, Ly thoung kiet had placed spikes under the Nhu Nguen River before tricking the Song troops into the deadly trap, killing more than 1,000 Chinese soldiers and forcing the Chinese to retreat. According to
legend, during this
time ly thoung kiet had also composed the famous poem
Nam quoc son ha(Rivers and Mountains of the South Nation), which asserted the sovereignty of Vietnam over its land. This poem is considered the first Vietnamese Declaration of independence.