Nguyễn Trãi

Lore & Background

Nguyễn Trãi was born in 1380 in Thăng Long (present-day Hanoi), the capital of the declining Trần dynasty. Under the brief Hồ dynasty, he passed examination and served for a time in the government. In 1406, Ming forces invaded and conquered Vietnam. In 1417, Nguyễn Trãi joined rebel leader Lê Lợi, who was resisting the occupation from a mountainous region in Thanh Hóa Province south of Hanoi. Nguyễn Trãi served as the chief advisor, strategist and propagandist for the movement. The war of independence lasted from 1417 to 1427. During this period, Nguyễn Trãi sought to undermine the resolve of the enemy and to negotiate a favorable peace by sending a series of missives to the Ming commanders. In 1427, after the battle of Chi Lăng-Xương Giang, Wang Tong sued for peace. Nguyễn Trãi penned a famous proclamation of victory. After the war, Nguyễn Trãi was elevated by Lê Lợi to an exalted position in the new court but internal intrigues meant he was not appointed regent upon the emperor's death; that position was bestowed upon Lê Sát. Finding life at court increasingly difficult, Nguyễn Trãi retired to his country home north of Hanoi in the tranquil mountains of Chí Linh, where he enjoyed poetry writing and meditation. In 1442, the young emperor Lê Thái Tông began an affair with Nguyễn Trãi's wife or concubine, Nguyễn Thị Lộ. After the emperor suddenly became ill and died, the nobles blamed Nguyễn Thị Lộ, accused her and Nguyễn Trãi of regicide, and had both, along with most members of their extended families, executed. Twenty years later, emperor Lê Thánh Tông officially pardoned Nguyễn Trãi, saying he was wholly innocent, and gave him the posthumous noble title the Count of Tán Trù.

Reader's Guide

Nguyễn Trãi's significance lies in his dual role as a military strategist and poet. According to Loren Baritz, Trãi set down the Vietnamese strategy against the Chinese in an essay, which would prove to be very close to the Communists' strategy of insurgency: 'subordinate military action to the political and moral struggle...better to conquer hearts than citadels.' His surviving poems, collected in Ức Trai Thi Tập by Dương Bá Cung and printed in 1868, were written in both ancient Chinese (Hán) and Vietnamese (Nôm) and are noted for their wit, humility, and conversational tone. In 2010, the first collection of his poetry in English translation, Beyond the Court Gate, was published by Nguyễn Đỗ and Paul Hoover. Most cities in Vietnam have named major streets after him. A large shrine of remembrance at his former home in Chí Linh, covering from the foot of the mountain to the top, honors him as a national hero. His legacy includes influencing Vietnamese strategic thought and literature.

Did You Know?

• Nguyễn Trãi was born in 1380 in Thăng Long (present-day Hanoi), the capital of the declining Trần dynasty.
• He joined rebel leader Lê Lợi in 1417 and served as chief advisor, strategist, and propagandist during the war of independence that lasted until 1427.
• After the war, he was not appointed regent upon Lê Lợi's death; that role went to Lê Sát instead.
• He was executed in 1442 along with his wife or concubine Nguyễn Thị Lộ and most of their extended family, after the young emperor Lê Thái Tông died suddenly following an affair with Nguyễn Thị Lộ.
• Twenty years later, emperor Lê Thánh Tông officially pardoned Nguyễn Trãi and gave him the posthumous noble title the Count of Tán Trù.