Mongol Invasions of Vietnam

The Mongol Invasions of Vietnam comprised a series of major campaigns launched in 1258, 1282-1284, 1285 and 1287-1288 by the Mongol Empire and, in the later campaigns, the Yuan dynasty, against the kingdom of Dai Viet under the Tran dynasty and, at times, the neighboring kingdom of Champa. The first invasion, led by the Mongol general Uriyangkhadai, briefly captured the Vietnamese capital Thang Long, and later Yuan campaigns under Prince Toghon and generals such as Omar and Li Heng again achieved early territorial gains, including further battles at Thi Nai Bay and Chuong Duong. Despite these advances, Tran forces repeatedly outmaneuvered and wore down the invading armies, most famously destroying a Mongol fleet at the Battle of Bach Dang in 1288 by luring it onto river stakes at low tide. The campaigns ultimately failed to conquer Dai Viet outright, and both Dai Viet and Champa instead accepted nominal Yuan tributary status to avoid further invasion, an outcome Vietnamese historiography has long remembered as a successful defense against foreign conquest.