A Thousand Years of Thang Long's Glorious Spirit
Ly Cong Uan ascended the throne, establishing the Ly Dynasty at the end of 1009. The following spring, during a visit to his hometown of Co Phap (now Dinh Bang - Bac Ninh), the King passed through Dai La citadel and saw that it "had the shape of a coiled dragon and a seated tiger, situated in the middle of north, south, east, and west, conveniently shaped with mountains behind and rivers in front, the land was vast and flat, the place was high and bright, all things were very prosperous and flourishing. Looking throughout the land of Vietnam, this place is the best, truly a meeting place of the four directions, the supreme capital of the capital for all generations" (Edict on Relocating the Capital).
Thus, in early autumn that year, Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh) to Dai La. As the royal boat docked on the Red River, a golden dragon suddenly appeared at the bow of the boat, then slowly flew up. The King was overjoyed and named the new capital Thang Long.
The capital city of Thang Long has been in existence for nearly 1000 years, experiencing countless changes and transformations. Palaces have been added, fortifications expanded, the population has grown increasingly dense, and scholars and intellectuals have gathered here in ever-increasing numbers. Thanks to the convergence of the finest minds from all corners of the country, the spirit of Thang Long has been nurtured and shone brightly, passed down from generation to generation, from one dynasty to the next.
The first person from Thang Long to bring glory to the land of the flying dragon was a son born in this land, accomplished in both literature and martial arts, possessing both courage and resourcefulness. That was Ly Thuong Kiet, who led his troops in a decisive attack, crushing 100,000 Song troops when they first encroached upon our borders, then retreated to establish a defensive line along the Nhu Nguyet River to protect the capital city of Thang Long. He also repeatedly led his army to suppress the Champa invaders, securing the southern borders. Ly Thuong Kiet was also the first Vietnamese person to boldly declare the inviolable independence of our country.
The rivers and mountains of Southern Vietnam belong to the Southern king.
It is clearly ordained in the book of heaven.
Why did the invaders come to conquer us?
Failure is inevitable!
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The statue of Ly Thai To in Hanoi. |
When the Ming army invaded our country, they renamed Thang Long to Dong Quan. And it was here, born in Nhi Khe village on the outskirts of the city, that a great son of Thang Long once again shone brightly. During his confinement in Dong Quan, Nguyen Trai secretly drafted the Binh Ngo Sach (Proclamation of Victory over the Ming). One winter night, he and his uncle, Tran Nguyen Han, escaped to join the resistance in Lam Son, offering a strategy to defeat the enemy and fighting alongside Le Loi for ten years against the Ming. This led to the Battle of Chi Lang, where he beheaded Lieu Thang and forced General Vuong Thong to kneel at the foot of Thang Long citadel and swear allegiance. And it was Nguyen Trai, on behalf of Le Loi, who drafted the epic Binh Ngo Dai Cao (Proclamation of Victory over the Ming), which later generations consider the second "Declaration of Independence" of Dai Viet!
At the end of the 18th century, nearly 300,000 Qing troops swarmed into our country to conquer it. They captured Thang Long Citadel without firing a single arrow or spear, but little did they know of the "Tam Diep chess game" devised by Ngo Thi Nham, also a son of Thang Long, to welcome them in as if offering them lodging for a night. Then, Quang Trung's five-division army poured into Thang Long, and in just five days and nights during the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Rooster (1789), achieved the victory at Ngoc Hoi - Dong Da, shaking the entire Qing court and fulfilling Quang Trung's proclamation to march out to war perfectly and brilliantly.
Beat them until they have nothing left of their armor.
Give them a ride so they can't return to their country.
Let them open their eyes: Heroic Vietnam has its own master!
I believe this also deserves to be considered a powerful "Declaration of Independence" of our Great Viet nation. During the early period of the French invasion, both times they attacked the Thang Long region, the leaders paid the ultimate price. The first time was in 1873, when Captain Garnier was killed on Thu Le Street. The second time was in 1883, when Colonel Henri Rivière was beheaded at Cau Giay. At that time, throughout Thang Long, people were spreading the word about the "Eulogy for Henri Rivière," probably written by some patriotic scholar, with lines such as:
Obeying the Imperial Court's orders.
I must pay my respects to him:
single bunch bananas
A single egg
He ate until he was full.
He slept soundly.
Poor guy!
Damn it!
What a disgrace for colonial France! What pride for the heroic spirit of Thang Long! Then the heroic spirit of Thang Long surged again in the August Revolution. Hundreds of thousands of Hanoi residents took to the streets to seize power, striking terror into the hearts of the colonialists and their henchmen. In just one day, power was in the hands of the people. The General Uprising, which began with victory in Hanoi, acted as a chain reaction, spreading from North to South, and within half a month, the entire government was in the hands of the people.
On September 2nd, bathed in the warm autumn sunshine and surrounded by the golden star and red flag, tens of thousands of Hanoi residents in Ba Dinh Square listened intently to every word of the Father of the Nation as President Ho Chi Minh solemnly read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Ba Dinh Square was repeatedly shaken by tens of thousands of shouts, as if their chests were about to burst, when the oath of independence was proclaimed. And immediately after that day, the people of Hanoi bravely rose up against the French invaders when they betrayed us and seized our country once again. Those with guns used guns, those with swords used swords, even spears, hoes, shovels, and sticks. The whole of Hanoi was determined to die for the Fatherland!
During the years of the war against the US, Hanoi was targeted for destruction by the US Air Force. Those in power in the White House wanted Hanoi to be the first place in North Vietnam to "return to the Stone Age." But Hanoi responded with the great victory of the Dien Bien Phu air battle: 34 B-52 bombers were shot down, 50 "Thunderbolt" and "Phantom" bombers were reduced to ashes...
Anyone who has ever strolled around Ho Guom Lake has surely admired the statue of King Le holding a sword and throwing it back at the Turtle God to free his hands for nation-building, and has surely stopped to look up at the Pen Tower that Phuong Dinh Nguyen Van Sieu erected to "write on the blue sky" (Ta Thanh Thien). What did he intend to write, if not the nation's aspiration for freedom, and the glorification of Thang Long's heroic spirit?!
Trinh Trong Quy
