Vietnam: Nguyen Trai (1380-1442), poet, patriot and adviser to Emperor Le Loi (r.1428-1433), 16th century painting

Nguyễn Trãi, also known under his pen name Ức Trai (1380–1442) was an illustrious Vietnamese Confucian scholar, a noted poet, a skilled politician and a master tactician. He was at times attributed with being capable of almost miraculous or mythical deeds in his designated capacity as a close friend and principal advisor of Lê Lợi, Vietnam's hero-king, who fought to free the country from Chinese rule. He is credited with writing the important political statements of Lê Lợi and inspiring the Vietnamese populace to support open rebellion against the Ming Dynasty rulers. He is also the author of the declaration of independence from China, 'Bình Ngô đại cáo' ('Great Proclamation upon the Pacification of the Wu [Ming China]).

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. Under the occupation, Ming China attempted to convert Vietnam into a Chinese province and ruthlessly quashed all rebellions.

In 1417, Nguyễn Trãi joined a rebel leader named 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 leading to the defeat of the Ming and the inauguration of the Lê Dynasty lasted from 1417 to 1427.

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