Vietnam: Nguyen Hue statue, Dong Da Hill, Hanoi

Dong Da Hill is a grassy mound in central Hanoi, just over 2 km (1.2 miles) southwest of Van Mieu (The Temple of Literature). It is an artificial hill covering the thousands of dead Chinese invaders killed by Nguyen Hue, subsequently the Emperor Quang Trung, who defeated a Qing army of 200,000 men in just one week during Ky Dau, the ‘Year of the Cock’, or 1789.

In 1788 a large Qing army was sent south to restore Lê Mẫn Đế (Lê Chiêu Thống) to the Vietnamese throne. They succeeded in taking Thăng Long (Hà Nội, Hanoi) and putting Emperor Lê Chiêu Thống back on the throne.

This situation did not last long as the Tây Sơn leader, Nguyễn Huệ, launched an attack against the Qing forces while they were celebrating the Chinese New Year festival of the year 1789. The Chinese were completely defeated and Nguyễn Huệ was proclaimed Emperor Quang Trung of Vietnam, although he also agreed to pat tribute to the Qing court to avoid further invasions.

Nguyễn Huệ, also known as Emperor Quang Trung (光中皇帝; Quang Trung Hoàng đế ), born in Bình Định in 1753, died in Phú Xuân on 16 September 1792, was the second emperor of the Tây Sơn Dynasty of Vietnam, reigning from 1788 until 1792. He was also one of the most successful military commanders in Vietnam's history.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia