Heroes who fought against the Huns, chief architects of the Forbidden City, and the founders of artillery in Chinese history… are all remarkable talents from Vietnam.
1. Li Ong Trong Aids the Qin Dynasty Against the Huns
Li Ong Trong, whose real name was Li Shen, is a legendary figure who lived at the end of the Hùng Dynasty and the beginning of the An Dương Dynasty, originally from Chèm village, Từ Liêm, Hanoi. During the reign of the 18th Hùng King, Ong Trong held a minor position in the district. It is said that he was two meters and three centimeters tall. Known for his uprightness, loyalty, and compassion for the people, he once witnessed a cruel district soldier brutally beating laborers. In anger, he killed the soldier and was sentenced to death by the court. However, the king, recognizing his talents and virtues, could not bear to execute him. Subsequently, he resigned from his position and traveled far to seek knowledge.
During the reign of Thục An Dương Vương, he became a skilled general who assisted the king and was sent as an envoy to the Qin state.
At that time, the Qin Dynasty frequently faced invasions from the Huns in the north. Although Qin Shi Huang had built the Great Wall, peace was still elusive. When Li Ong Trong, a talented general from the Âu Lạc state, arrived as an envoy, the Qin king invited him to help repel the Huns, granting him the title of Vạn Tín Hầu. Ong Trong led troops to defend the territory of Lâm Thao (now in Gansu, China), and any time the Huns approached, they were decisively defeated. The Huns were terrified, and from then on, they dared not invade the borders of the Qin state again. The Qin king greatly admired him, awarded him high titles and riches, and even arranged for a princess to marry Li Ong Trong, wishing to keep him in Qin for a long time. After some time, however, Li Ong Trong missed his homeland and requested permission from the Qin king to return home and rest.
The Qin king commissioned a giant bronze statue of Li Ong Trong at the Kim Mã gate in the capital city of Hàm Dương.
Upon hearing that Li Ong Trong had returned to his homeland, the Huns attacked Qin again. The Qin king sent envoys to Âu Lạc to invite Ong Trong back. Not wanting to go, Ong Trong claimed he had died. The Qin king, having no other choice, commissioned a massive bronze statue of Li Ong Trong (hollow inside, capable of holding dozens of people, with mechanisms to move its limbs realistically) to be placed at the Kim Mã gate in the capital Hàm Dương. The Huns mistook it for Ong Trong himself, and thus did not dare to invade Qin. Since then, people from the north often referred to large statues as “Ong Trong.”
2. The Forbidden City is the Work of a Vietnamese
The Forbidden City in Beijing has become a cultural symbol that the Chinese take pride in. Few people know that the chief architect of the Forbidden City was a Vietnamese.
That was Nguyễn An, born at the end of the Trần Dynasty. According to Kiến Văn Tiểu Lục by Lê Quý Đôn, Nguyễn An was from the Hà Đông region today. From a young age, he was known as a prodigy, skilled in calculations and possessing a unique talent for architecture. Thus, at just 16 years old, Nguyễn An participated in the construction of the Trần Dynasty palaces.
In 1406, the Ming army invaded the Hồ Dynasty and captured Hồ Quý Ly and his son, bringing them back to China. In 1407, the Ming emperor issued a decree for his generals in our country to capture educated individuals, skilled craftsmen, and strong young men to bring back to China to serve their needs. Nguyễn An was among those captured.
After arriving in China, Nguyễn An was assigned to the eunuch ranks. At that time, the Ming were constructing Beijing as their capital. Learning of Nguyễn An’s architectural talent and integrity, the Ming emperor appointed him to oversee the construction of the Forbidden City. The officials at the Ministry of Works were initially reluctant, but when they saw Nguyễn An’s precise calculations and how he could envision structures with just a finger, they gladly complied.
Under Nguyễn An’s direction, the Forbidden City in Beijing was completed as a monumental structure comprising 800 palaces and 8,886 rooms over an area of 720,000 m². According to Professor Trần Ngọc Thêm in the newspaper Sài Gòn Giải Phóng, this project bears distinct Vietnamese architectural influences. This includes the principle of “front court, back market,” meaning the palace is in front and the market is behind. While previous Chinese imperial cities were square, the Forbidden City is rectangular. Notably, the Forbidden City has three layers, while previous imperial cities only had one or two. According to Professor Thêm, this reflects the Vietnamese tendency to value odd numbers and also resembles our ancient Cổ Loa citadel.
Nguyễn An’s contributions to the construction of the Forbidden City are still clearly recorded in ancient Chinese historical texts such as Hoàng Minh Thông Kỷ and Anh Tông Chính Thống Thực Lục.
3. The Father of Artillery in China
The Chinese have long been regarded as the inventors of gunpowder. However, few people know that it was actually a Vietnamese who taught the Chinese how to cast cannons. That teacher was none other than Hồ Nguyên Trừng. He was the eldest son of Hồ Quý Ly and had a unique talent for casting guns and artillery. After the Hồ Dynasty was destroyed by the Ming army, he and his father were taken back to China.
In China, the Ming dynasty recognized Trừng’s talent for creating powerful weapons and drafted him into service, leading to a significant advancement in the use of gunpowder in warfare. According to Vân Đài Loại Ngữ by Lê Quý Đôn, the Ming records state: “Trừng skillfully crafted weapons and created powerful artillery for the court, and now all weaponry must pay homage to Trừng.” The book Thông Ký also states: “Initially, the National Dynasty (referring to the Ming) had only five military camps, namely Trung, Tiền, Tả, Hữu, Hậu. In the fifth year of the Yongle era (1403-1424), they established the three thousand camps under the banner of the dragon, after conquering the south, learning the method of making powerful artillery, they established the artillery corps.”
Professor Trần Quốc Vượng, while researching Chinese history, also confirmed that the Ming history records: “During the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty (1403-1424), they attacked Giao Chỉ and learned the method of casting powerful artillery, at which time the artillery corps was established.” Thus, historical records from both our side and China clearly confirm that it was only after Hồ Nguyên Trừng that the artillery corps, the first artillery division of the Chinese army and indeed of humanity, came into existence. Clearly, our ancestors were ahead of the Chinese in the art of artillery manufacturing.
4. The Top Scholar of the Tang Dynasty
The historical relations between Vietnam and China during the feudal period saw many Vietnamese envoys, skilled in rhetoric, being conferred the title of Trạng Nguyên by Chinese emperors. However, this was only a form of honorary title. Since the 8th century, when our country was still under Tang rule, the Vietnamese had already demonstrated intelligence equal to that of the Chinese.
In 784, Khương Công Phụ, a commoner from Yên Định – Thanh Hóa (then known as Nhật Nam County under the Tang), went to Chang’an to take the exam and won the title of Trạng Nguyên, ranking first among thousands of Chinese scholars.
According to the book Chuyện Thi Cử và Lập Nghiệp của Học Trò Xưa, Khương Công Phụ was born into a family of herbal medicine sellers. From a young age, he was known for his intelligence, leading his parents to send him to study with a Chinese scholar who had passed the civil service exams but had retreated to our country. Thanks to this excellent teacher, Công Phụ’s talents flourished.
During the examination at the district level, the Tang emperor allowed only eight An Nam scholars to compete in Chang’an, but Công Phụ surpassed all the examinations and consistently ranked first among the candidates. In the final examination in Chang’an, he achieved the title of Trạng Nguyên and later served as a Grand Councilor and then Prime Minister during the reign of Emperor Đường Túc Tông.
Later scholars in China still hold Công Phụ in high regard. Scholar La Sĩ Bằng remarked: “During the Tang era, literature and poetry were the criteria for selecting officials. An Nam scholars wishing to enter the bureaucracy had to follow this route. Công Phụ, having passed the exams to hold high positions such as Grand Councilor, surely had profound and distinguished literary skills… Only in the Toàn Đường Văn, volume 446, are two pieces recorded: Bạch Vân Chiếu Xuân Hải and Đối Cực Trực Gián Sách. Through these two literary works, we can generally glimpse the literary talent and knowledge of this literary figure.”
