Battle of Nhu Nguyet Secures Vietnamese Independence

1077

When the Song dynasty sent a retaliatory army south, General Ly Thuong Kiet met it at the Nhu Nguyet River and held. The fighting was fierce - tens of thousands died on both sides - but the Song advance stalled at the river line. A negotiated peace followed: the Song returned conquered lands and recognized Ly Nhan Tong as king. Vietnam's northern border, drawn in blood and diplomacy, would hold for the next two centuries.