What type of ship created the heroic naval battles in history?

Vietnam has had many famous naval battles in the thousands of years of building and defending the country. Later generations always want to know how their ancestors used warships to defeat the mighty armies of invaders.

The book Than Long Kich Thuy - History of Vietnamese warships - Photo: Kim Dong Publishing House

That information is partly met in the new book Than long kich thuy - History of Vietnamese warships , by authors Dong Nguyen and Kaoviets Ngujens. The book promises to satisfy the learning needs of those who love Vietnamese naval battles.

Naval battles to protect the Fatherland

Vietnam has a long coastline stretching from North to South. Therefore, in the history of building and defending the country, especially during the time when we were invaded by the North, keeping the border safe in the coastal area has always been a hot spot.

The book gives readers a look back at the famous naval battles in Vietnamese history. That was the glorious victory on the water in 938 of Ngo Quyen against the Southern Han army on the Bach Dang River.

It is the victory of King Hung Dao against the Yuan army in 1287 and 1288 with 500 powerful enemy warships.

There were also 30-year battles at sea and on rivers between the Tay Son and Nguyen dynasties.

The Nguyen Dynasty's tactic of using elephants to capsize boats on the river was depicted in the book

Our country is small and weak compared to foreign countries, but our spirit is always resilient and courageous. In difficult times, the Vietnamese people always find ways to turn the situation around.

Therefore, how to build a navy, how to manufacture ships to fight against high-quality invading ships is always a question that makes many people curious.

Understanding that helps us see the stature of famous generals, how resourceful and intelligent they must be to "in times of difficulty, invention emerges", knowing how to turn the situation around, surprising and terrifying the enemy.

The legend of monk Nguyen Minh Khong using magic to fly a warship back to the capital in Linh Nam Chich Quai is redrawn in the book

Reconstruct the majestic appearance of the warship

Than Long Kich Thuy - History of Vietnamese warships focuses on recreating the majestic appearance of Vietnamese warships through the ages and revealing the advanced features in boat design of our ancestors.

The book introduces the development, structure, manufacturing techniques and naval tactics of warships throughout the history of the nation.

There are 5 chapters, with contents such as: Overview of the history of Vietnamese warships through the periods of Tien Le, Ly, Tran - Ho, Hau Le, Tay Son and Nguyen dynasties;

Technical aspects of Vietnamese warships such as hull shape, frame, hydrodynamic components...

Naval warfare tactics and tools; Typical warships in our country such as Mong Dong, Chu Kieu, Lau Thuyen, Ngu Bac...

When writing the book, the author researched and consulted sources from ancient documents such as Le Dynasty Code, Imperial Code of Dai Nam Code, Silver Boat Titles and Regulations , etc. In addition, there are sources of documents from foreign authors writing about Vietnamese boats.

The book has an interdisciplinary approach of history, technology, culture, and military to hopefully create appeal for readers, without a dry, technical feeling.

The Dragon and the Water has many illustrations from details to panoramic views drawn by Kaovjets Ngujens, along with photos of Dong Nguyen's boat model at the Vietnam History Museum, and other valuable related documents and pictures.

Dong Nguyen specializes in researching the history of customs, costumes and weapons. He is the co-founder of many groups and sites specializing in researching ancient history and culture such as Dai Viet Co Phong, Vietnam Centre, Vuong Su Kien Due...

Kaovjets Ngujens is a Latvian artist of Vietnamese origin, specializing in historical period illustrations, and is the author and main artist in many historical book and documentary projects.

The two authors once collaborated on the book project Miraculous Arts - Some techniques and technologies on the S-shaped strip of land before the 20th century .

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/loai-thuyen-nao-tao-nen-nhung-tran-thuy-chien-oai-hung-trong-lich-su-20251029113239416.htm