The Age of the Sea Falconsfavorable” thereby “strengthening the navy”.^42 In the same manner, the
Nguyen fleets were able to introduce a number of innovative ships.
Although mentioned in only few written references, images of these
clever vessels were carved on nine bronze Tripod Cauldrons (cuu dinh)
in the Hue Grand Palace, among them the Da Ta c/Sach vessel (Da tac
chu on Cao dinh) with three masts; the Lau vessel (Lau chu, on Nhan
dinh), a two-story warship; the Mong Dong vessel (Mong dong chu on
Chuong dinh) with a hull placed on the top (see Figure 4.1); the Dinh
vessel (Dinh chu on Thuan dinh) and the Le vessel (Le chu on Tuyen
dinh), high-speed warships with a large number of rowers, and the O
vessel (O chu on Du dinh) with two large sails.^43
Arguably, competition in shipbuilding contributed to the changes
that during the mid-1790s turned the tide of warfare in favour of the
Nguyen. In contrast to the Nguyen, the Tayson were in a difficult posi-
tion in expanding their shipbuilding capacity, especially after the loss
of Gia Dinh (1788). In order to avoid the Tayson’s infantry and war
elephants, Nguyen Phuc Anh brought into play naval mobility and ef-
fective artillery. These two advantages allowed him to move along the
central coasts and control coastal transportation. The rise of the navy
changed the military landscape, expanded the theatre of combat, in-
troduced new tactics of operation, and contributed to shifting regional
power in Vietnam.
Cannon and Naval WeaponryOne of the most important adaptations of the Vietnamese navy to
western technology was the extensive use of cannon. However, this
was actually a continuation of the strong firearm tradition developed
in Vietnam from the fourteenth century onwards.^44 Both Nguyen Phuc
Anh and the Tayson increasingly depended upon firearms and cannon
for combat on land and sea. In most of the naval battles discussed below,
- DNTL, vol. 2, quyen 1, 25.
- All those warships were carved on the Nguyen’s nine bronze ting in the Hue Grand
Palace. - Ngo Si Lien, Dai Viet su ky toan thu (Dayue Shiji Quanshu) [Complete Book of
the Historical Record of Dai Viet] (Tokyo: Tokyo Daigaku Toyo Bunka Kenkyujo,
1984–86): 1.464