The Age of the Sea Falconsthe Nguyen-Tayson war, the naval fighting at Thi Nai (1801). It vividly
demonstrates the role the navy played in shaping geopolitics and politi-
cal projection in the early modern era. It could even be argued that this
battle gave birth to modern Vietnam.
In 1801, the five-thousand-ha gulf had stood as the Tayson’s major
harbor and naval base for decades. Although it became a frequent target
of the Nguyen’s monsoon campaigns in 1792, 1793, 1796, 1799, and
1800, it remained as a strategically defensive gateway to the capital Quy
Nhon. When the Nguyen army expanded to the north of Quy Nhon, the
gulf was essential for landing troops and launching operations to attack
the Tayson heartland. Realizing that Thi Nai was their last chance to
block the Nguyen armada at sea and prevent a complete counter-attack,
the Tayson made an enormous attempt to fortify with a huge number
of artillery and warships. Western sources testify to two fleets of 500
warships and 50,000 men.^84 To organize the defensive structure, 100
warships were stationed at the gulf ’s entrance. They were backed by
two man-made mountains and fortresses filled with powerful artillery.
Several hundred warships and thousands of cannon were located inside
the base.^85 According to both Nguyen and western records, the battle
took place for 16 hours between 27 and 28 February 1801, starting with
62 Nguyen warships attacking the first line of the Tayson fleet. 26 other
large vessels entered the battle by firing cannon at the enemy vessels
and launching flaming boats to burn down the base. As one account
reports, the “sound of firing cannon shakes the sky. Shells fall like rain.”^86
The victory cost the lives of 4,000 Nguyen soldiers, while the Tayson
lost more than 20,000, their entire navy of 1,800 ships and 6,000 can-
non.^87 Although these numbers were potentially exaggerated, the naval
triumph confirmed Nguyen Phuc Anh’s military superiority. As a result,
the Tayson gave up coastal warfare and, in desperation, turned to passive
defense. The battle was a watershed in the war that unified Vietnam.
Its outcome determined what happened on land and the final defeat of
the Tayson, but more importantly, shaped the future of Vietnam during
- See Nguyen Ngoc Cu, “Nhung ngay tan cua Tay son”: 165–66.
- HLNTC, 335; DNLT, quyen 30: Biography of Quang Toan.
- DNTL, vol. 2, quyen 13, 220; Pham Van Son, Viet Su Tan Bien, 4.223–24.
- Nguyen Ngoc Cu, “Nhung ngay tan cua Tay son”, 167–68.