Warring Societies of Pre-Colonial Southeast Asia_ Local Cultures of Conflict Within a Regional Context

Warring Societies of Pre-colonial Southeast Asia

the following century, including the foundation of a new dynasty by
Nguyen Phuc Anh in 1802.^88

Conclusions

The “sea falcon” was the title given to the military figure Nguyen Huu
Chinh (d. 1787) by his contemporaries in appreciation of his mastery of
naval tactics, but it is also a metaphoric image for a new age of warfare
in early modern Vietnam where large-scale maritime combat became
the major form of military operations. The period introduced some
distinctive features of early modern naval innovations, including the
continuing existence of indigenous-style vessel with extensive use of
western cannon (manufactured in Vietnam under the guidance or in-
fluence of Europeans), and remarkable changes in ship-structure. The
coastal and river boat superstructure was solidified to support larger
cannon. The strengthening of the deck not only extended the ship’s
loading capacity, but also served as a fighting platform. Better firearms
and advanced naval tactics permitted high-speed operation on a larger
spatial scale, and allowed the participation of watercraft and the navy in
land operations. Who controlled the waters owned the final triumph.
In other words, the late eighteenth century was an important chapter of
Vietnam’s military history. Not only did its outcome shape the contours
of the modern state, but also the consequent evolution of warfare diver-
sified Vietnamese combat tradition.
Through increasing engagement with maritime Southeast Asia, a
new set of ideas, techniques, and practices involving navy and maritime
campaign were introduced into the country’s military repertoire. Naval
combat between 1771 and 1802 became one of the most important
aspects of warfare and had a profound impact upon state formation
in the early modern age. During those decades, naval battles played a
decisive role in regional competition and territorial unification. The
dynamic relationship between naval warfare, topography, and state-
formation determined the outcome of the three-centuries of regional
competition among the Vietnamese and the navy became the answer
for political superiority. The Tayson navy brought northern armies to
their knees before Nguyen Phuc Anh built up his great fleets in the lower

88. DNTL, vol. 2, quyen 13, 220.