An Dương Vương
An Dương Vương was a semi-legendary and the only ruler of the kingdom of Âu Lạc from 208 BC to 179 BC. His real name was Khai Minh Phán with the title of Phục Phán. As the leader of the Âu Việt tribes, he defeated and seized the throne from the last Hùng king of the state of Văn Lang and united its people - known as the Lạc Việt - with the Âu Việt. An Dương Vương fled and committed suicide after the attack and razing of his capital Cổ Loa in 179 BC.
Later written accounts
According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư and Khâm định Việt sử Thông giám cương mục, Thục Phán was a son of Prince Kaiming He of the state of Shu, a descendant of :zh:芦子霸王|Lô Tử Bá Vương When Kaiming was a little kid, his relatives brought him and sought refuge in the southern Chinese provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan and then moved their people to modern-day northern Vietnam during the invasion of the Qin dynasty. Twenty-five years later, Kaiming married a Shu woman and had a child named Phán, who became a well known warrior. Phán united the southern Yue tribes and Sinitic refuges of Tây Âu through force. In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang ordered the invasion and subjugation of Âu Lạc, and resistances lasted until 208 BC. Then, Thục Phán and his forces annexed Red River Delta into his newly established Âu Lạc kingdom.Some modern Vietnamese believe that Thục Phán came upon the territory of the Âu Việt tribes.
Conquering of the Hùng
Thục Phán assembled an army and defeated the 18th dynasty of the Hùng king, the last line of rulers of the Hồng Bàng dynasty of Văn Lang, around 207 BC. He proclaimed himself An Dương Vương and renamed Văn Lang as Âu Lạc after the names of the conquering and conquered peoples. He established his fortress and new capital on a rise above the Red River valley at Co Loa in present-day Hanoi's Dong Anh district, about north-east of the city centre.Thục Phán and Âu Lạc's administration
There is little recorded or written about how the new Âu Lạc was administered and organized.Nonetheless, based on legendary records, he seems to have been an astute, intelligent, and significant figure. Certainly he was a talented general who knew how to exploit the confusion and turmoil in China during that period, not only to take control of territory and establish a separate state for his people, but also to secure his state's prosperity and survival. China at this time was the subject of numerous battles between the various Warring States who were fighting for overall control and domination of their neighbouring states. Eventually, the Qin state rose to power and unified China in 211 BC under Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Around the time that Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of the Great Wall, An Dương Vương began the construction of a spiral fortress called Cổ Loa Citadel to defend his state against invasions.
The legend of Cổ Loa Citadel and the Magical Crossbow
Cổ Loa Citadel and Âu Lạc
After Thục Phán defeated the last Hùng king and ascended to the throne as An Dương Vương, he renamed Văn Lang to Âu Lạc and established the Cổ Loa Citadel as his new capital. He saw the strategic and geographic importance of Cổ Loa. On two of its sides, Cổ Loa was surrounded by impenetrable mountains and forests. There was also a river flowing by. It is not known why An Dương Vương favoured the spiral, shell-like shape of Cổ Loa Citadel, but it is said that its construction was extremely tough and difficult to complete. According to legend, each time it seemed near completion, the work was undone at night by a horde of evil spirits.The legend of Cổ Loa and the Magic Crossbow
An Dương Vương burnt incense, prayed, made offerings and evoked the gods to help him. One night, in a dream, an old and frail man with long, white hair came to him and told him the only person who could help him build his citadel was a golden turtle that lived somewhere around Cổ Loa.A few days later, while sitting in a boat on the river and thinking about the meaning of his dream, a giant golden turtle suddenly emerged from the water. The golden turtle told An Dương Vương that he would need one of its claws in order to accomplish his plan. Pulling out one of its claws and throwing it to An Dương Vương, the turtle vanished.
An Dương Vương had Cao Lỗ, his weaponry engineer, build a crossbow incorporating this claw which could shoot thousands of arrows at once. Indeed, right after obtaining this claw, An Dương Vương saw his fortunes change. His capital started taking shape. His kingdom prospered and soon was coveted by neighbouring states. Among those who coveted his territory was Zhao Tuo, a Qin general who refused to surrender to the newly established Han Dynasty. For a period of ten years around 197 to 179 BC, Triệu Đà attempted many invasions to conquer Âu Lạc but failed each time due to An Dương Vương's military skills and defensive tactics.
Triệu Đà's scheme
, having been beaten several times, devised a new plan. He negotiated a peace treaty with Âu Lạc. He determined to find out the strengths and strategies of his foe. He even went so far as to propose marriage between An Dương Vương’s daughter, Princess Mỵ Châu and his son Trọng Thủy. In time Triệu Đà found out through his daughter-in-law Mỵ Châu that An Dương Vương had a magic crossbow that made him almost invincible. Triệu Đà then he told his son Trọng Thủy to sneak into his father-in-law's palace and steal this "magic crossbow", replacing it with a fake. Triệu Đà, with the magic crossbow in his hands, launched a new attack on his foe and in-law An Dương Vương.The deaths of Mỵ Châu and Trọng Thủy
This time, Cổ Loa fortress fell into Triệu Đà's hands. An Dương Vương grabbed Mỵ Châu, his only daughter, and fled the scene of the battle. He rode to the river and encountered the giant golden turtle, which told An Dương Vương, “The enemy is sitting right behind you!”Angered by his own daughter's betrayal, the king slew his daughter. Then he jumped into the river with the giant golden turtle.
Trọng Thủy, searching for his beloved wife, arrived a few minutes later at the scene. Her body was lying in a pool of blood and his father-in-law was nowhere to be seen. In accordance with conjugal fidelity and devotion, he drew his sword and killed himself as well, in order to be with his wife forever in eternity. In another version of the legend, after discovering Mị Châu's body, Trọng Thủy took her home. Later, when Trọng Thủy was in control of Âu Lạc, he was depressed as he missed Mị Châu. One day when he went to the well to take water for a bath, he saw Mị Châu's reflection in the well. So he jumped into the well to reach her and drowned. It was said that he actually committed suicide at the well because of his guilt for allowing his wife to be killed.
Having defeated An Duong Vuong, Triệu Đà annexed the newly conquered territory, created the combined state of Nam Viet and proclaimed himself the first emperor of the Triệu Dynasty.
The story of Mỵ Châu and Trọng Thủy is a tragic love story often retold in Vietnamese literature.