Nguyễn Trãi

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Portrait of Nguyen Trai

Nguyễn Trãi (Hán tự: 阮廌), also known under his style name Ức Trai 抑齋 (1380–1442) was a Vietnamese Confucian Scholar, politician, strategist and poet. He became a close friend and mastermind of Lê Lợi, Vietnam's hero-king, who freed Vietnam from Chinese rule. He is credited with writing the important political statements of Lê Lợi and inspiring many Vietnamese to support the rebellion against the Ming Dynasty rulers. The declaration of independence from China Bình Ngô đại cáo was written by him. After the war he was elevated by Le Loi to a very high rank in the new court but he was not appointed the regent of the country upon Lê Lợi's death. Instead that position was given to Le Sat, who ruled as regent for the young heir Lê Thái Tông.

At some point during the regency of Le Sat, Nguyễn Trãi retired to his country home north of Hanoi.

His death resulted from a scandal involving the young king, Le Thai Tong, and the wife or concubine of Nguyễn Trãi, named Nguyễn Thị Lộ. Early in 1442, the young king began an affair with Nguyễn Thị Lộ. This affair continued when the king visited the old scholar at his home. Not long after the king left, he suddenly became ill and died. The nobles at the court blamed Nguyễn Trãi and Nguyễn Thị Lộ for the young kings death, accused them of treason, and had them and their entire families executed "to the third generation".

Twenty years later, the great king Lê Thánh Tông officially pardoned Nguyễn Trãi, saying that he was innocent in the death of the king.

According to Loren Baritz ("Backfire: A History of How American Culture Led Us Into Vietnam and Made Us Fight the Way We Did", 1985), Trai set down the Vietnamese strategy against the Chinese in an essay. This essay would prove to be very close to the Communist strategy of insurgency. Specifically you must, "subordinate military action to the political and moral struggle...better to conquer hearts than citadels."