Resistance against Siamese invaders (1784 – 1785)

Rach Gam – Xoai Mut battle

In 1784, more than 50,000 Siamese troops followed two waterway and road to invade our country and by the end of 1784 they had conquered a few areas in the west of Gia Dinh.

In 1785, Nguyen Hue sent troops to My Tho to attack the Siamese army. He took advantage of the extremely dangerous rising and falling tides in the Rach Gam – Xoai Mut river section as a decisive battle ground for the enemy.

This river section is about six kilometers long and about 1 kilometer wide. In the middle of the river is Thoi Son island, on both sides of the river are dense vegetation, and the north is the vast Dong Thap Muoi. Nguyen Hue decided to arrange a large ambush here:

• The Navy hid their troops deep in the Rach Gam – Xoai Mut river branches and behind the islets.
• Infantry ambushed on the banks and on islands in the middle of the river.

On the night of the 19th and the early morning of January 20, 1785 (Giap Thin year), 50,000 Siamese troops entered the decisive battle with the Tay Son insurgents. When the enemy troops were entered inside the ambush battlefield, the artillery on the boats located on the islands fired extremely fiercely, then the ambush troops on both sides of the river surrounded and flanked, causing all Siamese warships to be sunk here.

The battle of Rach Gam – Xoai Mut is considered an extremely resounding naval battle, it affirmed the great strength of the insurgents and the military genius of Nguyen Hue.

Materials: Vietnam History Book Volume 01 –Hanoi Social Sciences Publishing House 1971