[1] Being of commoner origin, Ỷ Lan was favoured by Lý Thánh Tông because she not only gave birth to his first child but also successfully acted the regency for him during his military campaign in Champa.

Ỷ Lan is considered one of the most important figures of the early Lý era, being credited with driving the country's economic prosperity and political stability, in addition to her contributions to promoting Buddhism in Vietnam.

One of the few women who held significant political power during the dynastic period of Vietnamese history, Ỷ Lan has been worshipped as a goddess[2] while streets in cities across Vietnam have been named after her.

[3] According to Từ điển Bách khoa toàn thư Việt Nam, the birthyear of Ỷ Lan was unknown,[4] she was born in the Thổ Lỗi (later changed to Siêu Loại) village, now Dương Xá commune, Gia Lam, Hanoi.

[18] Since Đại Việt had a long period of peace and prosperity, Ỷ Lan began her plan of spreading Buddhism in the country by order to build over one hundred pagodas.

[19][22] On 25 July 1117, with Ỷ Lan dead, she was given the posthumous name Phù thánh linh nhân hoàng thái hậu (扶聖靈仁皇太后) and was buried in the imperial tomb Thọ Lăng which was located in Thiên Đức prefect (now Từ Sơn District, Bắc Ninh), the native land of the Lý dynasty.

[28] In culture, Ỷ Lan is one of the main characters in the chèo play Bài ca giữ nước (The Song of Defending the Country), the most famous work of the writer Tào Mạt.