Quý Ly rose from a post as an official served the court of the ruling Trần dynasty and a military general fought against the Cham forces during the Cham–Vietnamese War (1367–1390).
[1] Hồ Quý Ly was born in 1336 at Đại Lại village, Vĩnh Ninh district, Ái Châu, Thanh Đô town with aristocracy's standing.
Descended from a Chinese family named Hu who had migrated from modern Zhejiang (China) to Dien Chau (modern-day Thanh Hóa) in the tenth century, he adopted the Vietnamese surname Lê to appeal to the local elite.
The campaign became disastrous in January 1377 as king Due Tong was killed in battle and prince Tran Huc was captured; only Do Tu Binh and Le Quý Ly were able to flee.
Following the victory in Vijaya, Che Bong Nga's army rapidly advanced into the Red River Delta and sacked Hanoi, gaining control of vast territories including Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.
In summer, Che Bong Nga launched a new offensive through the mountains in today Eastern Laos, bypassing Quý Ly's position, and attacked Son Tay from the west.
King Nghe Tong ordered troops to stop and repulse the Cham advances, but they were routed and a Vietnamese commander was captured.
The king once again fled north across the Red River while Cham troops sacked Hanoi, occupying it for six months before their departure.
The great Cham king was killed and his general La Ngai fled to the south, proclaimed as Jaya Simhavarman VI.
[12]Book of Documents In 1392, through manipulating Nghe Tong, Quý Ly removed Tran Nhat Chuong, a member of the royal family for plotting to assassinate him.
Encountering a failed coup by the Trần, Quý Ly suppressed dissenters by executing 370 dissidents, seizing their possessions, enslaving their female relatives, and burying alive or drowning males of all ages.
In accordance with the former Trần dynasty's tradition, Hồ Quý Ly styled himself as Emperor Emeritus and still possessed much power over state affairs.
You inquire about the state of affairs in Annan.Annan's customs are simple and pure.Moreover, official clothing is according to the Tang system.The rites and music that control intercourse between the ruler and the officialsare those of the Han.The jade brush unfolds new laws.The gold sword slices the scales of armor.Every year in the second or third monthPeach and plum seeds are planted in spring.
[21]Hồ Quý Ly has been a subject of controversial debates among Vietnamese historians, some scholars value his radical thoughts and reformation, while others regard him as a usurper.