[3] According to Đại Việt sử kí toàn thư, Lê Phụ Trần was appointed by the Emperor Trần Thái Tông as middle-ranking court counsellor (Vietnamese: Ngự sử trung tướng) in 1250.
[5] In the beginning, the Đại Việt army suffered several defeats by an overwhelming force which had already conquered vast areas of Asia.
[6] Despite the hardships, Lê Phụ Trần always proved to be not only a courageous general on the battlefield but also a sound official who rightly advised the Emperor retreating in order to preserve the army for a counterattack.
[5] Finally, the Trần dynasty was able to drive back the invasion and re-established the peace in Đại Việt in December 1257.
[12] After the coronation of Trần Thánh Tông in February 1258, Lê Phụ Trần was promoted to commander-in-chief of Đại Việt's navy (Thủy quân đại tướng quân) in June 1259[15] as a part of the Emperor's plan of reinforcing the Trần dynasty by several recruitements and reorganization of the military division so that the operating and fighting ability of Đại Việt army could be improved.