Lý Thường Kiệt

Lý Thường Kiệt was born in Thăng Long (now Hanoi), the capital of Đại Việt (ancient Vietnam).

According to Hoàng Xuân Hãn, Thái Hòa was also the name of a small mountain in the west of Thăng Long citadel, south of the Bách Thảo dike, near the place turn down to the horse racing.

The Việt điện u linh tập history book that were compiled with [Ngô surname sources] all mention Lý Thường Kiệt's father named An Ngữ, and was a "Sùng ban Lang tướng".

And for martial arts, I want to follow Vệ Thanh and Hoắc Khú, traveled thousands of miles to make merits, gain seals, so my parents can be proud of me.

Tạ Đức praised him for his character, he let Thường Kiệt married his nephew named Thuần Khanh, and taught him about the infantry tactics in the military books of Tôn and Ngô family.

Tạ Đức recommended him to read confucianism books, Thường Kiệt studied very hard for it, so he quickly become talented.

At the end of the funeral, thanks to his adoptive father, Thường Kiệt was assigned the position of "Cavalry Captain", a small officer in the riding horses army.

According to the 20th century historian Trần Trọng Kim, Ly was afraid that his soldiers would lose morale so he wrote this poem and said it was done by the Gods to restore their fighting spirit.

[6] Nonetheless, to this day the poem is still well known in Vietnam, and Ly is considered a national hero, with some Vietnamese still delivering tribute to and worshipping him as a deity at his shrine in Hanoi.