'Pacified South'), was an administrative division of the Tang dynasty of China administered by Chinese governors, which then later became a quasi-independent regime ruled by successive local Vietnamese warlords and monarchs.

[2] In 880, the army in Đại La mutinied, forcing the commander Zeng Gun to flee north, ending de facto Chinese control.

When Liu Yin died in 911, Thừa Mỹ sent gifts to the Later Liang court by a naval envoy from the Min Kingdom.

In the last month of the year, an imperial envoy arrived at Đại La to confirm Thừa Mỹ as military governor there.

The Southern Han at Guangzhou controlled all of the Xi River basin; they were eager to add Tĩnh Hải quân to their realm and to reassemble the ancient inheritance of Zhao Tuo’s kingdom of Nanyue.

The Southern Han general, Cheng Bao, failed to retake Tĩnh Hải from Dương Đình Nghệ and therefore he was decapitated.

[10][6] Ngô Quyền, a former general and son-in-law of Dương Đình Nghệ, marched north from Ai to avenge the death of his patron.

[14][12] In February 939, Ngô Quyền abolished the title of military governor and proclaimed himself king, with the ancient town of Cổ Loa as his royal capital.

As the two kings prepared to march against Hoa Lư, Bộ Lĩnh sent his son Đinh Liễn as a hostage of good faith.

The Ngô brothers responded by denouncing Bộ Lĩnh for not coming in person, securing Liễn, and proceeding to attack Hoa Lư.

[18] After Liễn escaped back to Hoa Lư, Bộ Lĩnh moved to make an alliance with Trần Lãm, a merchant and warlord of Cantonese origin.

[20] In the same year, Bộ Lĩnh subdued and mobilized Ô man tribes in the west, then attacked warlord Ngô Nhật Khánh in Sơn Tây with 30,000 troops.